From the Staff Association 2015- 2016	(202) 370-4645
January 19^th,  2015	SN-40/15-16
Harassment Prevention Policy In follow-up to Personnel Circular No. 03/16 sent on January 13 by the Department of Human Resources, the Staff Association takes this opportunity to recognize the efforts of the Secretary-General for the approval of Executive Order No. 15- 02 entitled "Policy and Conflict Resolution System for the Prevention and Elimination of All Forms of Workplace Harassment" (hereinafter "Executive Order No. 15-02"), issued last October 15, 2015 and invites all personnel to read it carefully.  The English and Spanish versions of the new policy are available on the website of the Department of Legal Services. The Staff Association participated actively in the discussion and development of this new Policy, which contains substantial and positive updates of the concepts and procedures contained in Executive Orders 95-7 and 05-7. The Staff Association wishes to emphasize that the new Harassment Prevention Policy applies to all Staff and non-Staff Personnel; i.e. all human resources of the General Secretariat pursuant to Article 17 (a) of the General Standards. This new Policy applies to harassment that occurs in the workplace or in connection with work, whether it takes place in the workplace, in the course of official travel and mission, or in other settings in which it may have a direct impact on the workplace (Item 5.1 and 5.2 of Annex B Executive Order No. 15-02). The Staff Association underlined the importance for the General Secretariat, especially the Department of Human Resources and all managers and supervisors, to adopt preventive and proactive measures contained in Sections VIII and IX of Executive Order 15-02 to ensure a harmonious working environment and prevent any form of workplace and sexual harassment. The Staff Association stressed the relevance of the Office of the Ombudsperson and of the Inspector General in the informal and formal processes, respectively. Item 13.5.1 of Annex B of Executive Order No. 15-02, determines in particular, that the investigation official of the Office of Inspector General “must have knowledge, training and experience in Workplace Harassment." In that sense, the Staff Association calls for both offices to be strengthened so that they can effectively implement the new Policy. The Staff Association will work jointly with the Secretariat for Administration and Finance as needed for Staff training, dissemination and implementation of Executive Order No. 15-02.
:: Staff Association Website::