A/RES/59/266 3. Also authorizes the Secretary-General to appoint to P-2 posts in duty stations with chronically high vacancy rates up to three successful candidates from the General Service to Professional examination each year when no successful candidates from the national competitive examination are available; Requests the Secretary-General to make special efforts to appoint to the 4. relevant vacant posts in the Secretariat successful candidates from unrepresented and underrepresented Member States who have passed the national competitive examination; Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure the expeditious placement 5. in appropriate posts of as many candidates as feasible who have been placed on the roster following the successful completion of national competitive examinations; Reiterates section II, paragraph 43, of its resolution 57/305, and requests 6. the Secretary-General to apply strictly the relevant administrative instruction for recruitment at the P-3 level and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-first session; IV Measures to improve equitable geographical distribution 1. Notes with appreciation the progress made since 1994 in reducing the number of countries that are unrepresented and underrepresented; 2. Requests the Secretary-General to continue his ongoing efforts to attain equitable geographical distribution in the Secretariat and to ensure as wide a geographical distribution of staff as possible in all main departments and offices of the Secretariat; Welcomes the continuing efforts of the Secretary-General to improve the 3. situation of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States and of those in danger of becoming underrepresented under the system of desirable ranges; Notes the low percentage of appointments of staff from unrepresented 4. and underrepresented Member States to posts subject to geographical distribution in 2004; Notes with concern the decline in the proportion of nationals of 5. developing countries in posts at the senior and policy-making levels of the Secretariat; Reiterates its request that the Secretary-General take all measures 6. necessary to ensure, at the senior and policy-making levels of the Secretariat, equitable representation of Member States, especially those with inadequate representation at those levels, including unrepresented and underrepresented States, in particular developing countries, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, and to continue to include relevant information thereon in all future reports on the composition of the Secretariat; Notes that the system of geographic ranges was designed to apply to 7. countries rather than regions or groups; 8. Recalls section II, paragraph 30, of its resolution 57/305, and reiterates its request that the Secretary-General include an analysis of the level of underrepresentation in his next report on the composition of the Secretariat; 5