UNITED
NATIONS
ICSC
ADVANCE
International
Civil Service Commission
Distr.
RESTRICTED
ICSC/62/R.3
17 January 2006
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
Sixty-second session
Vienna, 13-31 March 2006
Item 5 of the provisional agenda*
Review of the pay and benefits system
Staffing of field missions: review of conversion of contractual
instruments
Note by the secretariat of the International Civil
Service Commission
Contents
Paragraphs
I.
Introduction …………………………………………………………………..
1- 7
II.
Current system of staffing in peacekeeping missions in the
United Nations ……………………………………………………………….
8 - 37
A.
Staffing in peacekeeping missions …………………………………..
8- 9
B.
Historical overview of Appointments of Limited
Duration (ALDs) ……………………………………………………..
10 - 14
C.
Conditions of service of staff in peacekeeping missions ………….
15 - 21
D.
Conversion of mission staff from the 300 to the 100 series
and related policy issues …………………………………….............
22 - 37
_________________
* ICSC/62/R.1.
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Paragraphs
III.
IV.
Review the contractual instruments [conditions of service] available for
the employment of common system staff in the field ………………………..
A.
Entitlement systems for internationally-recruited staff serving at
non-family duty stations in the common system …………………….. 38 - 46
B.
Recent developments in harmonizing practices relating to the
entitlements of staff serving at non-family duty stations ……………
47 - 48
Desirability and feasibility of harmonizing conditions of service in
the field ……………………………………………………………………….
49 - 56
A.
Views on the conditions of service in the field, including at
non-family duty stations ……………………………………………..
49 - 55
Estimated financial implications of the proposed Special
Operations Approach (SOA) model …………………………………
56
Action of the Commission ……………………………………………………
57
B.
V.
38 - 48
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Paragraphs
Annexes
I.
Principles and guidelines for employment of appointments of limited
duration ………………………………………………………………………..
II.
Comparison of compensation packages: international staff under 100 and
300 series in the peacekeeping field missions…………………………………
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I.
Introduction
1.
The United Nations Secretary-General presented a comprehensive report on the
staffing of field missions, including the use of 300 and 100 series appointment 1/ to the
General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution
58/296 of 18 June 2004, the purpose of the report was to advise the General Assembly on
the use of 300 series contracts for personnel serving in the United Nations peacekeeping
missions and to seek the endorsement of the General Assembly to use the 100 series o f the
Staff Rules for the appointment of staff in field missions for periods of six months or
longer, for functions for which there is a continuing requirement. At the same time, the
Assembly was informed that the use of Appointments of Limited Duration (ALD) would
be limited to the originally intended purpose, that is, for time-limited activities such as
technical assessments, short-term assistance or special projects, and that it was proposed to
reappoint all international staff serving in peacekeeping missions with appointments of
limited duration (300 series) under the 100 series.
2.
During the discussions of the above report the General Assembly decided to
ascertain the views of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) on the matter. 2/
The Assembly, in its resolution 59/266 of 23 December 2004 on human resources
management, subsequently requested ICSC, as a matter of high priority, to review the
contractual instruments available for the employment of common system staff in the field,
including the practice of conversion to the 100 series from other contractual arrangements,
and requested the Commission to present an analysis to the General Assembly at its sixty first session of the desirability and feasibility of harmonizing conditions of serv ice in the
field, including at non-family duty stations, and to provide full details of the financial
implications.
3.
The present report is submitted in response to General Assembly resolution 59/266.
The major information sources for the preparation of this document are:
(a)
A/59/291: Comprehensive report on the staffing of field mission including
the use of 300 and 100 series appointments;
(b)
ICSC/60/CRP.5 and ICSC/61/R.16: Entitlements of internationally recruited
staff serving in non-family duty stations prepared by the organizations; and
(c)
Staff Administrative instructions of the United Nations Secretariat.
In preparing this report, it had been envisaged that information on staffing trends and
staffing patterns related to contract types, gender and nationality would have been used to
facilitate analysis and understanding of the implications of converting staff in
peacekeeping missions from the 300 to 100 series. A comprehensive analysis was not
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possible as data required was not received from the Department of Peacekeeping
Operations (DPKO).
4.
Section II of the report describes the current system of staffing in the peacekeeping
missions together with an historical overview of ALDs which is the primary contractual
instrument for peacekeeping staff. 3/ This section also provides information on the practice
of conversion of mission staff from the 300 series to the 100 series and briefly touches on
related considerations such as current developments in the area of contractual
arrangements in the organizations of the United Nations common system, the impact on
geographical distribution, gender balance and merit-based, transparent and open selection
procedures. It should be noted that while other organizations in the United Nations
common system utilize ALDs as contractual instrument in accordance with their own Staff
Rules and Regulations, this section is limited to the use of ALDs under the 300 series in
the United Nations peacekeeping missions.
5.
Section III of the report presents a detailed description of existing entitlement
systems for internationally-recruited staff serving in non-family duty stations of the
common system and provides information on efforts undertaken by the organizations to
harmonize practices across the common system.
6.
Section IV of the report provides views of the organizations on the desirability and
feasibility of harmonizing conditions of service in the field, including at non-family duty
stations together with the financial implications of the proposed change in special
operations approach for field staff in the common system, as presented by the
organizations.
7.
The information included in sections III and IV are taken from the documents
presented to the Commission at its sixtieth 4/ and sixty-first session 5/ in 2005, by a
working group of the Human Resources Network, on the practices of common system
organizations relating to the entitlements of staff serving in non-family duty stations and
on their ongoing efforts to harmonize the entitlements where operational requirements
permit.
II.
Current system of staffing in peacekeeping missions in the United
Nations
A.
Staffing in peacekeeping missions
8.
DPKO directs and supports peacekeeping missions across the globe. Staff are
recruited for these missions under a variety of arrangements. Basic data was obtained from
document A/59/291 and is presented in this report to provide an overview of staffing
profiles in the United Nations peacekeeping missions. As at 30 June 2004, DPKO
employed 11, 606 staff for peacekeeping missions, of which 3,921 (i.e., 34 per cent) were
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internationally recruited; 7,685 were locally recruited staff, 4,547 of whom held ALDs and
3,138 were under 100 series, as illustrated in figure 1. Of these 3,921 international staff,
1,535 (39.1 per cent) were engaged under 300 series ALDs; 1,500 (38.3 per cent) were
employed on 100 series fixed-term appointments limited to service with a specific
mission; 336 (8.6 per cent) were Field Service Officers; and the remaining 550 (14.0 per
cent) were on assignment from Headquarters and other offices as shown in figure 2.
Further analysis by category, grade, nationality, gender and other related information, was
not possible due to the unavailability of required data from DPKO.
Figure 1: Staff distribution in peacekeeping missions as at 30 June 2004
550
5%
International staff 300
series ALDs
336
3%
4547
39%
1500
13%
7685
66%
3138
27%
1535
13%
International staff 100
series fixed-term limited
to service with a specific
mission
International staff Field
Service Officers
International staff 100
series on assignment or
detail
Local staff 300 series
ALDs
Local staff 100 series
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Figure 2:
International staff in peacekeeping missions as at 30 June 2004
550
14%
336
9%
International staff 300 series
ALDs
1535
39%
International staff 100 series
fixed-term limited to service
with a specific mission
International staff Field Service
Officers
International staff 100 series
on assignment or detail
1500
38%
9.
The practice in the United Nations has been to recruit all staff for special missions
on ALDs under 300 series Staff Rules, initially for a period of six months. Extensions of
these appointments are usually limited to six months and subject to the mission’s mandate.
Subsequently, ALDs may be extended for a continuous period not exceeding three years,
subject to renewal, exceptionally, for a final period of one year, which may not be
extended. After completion of four years, the minimum break in service before an
individual becomes eligible for a new ALD is six months. 6/ After 12 months of continuous
service in peacekeeping or other field missions, a staff member on ALD at the P-3 or P-4
level may be considered for internal vacancies within the secretariat at the P-4 level and
above, in accordance with applicable rules. 7/
B.
Historical overview of Appointments of Limited Duration (ALDs)
10.
In 1993, the Staff Rules for the 300 series were revised to provide for two types of
non-career appointments: short-term appointments for up to six months for conference and
other short-term services, and ALDs, which were intended for assignments not expected to
exceed three years, with a possible extension, exceptionally, for a fourth and final year. It
was envisaged that the new ALDs would be used for time-limited activities, including
peacekeeping, peacemaking and humanitarian missions, technical cooperation in the field
and other emergency situations. Pursuant to staff regulation 12.3, the Secretary-General in
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his report of 30 November 1993 8/ informed the General Assembly of the amendments
made to the 300 series of staff rules, which came into effect on 1 January 1994 and also
advised the General Assembly of the introduction of an ALD. 9/
11.
In June 1994, the General Assembly decided to postpone consideration of the amended
300 series Staff Rules to the forty-ninth session and referred the matter to the International Civil
Service Commission (ICSC). At the request of the General Assembly, having considered the
issue at its fortieth session, 10/ ICSC decided to advise the Secretary-General that the United
Nations Secretariat might proceed on a provisional basis with the new arrangement and to revert
to the subject at its summer 1994 session. 11/ At the forty-ninth session, the General Assembly in
its resolution 49/223 noted the preliminary conclusions of ICSC and requested the Commission
to report on its findings on ALDs upon completion of its study.
12.
In September 1994, ALDs were initially used for the recruitment of locally-recruited
General Service staff at the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) and the United
Nations Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ), and later extended to locally-recruited staff in
all special missions. ALDs were subsequently used for the recruitment of new international staff
members in the Professional and Field Service categories for operations in Haiti and Guatemala
before being extended to new recruits at all special missions.
13.
In 1996, at its forty-third session, after considering the information provided on the status
of limited-duration employment arrangements, ICSC decided to invite the secretariat to convene
a working group, comprising representatives of the organizations and staff and with the
participation as necessary of the secretariat of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund
(UNJSPF), in order to review the range of issues involved and to propose specific
recommendations for consideration by the Commission at its forty-fifth session, and that the
United Nations and UNDP ALD schemes, pending the outcome of the Commission's review of
the subject, should continue on a pilot basis. 12/ At its fifty-first session, the General Assembly,
having noted the decisions of ICSC in its annual report, 13/ requested the Commission to
continue its review of the subject of ALDs without delay in its resolution 51/216.
14.
In 1997, at its forty-sixth session, the Commission took note of the report of the Working
Group and the analysis prepared for United Nations and UNDP 14/ and agreed in principle that
ALD arrangements within the common system were an appropriate modality to the extent that
the scope of the practice did not impinge on the existence of the international civil service. It
endorsed the principles and guidelines for the use of ALDs in common system organizations 15/
set out in annex I of this report. The Commission also decided that until it was in a position
definitively to review the functioning of the United Nations and UNDP/United Nations Office
for Project Services (UNOPS) ALD pilot schemes, they should remain in pilot status. Other
organizations wishing to use such arrangements could proceed on a pilot basis provided that the
principles and guidelines for ALD employment were observed. The Commission also
underscored the importance of ALD arrangements being used for their intended purpose; in that
connection, the overall time limit of four years for ALD employment should be strictly observed
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subject to appropriate reporting, and monitoring modalities should be put in place to ensure that
the Commission and its secretariat were kept fully informed of the status and developments in
respect of modalities applied. At its forty-ninth session, the General Assembly in its resolution
52/216 requested the Commission to continue its work on the issue of ALDs without delay and
endorsed the principles and guidelines for the use of ALDs, and the decisions of the Commission
as contained in its annual report. 16/
C.
Conditions of service of staff in peacekeeping missions
Evolution of the compensation package for appointments of limited duration
15.
As mentioned above, the introduction of ALDs under the 300 series staff rules was
never intended to create long-term career opportunities and therefore the compensation
package was structured for non-career types of employment. Compensation under such an
appointment consisted of:
(a)
Payment of base salary at step I of the single rate of the salary scale
applicable to the Professional, Field Service or General Service category, plus a nonpensionable service allowance, payable as a monthly lump-sum;
(b)
A travel allowance in lieu of home leave paid as a lump-sum; and
(c)
A service allowance replacing all other entitlements normally payable under
a 100 series contract, including dependency allowance, education grant, within-grade
salary increment, language allowance, special post allowance and repatriation grant.
16.
The initial compensation package of ALDs provided for less social security than
generally available to staff appointed under the 100 or 200 series of the Staff Rules. Under
the initial ALD, there was no entitlement to medical insurance coverage for family
members, and sick leave, annual leave and maternity leave entitlements were provided at a
lower level than that available under the 100 series of staff rules.
17.
With the increased use of the 300 series, changes were gradually introduced to the
compensation package for ALDs. For example, newly recruited staff on ALDs received a
lump-sum amount to cover travel for repatriation or annual leave and were responsible for
making their own travel arrangements. After some experience with this arrangement, it
proved impractical in view of the problems involved in arranging travel and visas to
destinations in conflict areas. As explained in document A/59/291, oftentimes the lump sum was not sufficient to cover the cost of the air tickets. As a result, this practice ceased
and the United Nations undertook responsibility for arranging travel for staff on ALDs
under the existing rules and procedures of the 100 series of Staff Rules relating to official
travel. Annual leave and maternity leave entitlements under the appointment were
enhanced and are now equivalent to those under the 100 series appointment. In July 2000,
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the conditions of service for staff on ALDs were modified to include a family element in
the service allowance, providing medical insurance coverage for eligible family members
and allowing for participation in the United Nations group life insurance scheme.
Types of peacekeeping missions
18.
There are two types of peacekeeping operations serviced by established missions
and special missions. A description of conditions of service in these two types of missions
is given below.
Established missions
19.
There are currently seven established missions: the United Nations Truce
Supervision Organization (UNTSO), the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force
(UNDOF) in the Golan Heights, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),
the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), the
United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), the United Nations Special
Coordinator in the Occupied Territories (UNSCO) and the United Nations Logistics Base
at Brindisi, Italy (UNLB). Traditionally, established missions are considered as family
missions, to which family members may travel and where they may be installed (this
however does not apply to UNSCO, due to the prevailing security conditions at that duty
station). ALDs were not used in established missions. Staff members in an established
mission are typically appointed under the 100 series; they receive salary, post adjustment,
assignment grant, mobility and hardship allowance and rental subsidy applicable to the
duty station as well as home leave and education grant travel for themselves and their
dependants.
Special missions
20.
All other missions are categorized as special missions, which have traditionally
been considered as non-family duty stations. Mission appointees, whether on a 100 or 300
series appointment, are not entitled to payment of post adjustment, mobility and hard ship
allowance, assignment grant or rental subsidy. They receive Mission Subsistence
Allowance (MSA), which is intended to cover the cost of accommodation, food and
incidentals at the special mission duty station. There is no compensation for maintaining a
separate household for family members in the home country and no compensation for
hardship. As family members are not installed at the special mission duty station, staff,
who are on ALDs under 300 series, are not entitled to home leave or education grant travel
in respect of their dependants. Staff recruited for service limited to a specific mission
receive base salary and MSA but do not receive post adjustment or mobility and hardship
allowance. By contrast, staff members temporarily assigned to a special mission from
another duty station, such as New York Headquarters, continue to receive their salary, post
adjustment, mobility and hardship allowance and other allowances applicable at their
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parent duty station, as well as MSA at special mission duty stations. These staff continue
to receive entitlements for their family members, home leave and education grant travel
associated with their parent duty station.
21.
Annex II provides a comparison of compensation packages of international staff
under 100 series and 300 series in the peacekeeping field missions based on available
information.
D.
Conversion of mission staff from the 300 to the 100 series and related policy issues
Current practice pertaining to conversion
22.
The 300 series of the Staff Rules is specifically intended to meet the special needs
of the United Nations for short term and services of a limited duration which are not
expected to exceed three years. Such appointments may be extended, exceptionally, for a
fourth and final year (see para. 9 above).
23.
Upon completing three years on an ALD, it was the normal practice of the United
Nations secretariat to consider staff for reappointment under a 100 series fixed-term appointment
limited to service with a specific mission. During the period of June 1999-June 2004, 1,085
international staff were reappointed from 300 to 100 series appointments. Of these, 885 remain
in service with the organization, while 200 have subsequently separated from service for various
reasons. 17/ The required data and information related to the process of conversion, including
available mechanisms for conversion, distribution of international staff converted to 100 series
by category, grade, nature of function, duration of the assignment in the field before conversion
and reason for conversion, were not available to the secretariat at the time of preparing this
report (see para. 3 above), and further analysis of this trend could not be undertaken.
24.
In 2003, at the fifty-fifth session, during the discussions of the report of the SecretaryGeneral on “Overview of the financing of the United Nations peacekeeping operations: budget
performance for the period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003 and budget for the period from
1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005,” 18/ the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary
Questions (ACABQ) 19/ recalled that 300 series appointments in peacekeeping operations were
launched in 1994, as a pilot project, to provide a temporary surge capacity to supplement mission
staff at peak periods of peacekeeping activity. In view of its temporary nature, the 300 series
appointment was limited to mission appointees for a maximum period of up to four years, and
the compensation package had been designed to be simple to administer. 20/
25.
ACABQ was of the view that, in the light of the policy issues to be addressed, the
proposal for the conversion of peacekeeping mission staff from the 300 series to the 100 series
should be presented in a comprehensive manner. Hence, in its resolution 58/296, the General
Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit at the main part of its fifty-ninth session a
comprehensive report on the use, including the conversion, of 300 series contracts, addressing in
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particular the strategy of the Organization for meeting current and future human resources
requirements for peacekeeping missions, taking into account the observations and
recommendations of ACABQ. The General Assembly endorsed the observations and
recommendations of ACABQ 21/ concerning the wholesale conversion, bearing in mind the fact
that the General Assembly had taken no decision to support the replacement of the 300 series
contracts as a mechanism for the employment of staff in peacekeeping missions. It decided to
suspend the application of the four-year maximum limit for ALDs under the 300 series of the
staff rules in peacekeeping operations, until 31 December 2004, pending a decision by the
General Assembly on this matter at its fifty-ninth session.
26.
In 2004, in its resolution 59/266, the General Assembly decided to continue to suspend
the application of the four-year maximum limit for ALDs under the 300 series of the Staff Rules
in peacekeeping operations until 30 June 2005; authorized the Secretary-General to reappoint
under the 100 series of the Staff Rules those mission staff whose service under 300 series
contracts had reached the four-year limit by 31 December 2004 or later, pending a decision by
the General Assembly, provided that their functions have been reviewed and found necessary
and their performance has been confirmed as fully satisfactory. The General Assembly requested
further that the Secretary-General report thereon at the second part of its resumed fifty-ninth
session.
27.
The Secretary-General responded to General Assembly resolution 59/266 in his report
A/59/762. He further sought the agreement of the General Assembly to use the 100 series
contract for staff members performing functions for which there is a continuing need, and to
continue to use the 300 series contract for the appointment of staff performing short-term
functions of a duration of less than one year and, pending the consideration of this proposal by
the General Assembly, also sought approval to continue the practice of reappointing serving staff
under 100 series contracts after they had completed the maximum period of service permitted
under a 300 series appointment of limited duration.
28.
In 2005, in its resolution 59/296, the General Assembly decided to continue to
suspend the application of the four-year maximum limit for ALDs under the 300 series of
the Staff Rules in peacekeeping operations until 30 June 2006. The Assembly also
authorized the Secretary-General to reappoint under the 100 series of the Staff Rules those
mission staff whose service under 300 series contracts had reached the four-year limit by
30 June 2006, provided that their functions have been reviewed and found necessary and
their performance had been confirmed as fully satisfactory, and requested the
Secretary-General to report thereon to the General Assembly at the second part of its
resumed sixtieth session.
Policy issues with regard to the practice of conversion
29.
The practice of conversion of mission staff under the 300 series to the 100 series
after completion of four years of service in a peacekeeping mission as well as the proposal
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to reappoint all international staff serving in peacekeeping missions with ALDs (300
series) under the 100 series raises a number of policy questions including long-term
contractual obligations of the Organization and cost implications related to difference in
the compensation package. This practice could also have an impact on the geographical
distribution and gender balance and as well, could create complications for merit-based
transparent and open selection procedures.
Issues pertaining to proposed contractual framework
30.
Following extensive reviews focusing on career and non-career civil service issues
and the rationalization of the various types of contracts used in the organizations of the
United Nations common system, the Commission at its sixtieth session decided that three
categories of appointments would adequately respond to the needs of the organizations:
indefinite or continuing appointments, fixed-term appointments and temporary
appointments. 22/ The Commission also established a framework of guidelines for
contractual arrangements that had been developed for each category in collaboration with
organizations and staff 23/ outlining the key characteristics for each category such as
duration of tenure, mobility requirements, the requirement for a probationary period,
procedures for progression to other contract types, compensation packages, social security
and health insurance provisions and procedures for extension or termination of contract.
Thus the framework has clearly taken into consideration ALDs currently used in special
peacekeeping missions by the United Nations. As reflected in the framework, the
specifications set out under temporary appointments cover short-term service of less than
one year and service of limited duration with special missions, projects of limited duration
and special operations for humanitarian assistance subject to duration not exceeding four
years.
31.
Furthermore, the Commission, at its fifty-ninth session, specifically stated that
appointment to any contractual category, including movement from a temporary contract
to the fixed-term category, should be subject to open, transparent and competitive
procedures. 24/ Accordingly, the framework stipulates that acquiring another type of
contract may only be effected through the application of open and transparent selection
procedures, as established in the staff regulations and rules of the organization.
32.
Moreover, according to the principles and guidelines for the use of ALDs in
common system organizations endorsed by the Commission in 1997 - annex I of the
present document - ALDs do not carry any expectancy of automatic conversion to any
other type of appointment. It is therefore clear that defined procedures apply to the
acquisition of new contracts or change in contractual status; however no information on
relevant legislative approval, instructions or criteria currently used for conversion to the
100 series from other contractual arrangements by the United Nations for further analysis
of the issue (see para. 5 above) was available to the secretariat at the time of preparing this
document.
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Issues pertaining to equity
33.
The proposed wholesale conversion exercise would also create a number of
complications due to a lack of transparency and the difficulties involved in attempting to
cover a wide variety of different categories of staff (national, mission-specific
international, international) under one set of regulations and staff rules, i.e. 100 series.
34.
Regular staff of the United Nations secretariat are recruited through a rigorous,
competitive process, either through the national competitive examination system or through the
central staff selection system. Under the staff selection system of the United Nations, the central
review bodies, in the Department of Management, review the selection process to ensure that all
candidates are fairly evaluated on the basis of the pre-approved evaluation criteria and/or that the
applicable procedures are followed. Staff who are recruited under ALDs are not subject to the
same procedures. Therefore, the proposed wholesale conversion as requested in A/59/291 would
raise questions concerning the equity of the selection process. Another aspect of concern would
be that if mission posts are not classified according to the same job evaluation system as that
applied to established posts, the levels of these posts may not be consistent with the levels of
posts at Headquarters. That practice too could pose questions of inequity in grading, difficulties
in external salary matches and subsequent problems in remuneration.
35.
Staff under the 300 series ALD can apply for any post announced in the compendium of
vacancies on the Galaxy system, and compete through an open, transparent and competitive
selection process in the same manner as other staff and external candidates. Furthermore, as
explained earlier, some flexibility is also applied to 300 series mission staff when candidates are
considered for internal vacancies. For example, after 12 months of continuous service in
peacekeeping or other field missions, a staff member holding an ALD at the P-3 or P-4 level may
be considered for internal vacancies within the secretariat at the P-4 level and above in
accordance with applicable rules. On the other hand regular staff members on the 100 series are
required to remain in a post for a minimum of two years of service before they may apply for a
new post. For fairness, the same rules should be applied to all categories of staff.
Geographical distribution and gender balance
36.
Another consideration with regard to the conversion of mission staff under the 300
series to the 100 series would be the potential distortion on the geographical distribution
and gender balance of staff under 100 series. Because the recruitment of staff to
peacekeeping missions on ALDs is not subject to the system of desirable ranges, the
impact on the equitable geographical distribution of staff after absorption of these
personnel would need to be assessed well in advance. Similar assessments should also to
be applied with regard to the gender representation of staff under 100 series staff rules.
37.
In this regard, it is also worthwhile to draw attention to the principles and
guidelines for the use of ALDs endorsed by the Commission in 1997, in which the
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Commission emphasized the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical
basis was emphasized, while advising that the organizations’ policy imperatives in the area
of gender balance should not be compromised.
III. Review of the contractual instruments [conditions of service]
available for the employment of common system staff in the field
A.
Entitlement systems for internationally-recruited staff serving at
non-family duty stations in the common system
38.
Two different scenarios exist within the United Nations common system with regard to
entitlements of internationally-recruited staff serving in the field including non-family duty
stations, viz.:
(a)
(b)
operations.
Internationally-recruited staff serving in established non-family duty stations; and
United Nations staff assigned to peace-keeping and related missions and
These two situations are different because peacekeeping missions which are usually non-family
assignments are established on very short notice and are planned and budgeted for short
intervals, which does not make it cost-effective to install staff in a new duty station and to grant
them the entitlements of a regular assignment, which is usually the case for family duty stations.
39.
The organizations in the United Nations common system deal with these two different
situations with two types of models as elaborated below in detail based on the information
provided by the organizations in their reports to ICSC. 25/
(i) Model applicable to non-peacekeeping scenario
40.
The compensation package for internationally recruited staff consists of two types of
benefits/entitlements: those which are paid irrespective of place of duty (e.g. base salary), and
those which are location-specific (e.g. post adjustment and Mobility and Hardship Allowance).
The location-specific entitlements are based on the duty station to which the staff member is
assigned. This principle continues to apply to staff serving in non-family (or indeed, any) duty
stations.
Special operations approach
41.
The organizations have reported that the special operations approach encourages
and facilitates the assignment of experienced staff of United Nations humanitarian
organizations to rotate to non-family duty stations — designated as such by the United
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Nations for security reasons — by paying a Special Operations Living Allowance (SOLA)
in addition to the regular entitlements due to the requirement to maintain two households.
This arrangement also enables the organizations involved to attract and retain highperforming and experienced staff who have to work in difficult and unsafe duty stations.
42.
As informed by the organization, the special operations approach was developed to
respond to organizations’ needs to post staff in a growing number of non-family duty
stations. Increasing difficulties encountered in assigning staff to such duty stations made it
an operational imperative for the field-oriented funds and programmes to address this
problem. The traditional approach of assigning a staff member to a non-family duty station
had its limitations, particularly when a staff member’s family lost the legal right of
residence in the previous duty station. Family members were left with no option but to go
to or return to a place where they could legally reside and work, which was usually the
place of nationality of the staff member or the spouse. The consequence was a wide
geographical separation of families, and an increased disincentive for staff mobility to the
very locations where staff’s talents were most needed.
43.
As a result, various field-oriented funds and programmes have changed their
approach to posting staff to non-family duty stations: rather than assigning a staff member
to the non-family location where he/she will serve, they assign the staff member to a
nearby duty station with an adequate family infrastructure in terms of schooling, medical,
communications and supply facilities. The family can then be fully installed in this
location, called the Administrative Place of Assignment (APA); the location-specific
benefits and entitlements of the staff member are based on this location, with the exception
of home leave and family leave. The administrative place of assignment also serves as a
base for the staff member to travel to occasionally on rest and recuperation. It was
proposed that the subsistence allowance previously based either on the after-30-day
mission subsistence allowance rate where it exists, or on the after-60-day daily subsistence
allowance (DSA) rate be based on the after-60-day DSA rate. This proposal has been
endorsed by the Commission at its sixty-first session in 2005. 26/
(ii) Model applicable to peacekeeping scenario: Mission Subsistence Allowance (MSA)
Non-family duty stations - special missions
44.
The mission subsistence allowance is used for United Nations personnel serving in
special peacekeeping, peace-building and political missions and operations. Peacekeeping
missions are established on very short notice and are planned and budgeted for short
intervals, which does not make it cost-effective to install staff in a new duty station and to
grant them the entitlements of a regular assignment. Mission staff are therefore not
installed at the mission duty station, and the MSA represents the total contribution of the
organization towards living expenses incurred by staff and other personnel in connection
with an assignment to a special mission. In the case of staff appointed exclusively for
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mission service (i.e., nowadays the vast majority of mission staff) in addition to the base
salary, MSA is paid in lieu of post adjustment, mobility and hardship allowance and
assignment grant.
45.
Staff members temporarily assigned to a special mission from another established
duty station continue to receive the entitlements of their parent duty station while
receiving MSA for the mission location. There is no established reassignment cycle for
mission staff as is the case for field-based organizations of the common system.
Family duty stations - established missions
46.
Staff members assigned to established missions are treated like any other common
system staff in an established office, i.e., they receive all regular entitlements, and their
families can stay with them at the actual duty station (unless the Department of Safety and
Security has declared the location otherwise for the whole common system). All other
peacekeeping operations and political and peace-building missions are “special” missions
— considered non-family, where staff receive MSA. In established missions, only military
observers and civilian police receive MSA.
B.
Recent developments in harmonizing practices relating to the
entitlements of staff serving at non-family duty stations
47.
As reported by the organizations, with the increased use of the SOA approach,
organizations have therefore agreed to fully harmonize their practices, and have adopted a
commonly agreed framework for the SOA approach, which will achieve the desired
harmonization and provide a model for any other organization that may later decide to use this
approach as an alternative to the Standard Model.
48.
There has been an active inter-agency Committee on Field Duty Stations to decide on and
monitor the inclusion and retention of locations which qualify for SOA status, which meet at
least biannually. This Committee will now operate under the auspices of the HR Network. The
membership of this Committee will include all organizations which have staff deployed under
the SOA approach. Hence, consistency of approach will be achieved, as well as greater rigour
and transparency in the management of the SOA process.
IV.
Desirability and feasibility of harmonizing conditions of service in the field
A.
Views on the conditions of service in the field, including
at non-family duty stations
49.
Pursuant to a request from the Commission at its sixtieth session, the organizations
of the common system provided a specific rationale for maintaining separately the special
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operations approach and mission subsistence allowance for staff at non-family locations
versus introducing a single, uniform system-wide arrangement. 27/
50.
The organizations indicated that the rationale for maintaining two separate systems
was based on the need to address two situations that are very different in a number of
ways, viz., mandate of the organization or mission; duration of assignment; type and
limitation of employment; manner and purpose of deployment; numbers of staff in a duty
station or mission area; family considerations; and eligibility to entitlements.
51.
While the special operations approach is used by funds and programmes for staff
members who are assigned for longer but defined periods and with traditional
entitlements, the United Nations uses the mission subsistence allowance for a specific
group of staff, i.e., exclusively for those assigned to special peacekeeping operations and
for political and peace-building missions, which by nature are undefined in duration,
budgeted short-term and cover complete countries or wider regions.
52.
The organizations also indicated that a major goal of the SOA was to keep staff
members who were required by their organizations to rotate duty stations close to their
families, and to guarantee families a place where they could legally reside and work. They
pointed out that this rotation requirement did not exist for mission staff of the United
Nations. In addition, the large size of some peacekeeping and peace-building missions
(for example, those currently in place for Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Iraq and the Sudan), would make it difficult for the United Nations administration
to negotiate with host Governments of proposed administrative places of assignments for
the installation of the staff members’ families. In some instances, it would be unrealistic
to expect the medical, housing and educational infrastructure of these administrative
places of assignment to cope with large numbers of families, or the security of the fa milies
to be guaranteed.
53.
Table 1 compares the compensation packages of mission staff of the Department of
Peacekeeping Operations in the field (100 series and 300 series) with the entitlements
provided under the special operations approach. 28/
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Table 1
Comparison of Special Operations Approach with mission staff
of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations
Special operations approach
Mission appointees, 300 series
Mission appointees, 100 series
Base salary
Base salary and annual increments
Base salary and annual increments
Not applicable
Service allowance
Not applicable
Dependency benefits
Not applicable
Dependency benefits
Post adjustment (administrative
place of assignment rate)
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Assignment grant to administrative
place of assignment
Not applicable
Not applicable
Hazard pay
Hazard pay
Hazard pay
Special operations living allowance
Mission subsistence allowance
Mission subsistence allowance
Education grant
Not applicable
Education grant
Travel to administrative place of
assignment for family for
assignments of one year or longer
Not applicable
Not applicable
Home leave
Travel allowance
Home leave
Family visit travel
Not applicable
Family visit travel
Unaccompanied shipment or
relocation grant ($10,000 single rate,
$15,000 family rate for assignments
of one year or longer, or extended
beyond one year)
Unaccompanied shipment (100 kg
or $1,200 for appointments of less
than one year)
Unaccompanied shipment (100 kg or
$1,200)
Repatriation grant
Not applicable
Repatriation grant
Rest & Recuperation Travel
Occasional Recuperation Break
Occasional Recuperation Break
Rental subsidy (at administrative
place of assignment rate)
Mobility and Hardship
(administrative place of assignment
rate)
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54
Therefore, for the above reasons, the organizations are of the view that the special
operations approach, while extremely useful for the field-based organizations, would be
impractical for peacekeeping and related missions and operations, at least as currently used. This
approach might be useful, however, for United Nations staff in offices with mandates similar to
those of other humanitarian organizations of the common system.
55.
At the sixty-first session, the Commission agreed with the rationale for
maintaining two separate approaches under the special operations and the mission
subsistence regimes, which were applied to address the different needs and
requirements of different groups of personnel serving under different types of
appointments. The Commission also welcomed the efforts by the organizations aimed
at harmonizing their practices with regard to the entitlements of staff serving at non family duty stations and endorsed the proposed change from MSA to the after-60-day
DSA rate as the basis for calculating the special operations living allowance under the
SOA. 30/
B.
Estimated financial implications of the proposed
Special Operations Approach (SOA) model
56.
The financial implications using after-60-day DSA rates as the exclusive basis for
calculating special operations living allowance rates is estimated at US$2,152,705. The
estimation is based on the current MSA and after-60-day DSA rates as of
1 January 2006 using the staff data provided by the organizations. 31/ The secretariat is
expecting to receive latest staff data from the organizations to present an updated
consolidated table showing the financial implications to the General Assembly at its sixty first session.
V.
57.
Action by the Commission
The Commission may wish:
(a)
To note that the secretariat was unable to provide a more comprehensive
analysis in compliance with General Assembly resolution 59/266, including an estimation
of overall cost implications, due to non-receipt of requested information from DPKO at
the time of preparing this document;
(b)
To reiterate its commitment to the principles and guidelines governing the
use of ALDs that it endorsed at its forty-sixth session in 1997 (see annex I);
(c)
To urge the organizations to follow the guidelines of the framework for
contractual arrangements in considering and introducing any changes in the contractual
status of staff (see annex IV of A/60/30);
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(d)
To call the attention of the General Assembly to the implications of the
practice of conversion of mission staff from the 300 series to the 100 series with regard to
long-term contractual obligations of the organization, cost implications, geographical
distribution, gender balance and merit-based transparent and open selection procedures as
indicated in paragraphs 25 to 34 of this document;
(e)
To recommend to the General Assembly that, in light of the findings in this
report, previous conversions from the 300 series to the 100 series be reviewed by the
United Nations secretariat and reported on to the General Assembly;
(f)
To reiterate its endorsement of the principle of two separate approaches
under the special operations and the mission subsistence regimes to address the different
needs and requirements of different groups of personnel serving under different types of
appointments (see A/60/30, paras. 161-162); and
(g)
To report to the General Assembly on the need for maintaining two separate
approaches under the special operations and the mission subsistence regimes and the
efforts made for harmonization of practices relating to the entitlements of staff serving at
non-family duty stations(see A/60/30, paras. 161-162).
Notes
1/
General Assembly document A/59/291.
2/
General Assembly document A/59/446.
3/
Data and related information obtained from A/59/291.
4/
Document ICSC/60/CRP.5.
5/
Document ICSC/61/R.16.
6/
ST/AI/2001/2.
7/
ST/AI/2002/4.
8/
Document A/C.5/48/37 and Add.1.
9/
Document A/C.5/48/37 and Add.1, para. 3.
10/
Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-ninth Session, Supplement No. 30,
(A/49/30), para. 349.
11/
Ibid., paras. 349-367.
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12/
Documents ICSC/43/R.15; ICSC/43/R.16 and Official Records of the General Assembly,
Fifty-first Session, Supplement No. 30, (A/51/30), para. 241 (c).
13/
Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-first Session, Supplement No. 30, (A/51/30)
para. 241(b).
14/
Documents ICSC/46/R.12; ICSC/46/R.7 and ICSC/46/CRP.4.
15/
Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-second Session, Supplement No.30,
(A/52/30), annex XX.
16/
Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-second session, Supplement No. 30,
(A/52/30), para. 249.
17/
Document A/59/291.
18/
Document A/58/705.
19/
Document A/58/759.
20/
Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-ninth Session, Supplement No. 30,
(A/49/30), paras. 349-367.
21/
Document A/58/759, paras. 35-39.
22/
Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixtieth Session, Supplement No. 30,
(A/60/30), para.
23/
Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixtieth Session, Supplement No. 30,
(A/60/30), annex IV.
24/
Document ICSC/60/R.6.
25/
Documents ICSC/60/CRP.5 and ICSC/61/R.16.
26/
Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixtieth Session, Supplement No. 30,
(A/60/30), para. 162.
Document ICSC/61/R.16.
27/
28/
Document A/59/446, annex III.
29/
United Nations Staff Rule 103.21 (ST/SGB/2002/1).
30/
Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixtieth Session, Supplement No. 30,
(A/60/30), para. 162.
31/
ICSC/61/R.16, annex II.
32/
Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixtieth Session, Supplement No. 30
(A/60/30), annex IV.
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Annex I
PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES FOR EMPLOYMENT OF APPOINTMENTS
OF LIMITED DURATION
Principles
(a) In the recruitment of staff under ALDs, the highest standards of efficiency,
competence and integrity should be the paramount consideration as for other staff;
(b) The independence and international character of the international civil service
should be preserved;
(c) ALDs do not carry any expectancy of automatic conversion to any other type of
appointment;
(d)
(e)
service;
ALDs should not be used abusively to extend the employment of staff;
ALDs employment should not be at the expense of the core international civil
(f) Due regard should be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a
geographical basis as possible;
(g) Organizations' policy imperatives in the area of gender balance should not be
compromised;
(h) There should be a reasonable correlation with the conditions of service of other
groups of staff;
(i)
Compatibility with job classification principles should be observed (equal pay for
equal work);
(j)
ALDs employment arrangements should not create competition for staff among
organizations;
(k) ALDs arrangements should support the concept of the United Nations system as a
good employer: hence they should incorporate adequate social security coverage;
(l)
These arrangements should be developed with staff consultation and should be
characterized by transparency and feedback.
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Guidelines
(a)
ALDs staff members will pledge themselves to discharge their functions and to
regulate their conduct with the interests of the [United Nations] only in view. They shall neither
seek nor accept instructions from any Government or from any other authorities external to the
organization. They will be bound in their conduct by the obligations pertaining to the staff
members of the United Nations and the specialized agencies;
(b)
ALDs staff will have the status of "Official" in terms of the Convention on the
Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations and the conventions of the specialized agencies;
(c)
Salary is established as one lump sum amount. This amount is determined within
a range or band corresponding to the net base salaries (gross base salary minus staff assessment)
at current grades or groups of grades. Additions to this base take into account, inter alia, a
number of allowances and benefits applicable to regular staff, which are incorporated in the lump
sum remuneration;
(d)
Annual leave will be granted in accordance with organizations' provisions for
short-term staff;
(e)
Sick leave will be granted in accordance with organizations' provisions for
short-term staff. ALDs staff are eligible for maternity leave;
(f)
ALDs staff will be covered against service-incurred illness, injury or death;
(g)
ALDs staff will be insured by organizations against ill-health and, where
appropriate, war-risk;
(h)
Travel entitlements and installation costs will be paid in a lump sum on the basis
of requirements (including family considerations, etc.);
(i)
ALDs staff are eligible for medical and security evacuation like other staff;
(j)
ALDs staff are entitled to the right to appeal administrative decisions following
the same procedures for other staff members;
(k)
Appropriate medical clearance is to be obtained before recruitment and dispatch
of a staff member under ALDs;
(l)
ALDs staff will receive the same termination indemnities as those payable to
short-term staff.
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Annex II
Comparison of Compensation Packages: International staff under 100 and 300 series
in the peacekeeping field missions
Entitlement
100 series staff temporarily
assigned to a mission 1
100 series mission appointee at
special missions 2
300 series in special missions
Salaries and allowances
1
Base Salary
Yes
Yes
Yes
2
Annual within-grade salary increment
Yes
Yes
No
3
Yes (for parent duty station)
No
No
4
Post adjustment
Dependency benefits
Yes
Yes
No
5
Service allowance (including family element)
No
No
Yes
6
Education grant
Yes
Yes
No
7
Rental subsidy
Yes (for parent duty station)
No
No
8
Mobility and Hardship
Yes (for parent duty station)
No
No
9
Assignment grant
Yes (for parent duty station)
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
11
Hazard pay
Mission Subsistence allowance (MSA) or
Special operations living allowance (SOLA)
MSA
MSA
MSA
12
Language allowance
Yes
Yes
No
10
1
2
Regular staff, under 100 series, temporarily assigned to a special mission from another duty station
Staff on 100 series fixed-term appointments limited to service with a specific mission
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Entitlement
100 series staff temporarily
assigned to a mission 1
100 series mission appointee at
special missions 2
300 series in special missions
No
Limited to service with a specific of
the mission; duration of
appointment subject to mission
mandate
Limited to 4 years maximum;
service limited to specific mission;
duration of appointment subject to
mission mandate
Appointment and promotion
13
Limitation of service
Social Security
14
Death benefit
Yes (in accordance with staff rule
109.10, ranging from 3 to 9 months
pay)
Yes (in accordance with staff rule
109.10, ranging from 3 to 9 months
pay)
Yes (Limited to 3 months net pay)
15
Pension participation
Yes
Yes
Yes (s/m are pensioned upon
employment but only vested if
service is five years or more)
16
Sick leave
Yes (65 days sick leave with full
pay/65 days sick leave with half pay
in a consecutive calendar year for
first 3 years; after 4 years of service
195 days of sick leave with full pay
and 195 days of sick leave with half
pay in any 4-year consecutive
period)
Yes (65 days sick leave with full
pay/65 days sick leave with half pay
in a consecutive calendar year for
first 3 years; after 4 years of service
195 days of sick leave with full pay
and 195 days of sick leave with half
pay in any 4-year consecutive
period)
Yes (2 days per month; can be
carried forward)
17
After-service health insurance coverage
Yes
Yes
No
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Entitlement
100 series staff temporarily
assigned to a mission 1
100 series mission appointee at
special missions 2
300 series in special missions
Leave
18
Annual leave (2.5 days per month)
Yes (can carry forward 60 days)
Yes (can carry forward 60 days)
Yes (can carry forward 30 days)
19
Family leave (uncertified sick leave used as
family leave)
Yes (7 days per year)
Yes (7 days per year)
Yes (3 days each 6 months)
20
Maternity leave (16 weeks full pay)
Yes
Yes
Yes (16 weeks special leave with
full pay in lieu of maternity leave)
21
Paternity leave (i.e. portion of maternity leave
under 100 series unused by mother)
Yes
Yes
Yes (only if the mother is a s/m
with 100 series appointment)
22
Occasional Recuperation Break (ORB) or Rest
& Recuperation Travel (R&R)
ORB (at certain duty stations)
ORB (at certain duty stations)
ORB (at certain duty stations)
Separation benefits
23
Termination indemnity
Yes (as per annex I to Staff Rules)
Yes (as per annex I to Staff Rules)
Yes (1 or 2 weeks if included in
letter of appointment)
24
Repatriation grant
Yes
Yes
No
25
Commutation of annual leave
Yes (up to 60 days)
Yes (up to 60 days)
Yes (up to 30 days)
Yes
Yes
No
27
Home leave
Travel allowance (in lieu of home leave)
No
No
Yes
28
Family visit travel
Yes
Yes
No
Travel
26
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Entitlement
100 series staff temporarily
assigned to a mission 1
100 series mission appointee at
special missions 2
300 series in special missions
29
Family visit travel with lump-sum option
Yes
Yes
No
30
Home leave travel with lump-sum option
Yes
Yes
No
31
Unaccompanied shipment
Unaccompanied shipment (100 kg
or $1,200)
Unaccompanied shipment (100 kg
or $1,200)
Unaccompanied shipment (100 kg
or $1,200 for appointments of less
than one year)