Global Policy Forum

UN Gender Inequality

Gender Distribution in the
Professional and Higher Staff Categories in UN Organizations

December 31, 2007

In spite of initiatives designed to promote gender balance, most the overall representation of women in the UN system still falls short of a 50/50 gender balance says the 2008 Secretary General Report on the Improvement of the Status of Women in the United Nations System. As of December 31, 2007 only two organizations in the United Nations System* have achieved the goal of an equal gender representation in the category of Professional and higher staff**: Office of the United Nations High Comissioner for Refugees and United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund

(Created by Monika Kamieniecka, GPF Associate, March 2009)

*UN Organizations, Programmes, Agencies and Funds

FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization
IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency
ICAO - International Civil Aviation Organization
ICAT - International Training Center of the International Labor Organization
ICJ - International Court of Justice
ICSC - International Civil Service Comission
IFAD - International Fund for Agricultural Development
ILO - International Labour Organization
IMO - International Maritime Organization
ITC - International Trade Center
ITU - International Telecommunication Union
JSPF - United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund
PAHO - Pan American Health Organization
UN - United Nations Secretariat
UNAIDS - Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
UNDP - United Nations Develpment Programme
UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UNFPA - United Nations Population Fund
UNHCR - Office of the United Nations High Comissioner for Refugees
UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund
UNIDO - United Nations Industrial Development Organization
UNITAR - United Nations Institute for Training and Research
UNOPS - United Nations Office for Project Services
UNRWA - United Nations Relief and Works Agency for palestine Refugees in the Near East
UNU - United Nations University
UPU - Universal Postal Union
WFP - World Food Programme
WHO - World Health Organization
WIPO - World Intellectual Property Organization
WMO - World Meteorological Organization

**Staff Level

UG stands for "ungraded," e.g. Secretary General, Under Secretary General, Assistant Secretary General, Deputy Director General, Director General and Assistant Director General. The Secretary General names all persons occupying top positions at the level of Under Secretary General (USG) and Assistant Secretary General (ASG).

The tenured International Civil Service ranges from D-2 (the upper-level "Director") and D-1 (the lower-level "Director") through the "Professional" levels of P-5 to P-1. D-2 ranks as the highest level within the International Civil Service, while P-1 is the lowest.

The tables above do not include UN non-professional ("General") staff.