Sha Zukang racks up list of broken promises

After 3 years in office, Sha Zukang have fallen short on a number of his promises.

We want to countdown from 16 July 2008 Town-hall meeting with our USG, in which he promised "quick, responsive policies to restore DESA's reputation".

Broken Promise N#1: Mobility

• yet no clear rules nor explanation from USG/EO on the mobility exercise;
• staff still being reassigned before mobility eligibility and swapped with other colleagues while no regard towards individual career growth;
• no career planning at all level, branch managers or directors continue their feudal ruling;
• good performers not rewarded because managers not interested in letting them go;

Broken Promise N#2: Career Development

• lack of branch or division minimum planning for any career development for staff;
• DESA staff still lack access to regional commissions and/or vice-versa;
• total lack of strategic management of human resources, no one in DESA knows what their real job is;
• total disproportional use of consultants or outside "resources" while disregard of internal capacities;
• lack of empowerment and decentralization or better utilization of junior staff;

Broken Promise N#3: Training

• still no individual training plans at no level;
• disregard to planning and incorporating training costs into divisional budgets or projects;
• lack of training in inter-divisional communication has led to deepen the gap of knowledge of DESA's internal capacities and inter-division cooperation;

Broken Promise N#4: Promotion and Recruitment of Personnel

• still managers make the rules;
• no planing nor clear vision as to how to restructure DESA and align personnel to meet its mandates;
• total disregard of OHR processes;
• EO continue in its path of disregard of all rules and hiring of unqualified candidates for posts, nepotism and corruption reign in 23rd floor;

Broken Promise N#5: Use of Posts

• total corruption and disregard of UN rules on assignment or re-allocation of posts;
• no assessment made yet;
• many vacant posts (158) still vacant and kept vacant in purpose from managers at various levels in order to justify for hiring of short-term consultants or friends/family;
• total lack of trust of DESA staff in current Executive Office (EO) seen as main source of favoritism and abuse of power;

Broken Promise N#6: Transparency in recruitment & Promotions

• a complete lack of transparency in hiring of Hayan Qian;
• a complete lack of transparency in hiring of Adil Khan's replacement;
• a complete lack of transparency in hiring of 8 D1/L6-7 and 12 P5 and many more;
• lack of transparency in filling temporary posts (most of time to accommodate unqualified individual for their leak-ass attitudes)

Broken Promise N#7: Gender and Geographical balance

• total disregard of gender consideration or better mismanagement of gender to justify EO's decisions;
• if you are Korean or Chinese you know you have the right ingredients to stay around DESA and Secretariat;

Broken Promise N#8: Leadership

• since Nitin Desai's days there is no DESA Strategic Plan;
• Directors continue to reign as if Divisions are their own home backyards and not a UN public institution;

Broken Promise N#9: Managing for efficiency and effectiveness

• total disregard of programmatic requirements;
• managers continue to use resources as they see fit, and hire their friends, family or lovers (both straight and gay);
• abuse of power is the Rule;

Broken Promise N#10: Integrity, Accountability and equality

• USG, ASG, Director and Branch Chiefs are the Kings and Queens in DESA, whatever they say is the law - no one cares what real direction the organization is going;
• no one is ever held accountable therefore leading to a total loss of trust from staff towards higher management and their ability to stand for what is right;
• Current motto for Career Development is : "shut-up or leak-ass or bribe to secure your future in DESA"

Broken Promise N#11: Rules

• No one knows what Rules are;
• DESA still lacks a consolidated website or intranet site in which staff can identify and follow the organizational or divisional rules and mandatory requirements;

Broken Promise N#12: Conflict

• if anyone dares to raise any issue - will face consequences from higher management - that's how managers perceive CONFLICT MANAGEMENT;
• staff divided in groups / clans - pro or against one manager/director;

Broken Promise N#13: Performance Management

• ePAS - one should beg or leak ass of respective supervisors who seat in staff ePAS-es for weeks and months without any reason;
• no responsible career development path - no one knows what to do to achieve a career growth (professionally) inside DESA;

Broken Promise N#14: Contractual issues and consultants

• thank god not many italians around these days (at least not as in Bertucci's time);
• despite the fact that the new Knowledge Management Chief will be Italian from "private sector";
• plenty of chinese or koreans - no one knows how these guys come and go;
• plenty of temporary staff continue to seat in posts for years without proper contracts;
• total lack of corporate resource planning allows managers to decide on their own who and when to hire consultants;