United NationsCore Value
Respect for Diversity — UN competency
Working effectively with people from all backgrounds and treating everyone with dignity and respect.
What this competency means
Respect for diversity covers cultural, gender, religious, racial, national and age differences, and the ability to make those differences an asset rather than a source of friction. In a multicultural Secretariat it also means examining one's own assumptions and confronting bias where it appears.
Based on the UN Competency Framework
Behavioural indicators
- Works effectively with people from all backgrounds and treats all people with dignity and respect
- Treats men and women equally
- Shows respect for and understanding of diverse points of view and demonstrates this in daily work and decisions
- Examines own biases and behaviours to avoid stereotypical responses
- Does not discriminate against any individual or group
Our interpretation for interview preparation
Behaviours that weaken an answer
- Relies on cultural or gender stereotypes when explaining behaviour
- Allows one group's views to dominate a discussion unchallenged
- Treats inclusion as a formality rather than a working practice
PanelPrep interview guidance
What a strong example might demonstrate
Candidates preparing for competency-based interviews can use this competency to think about a situation where difference genuinely affected the work. A strong behavioural example would demonstrate what you noticed, what you changed in your own approach, and the effect on participation and results.
PanelPrep interview guidance
How to prepare for questions on this competency
Panels frequently ask for a concrete example of working in a multicultural team, adapting to a different working culture, or addressing biased or exclusionary behaviour.
STAR preparation
- Situation — set the context in two sentences: where, when, who was involved.
- Task — state precisely what you were responsible for, not what the team was responsible for.
- Action — spend most of the answer here, in the first person, showing the indicators above in practice.
- Result — quantify the outcome and add what you learned or changed afterwards.
PanelPrep interview guidance
Common interview question patterns
Illustrative patterns written by PanelPrep to help you practise. They are not published or endorsed by UN.
- Tell us about a time you worked in a multicultural team.
- Describe a situation where you adapted your approach to a different cultural context.
- Give an example of when you addressed behaviour that excluded someone.
PanelPrep interview guidance
Common mistakes
- Stating that you 'respect everyone' without a situation
- Treating diversity only as nationality and ignoring gender or other dimensions
- Describing awareness without any action or outcome
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The competency name, category and behavioural concepts on this page are based on United Nations, "UN Competency Development – A Practical Guide". Summaries, interview guidance, question patterns and preparation advice are original PanelPrep content.
Framework version: UN Competency Development – A Practical Guide. Source date: 2010-01-01. Last verified: 2026-08-09.
PanelPrep is an independent interview-preparation service. It is not an official website of UN and is not endorsed by or affiliated with UN.