Dear all,
 
After two months of deliberations within UN-GLOBE, I’m proud to finally share with you the UN-GLOBE Guiding Principles and Proposals on an Inclusive Parental Leave Policy.
 
I believe we have a paper that is strong, bold, and forward-looking. One that can change the conversation around adoption and surrogacy, and the care and responsibility we have for our children.
 
Ultimately, our goal is this: to change UN policies so that they become inclusive of all families, and treat them equally.
 
Currently, couples trying to start a family through adoption or surrogacy often encounter bureaucratic nightmares, and decisions that depend on the interpretation of the human resources officer, or apply for this one time only.
 
Parents who adopt or have babies through surrogates are often granted reduced parental leave time.
 
And because the adoption of a child can takes years, even if the child is under the custody of a staff member, that child can be without insurance coverage from the UN for that period of time.
 
The current policy is antiquated and needs to change.
 
I hope this paper will get us moving in the right direction.
 
We hope you will agree.
 
Please share this paper widely, with your staff union officials, and with colleagues.
 
We will be sharing it with the heads of UN agencies, funds, and programmes; and the heads of the staff unions.
 
And as always, please feel free to share your thoughts. You can write to us at ohrm_globe@un.org, or to me at nam@un.org
 
Best,
Hyung Hak Nam (Alfonso)
President, UN-GLOBE