Skip to content
PanelPrep · IO logoPanelPrep · IO
ENFR
Get started

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.

PanelPrep · IO interview guidance

Common interview question patterns

  • 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.

These are illustrative, general questions. Questions asked in an actual interview will depend on the nature and level of the position. PanelPrep · IO can generate questions tailored to the specific vacancy you are applying for, so you can practise against the competencies that matter for your interview.

Practise questions tailored to your vacancy →

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 · IO 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 · IO 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 · IO 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

Real interview questions and model answers

Questions panels use to assess Respect for Diversity, with what they look for and a worked STAR example.

Advanced · P3

“Tell me about a time you witnessed or experienced gender bias or inappropriate behaviour at work. What did you do?”

Why panels ask it

UN panels increasingly assess Respect for Diversity, including gender-related situations and prevention of harassment.

How to answer it

Describe the behaviour factually, the action you took (direct, supportive of the affected person, or escalated through the right channel) and the outcome. Never minimise the behaviour.

Practise this question with feedback →

Practise Respect for Diversity related questions tailored to your specific vacancy

Generate a full competency-based mock interview from any vacancy announcement and get scored against the official behavioural indicators.

Start free practice

Source and attribution

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 · IO content.

Framework version: UN Competency Development – A Practical Guide. Source date: 2010-01-01. Last verified: 2026-08-09.

PanelPrep · IO is an independent interview-preparation service. It is not an official website of UN and is not endorsed by or affiliated with UN.