UNON Director General holds her first town hall meeting with staff members

UNON Director General Amb. Sahle -Work Zewde addressing staff members at a Town Hall meeting

( Nairobi, 27 October 2011 ) -The Director General of UNON, Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde, held her first town hall meeting in Nairobi on 25 October 2011 with all the UN secretariat staff members.

Acknowledging every UN staff member’s contribution and dedication to the work of the UN, Ms. Zewde articulated her vision and objectives for the Nairobi Office, the only UN Headquarter duty station in the developing world.

Ms. Zewde underlined that UNON provides a common umbrella for all UN activities in Kenya as the representative office of the Secretary-General and must serve as an efficient platform for critical multilateral negotiations and discussions. She also stressed the importance for UNON to deliver efficient and effective support to an ever growing number of UN entities and play a significant role in shaping and implementing the Secretary-General’s Organization-wide reform initiatives and agenda for change.

The Director General reiterated that in creating the post of the dedicated Director General of UNON, member states have reaffirmed their commitment to raising the profile and status of the UN in Kenya and enhancing its work. The Director General called on all staff to take full advantage of this moment of opportunity for UNON and meet the high expectations of the Secretary-General and the member states for a genuine change and strengthening of the UN presence in Nairobi.

In their interaction with the Director General staff members raised issues related to the cost of living in Nairobi, staff entitlements and security as well as the need to improve to the extent possible the conditions of service of local staff.

Ms. Zewde emphasized her determination to enhance the working environment and create a staff culture that allowed staff members to contribute fully and effectively to the work of the Organization.

She called on everyone’s contribution and support to ensure that UNON is reformed and further strengthened to become more effective and client oriented.