as a result of the upward revision in her country's desirable range. However, even / ... A/C.S/38/SR.SO English Page 10 (Ms. van Drunen Littel, Netherlands) before the revision, the Netherlands had been only just within its desirable range. Moreover, its postition in the Secretariat was precarious given the ratio between nationals of the Netherlands who held fixed-term contracts and those holding permanent appointments. Noting that there had been little or no improvement in her country's representation in the Secretariat in 1983, she expressed the hope that the Assistant Secretary-General would make efforts to remedy the situation and pledged her delegation's co-operation towards that end. 33. Mr. BOUYOUCEF (Algeria) welcomed the fact that the Office of Personnel Services was taking an overall view of the whole system of personnel management. A new departure had certainly been overdue, since the Organization's personnel procedures, which had a direct effect on the capacity of the Secretariat to serve the international community, had developed very slowly and were not well adapted to present-day needs, whereas the extent and complexity of Secretariat activities had constantly grown. 34. In previous years a number of important personnel reforms had indeed been introduced, particularly the use of competitive examinations to recruit to posts at the P-1 and P-2 levels, but further reforms were still needed. 35. He noted with satisfaction from the statement by the Assistant Secretary­ General for Personnel Services (A/C.5/38/SR.41) that the medium-term recruitment plan had been put into effect and that the Office of Personnel Services would be able to direct its recruitment efforts towards improving the geographical distribution of posts and the representation of women in the Secretariat. With the support of the Secretary-General and the full co-operation of the substantive departments and Member States, the aims of the plan could certainly be achieved. 
**Analysis**
This text appears to be discussing the internal affairs of an international organization, specifically the United Nations, and its efforts to improve the representation and diversity of its staff. The language used is formal and diplomatic, suggesting that it is a report or transcript of a meeting or discussion.

**Category**
Employment