Young Chinese show increasing interest in working as intl civil servants(2)

Prior to that, in May, with the support of the ministry, the UN conducted its first inter-agency outreach mission to Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai, introducing the UN's structure, culture, personnel administration, recruitment procedures and job-hunting techniques.

John Ericson, Chief of the Outreach Unit in the Office of Human Resources Management of the UN in New York, told the Global Times in an e-mail that the UN is seeking more Chinese nationals.

"China has increased its financial contribution to the UN in recent years. Also, there's an increasing interest in working for the United Nations among Chinese nationals," Ericson explained.

He said there is a system of "desirable ranges," which means that each country has a desirable number of staff members for positions in certain categories, funded by the regular budget of the UN. The desirable ranges of each country are determined by a formula which includes the country's GDP, contribution to the UN, regular budget, and population.

"Currently, China's desirable range is 116-157 and it had 71 staff members as of 31 May 2014, making China underrepresented," he said.

But including other staff, with other sources of funding, such as interpreters, Chinese staff members totaled 449 in the UN Secretariat.

The UN is seeking more Chinese staff members, but will not specifically set aside jobs for China, Ericson said. "All vacant positions are open to all nationalities and the primary consideration for selection is merit," he stressed.

Song also said that Chinese staff levels were a complex issue.

Unlike India and Pakistan, where English is the official language, Chinese applicants were comparatively less competent in English fluency. In addition, most Chinese members of the public are less interested in international issues and also believe that attaining a position as an international public servant is too difficult, he added.

Gao Jun, a former intern with the UN Headquarters, said it's challenging to work in the UN, a professional multilingual working environment. "I feel that there are not many young people suited to this. We often lack deep knowledge of the UN and international affairs. After the internship I felt a strong sense of crisis," he was quoted as saying by thepaper.cn.

"In addition, the officials in charge failed to attach enough importance to this area. It was not until five years ago, during the US subprime mortgage crisis, that the authorities realized how important it is for China to have a stronger voice on the world stage," Song noted.

Wang Xuexian, vice president of the UN Association of China, suggests that the government should increase financial support for youth to go abroad to undertake internships.

The UN attaches great importance to international working experience and the applicant's mastery of details, and this goes deep into its philosophy, Wang told thepaper.cn.

Changing situation

Song said he has been encouraged by some recent developments.

He said that as far as he knows, at least six ministerial-level authorities like the MHRSS, National Health and Family Planning Commission and Ministry of Science and Technology have been organizing short-term classes to train reserve international civil servants.

Later this month, the class within the MHRSS will open in Beijing, Song said, and he has been invited to give lectures.

Figures appear to indicate that interest in the international services is increasing. By the registration deadline of August 20, the UN "job wanted" post had been forwarded nearly 5,000 times and drawn over 2,000 comments, an increase over previous posts.