On October 26, 2023, at the invitation of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People’s Republic of China and the Center for Global Competency Development, Tsinghua University (CGCD), a delegation of the School of Global Governance, Renmin University of China (RUC) was formed to participate in thepublicity campaignof theUN Outreach Programme on Human Resources. The event was hosted by Liao Ying, Director of Guidance of the CGCD, Tsinghua University. LvYulin, Deputy Director General of the International Department of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, gave an opening speech for the event.

LvYulin started his opening speech by greeting the guests and extending his warm welcome to the team in charge of the publicity campaign of the UN Outreach Programme on Human Resources and expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the support from all walks of life. He emphasizedChina’sunswerving support to the international system with the United Nations at its core and how the country has responded to the UN with concrete actions. In the currentUnited Nations system, under-representation of Chinese international staff has emerged as a matter of concern for our country. “Since the inauguration ofAntónioGuterresas the Secretary-General of the United Nations,said Lv, he has been committed to increasing the geographical representation and cultural diversity of United Nations staff, and encouraging progresshas been made, earning wide acclaim across the globe. Ms. Pollard’s China trip this time, in this vein,stand proof of the UN’sdetermination to tackle this issue. Lv further noted that the UN shared the same aspiration with China, namely, to achieve betterment for humanity. He said that China stands ready to work with the UN to enhance China’s representation in a way that matches China’s economic contribution to the United Nations and the Chinese people’s active participation in international affairs. Next, he addressed the studentaudience, calling for more outstanding talents to devote themselves to international affairs. At the end of his speech, the Deputy Director quoted President Xi Jinping’s important remarks that “China will do well only when the world does well, and vice versa” to encourage the young generation to go out and broaden their horizons, present China’s goodness to global audience, so as to make contributions to the development of China and the world at large.

Catherine Pollard, Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to visit China at the beginning of her speech.Speaking of the experience when she decided to embark on the voyage of the UN, Pollard clearly remembered how her family questioned his choice of parting with the otherwise comfortable life. Nonetheless, Ms.Pollard was passionate about the adventure. With hindsight, she feels lucky to be able to make attributions to the noble cause. Having worked in a variety of sectors and positions over the years, she has always been interested in education and innovation because she knows that the future belongs to the younger generation. She encouraged students to maintain their passion for international affairs. This year marks the 78th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. humanitarian crises remain unsolved. In the face of such challenges, we should have an international perspective, and solve problems with sufficient knowledge, and appropriate responses.The UN brings together staff from different regions, fields who have different perspectives, which makes the organization a highly dynamic one. Ms.Pollard urged students to develop new perspectives on multilateralism, and to actively learn new skills such as data analysis. She pointed out that education has a role to play in promoting social equity and that the UN would shift from an experience-based to a skills-based approach in evaluating applicants in the future, with a view to giving more professional and younger applicants the opportunity to join the UN. In today’s context, where the world has grown increasingly smaller, more fragile, and yet more interconnected at the same time. Consequently, the fate of individual is closely intertwined to that of all humankind. In view of this, she encouraged the students to continue to improve themselves and sharpen their thinking skills in order to better qualify for the work in the UN.

Mr.MiguelMourato Gordo, Director of the Global Strategy and Policy Division of the Office of Human Resources,then shared his own application story with the students and encouraged them to join the United Nations. He showed students the percentage of Chinese people in the United Nations system among its 633 serving staff. According to the assessment criteria, China is currently underrepresented. It is worth mentioning that although the number of Chinese staff is not dominant, the retention rate is higher than the average.Mr.Mourato then affirmed the role of Chinese staff in the UN system, stressing the significance of boosting the representation of Chinese staff in the UN workforce. In terms of gender structure, 45% of Chinese staff members are male and 55% are female.Their workplaces are mainly in New York, Geneva, Vienna, Bangkok and Nairobi, with most of them working in economic and social development-related fields.In his lecture, Mr. Mourato also introduced the concept of “UN 2.0” to the students, which means that the United Nations system will be in a process of constant improvement, focusing on developing advanced capabilities in data, digital, innovation, foresight and behavioral sciences so as to adapt to the new challenges and dilemmas of the 21st century. Information about UN internships and UN Volunteer Programs, along with the deadlines and proceduresof application and other basic information was also given during the lecture, which will help students to apply for programs that match their study background.

Question and Answer Session

In this session, Catherine Pollard engaged in a heated discussion with the students. When asked about the UN’s expectations of applicants, Ms. Pollard mentioned sufficient knowledge and skills and experiences in related fields. Regional representation would also be taken into consideration, she added. She thus recommended the young people to embrace more exotic culture. Speaking of her largest motivation in working at the UN, she stated the strong sense of pride to see how their programs was put into effect and deliver tangible benefits to related entities. To her, this is not merely a job, but the ability to change the world.

Feedbacks from participates

Kong Shutong

Master Student, School of Journalism and Communication, Class of 2020,member of the 1st phase ofthe training program of the School of Global Governance.

This event proved to be very rewarding. In particular, Under-Secretary-General Pollard gave us a wonderful lecture, which made me realize the under-representation of Chinese international staff and the fact that we are actually very competitive. Mr. Pollard also offered great advice on the promotion of female staff, suggesting us to prepare for the application by consolidatinglanguage skills, professional expertise and work experience.

Li gen

Master Student, School of Philosophy, Class of 2020, member of the 4th phase ofthe training program of the School of Global Governance.

This is my first time to participate in such activities. Ms. Pollardand Mr. Morato helped us better understand how the UN functions. Pcoceeding from her own experience, Ms. Pollard encouraged us to join the organization. Mr. Morato then gave us a detailed introduction ofthe application to the UN, the situation of Chinese representatives and staff, as well as some of the corresponding conditions for obtaining internships and joining the YPP (United Nations Young Professionals Programme) and JPO (Junior Professional Officers Programme). As the presentation unfolds, the path of personal career development became clearer. At the end of the presentation, students freely inquired aboutwork in the UN.

Finally, I am very grateful for the opportunity to participate in this seminar. Although I am not sure whether I will be able to join the organization in the future, the seminarproved to be rewarding all the same! I hope that the School of Global Governance could unveil more lectures aiming at enhancing the competencies mentioned today in order to brace students who are committed to joining the United Nations for the competition.

Meng Lingchu

Undergraduate student, School of Foreign Languages, class of 2020, and the 2nd phase of the training program of the School of Global Governance.

I am very grateful to the School of Global Governancefor providing us with such a valuable opportunity to participate in the event where wehave a face-to-face communication with the Under-Secretary-General of the UN. In this lecture, I was deeply impressed by the friendly and down-to-earth attitude of the two UN officials, which greatly epitomize the role of UN staff members - as emphasized by Ms. Pollard in her speech - to serve the people of the world by working tirelessly for their well-being. During the Q&A session, Ms. Pollard told the audience that women tend to be more conservative than men in assessing their own abilities when applying to the United Nations, so she encouraged all women to actively and boldly apply for their desired positions, even if their own qualifications fail to meet the job requirements.

Pan Shiyu

Undergraduate student of School of Public Administration and Policy, class of 2020, the 4th phase of the training program of the School of Global Governance.

The UN Outreach Programme on Human Resources enabled me to learn more about the requirements and rules of the United Nations in selecting and employing staff, and the various ways and channels for young people to enter the work of international organizations. The speech of Ms. Pollard, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, made me understand the career vision of the United Nations, and at the same time deeply inspired me to continuously improve my comprehensive competency and improve my ability of innovation and fast learning.