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The UN Special magazine is a monthly publication for international civil servants in Geneva.  More than 10,500 copies are printed each month. It is distributed to international organizations and diplomatic missions based in Geneva. Copies are also sent to various offices of the United Nations Secretariat, and the magazine is available online at the following site: www.unspecial.org

UN Special est le mensuel des fonctionnaires internationaux à Genève. Il est imprimé à plus de 10'500 exemplaires. Il est diffusé auprès des Organisations internationales et Missions diplomatiques basées à Genève. Quelques exemplaires sont également envoyés dans différents bureaux du Secrétariat des Nations Unies. Le magazine UN Special  est aussi accessible en ligne : www.unspecial.org

The 63rd FICSA Council took place at the United Nations in Geneva from 18 to 22 January 2010, bringing together representatives from the Federation’s 29 member associations and unions, 10 associate members, 21 FUNSAs and 16 consultative members.

The FICSA President welcomed the participants and recalled the tragic loss of life in the ranks of the United Nations, in particular in the wake of the recent earthquake in Haiti that would increase the toll of lives lost still further. He invited those present to observe one minute’s silence in honour of those who had paid the supreme sacrifice in the past year while serving the United Nations.

The President remarked that the recent United Nations General Assembly resolution on the common system and the work of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) offered the Standing Committees ample food for thought in their upcoming meetings. He thus took great pleasure in welcoming Mr. Wolfgang Stoeckl, Vice-Chair of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), who would address Council and answer a limited number of questions from the floor.

FICSA mourns the heartbreaking loss of UN system colleagues in Haiti, and extends its sympathy to the entire UN family and the families of colleagues lost in this tragedy. It is our sincere hope that many of the missing will be found safe.

To those colleagues who have been injured and who have experienced unbearable losses, FICSA extends its compassion and concern.

FICSA will do everything in its power to provide assistance to everyone who has been affected by this catastrophe.

The Fifth Committee adopted a resolution on the UN common system: Report of the International Civil Service Commission for 2009. The draft was adopted without a vote.

Before its adoption, the representative of the Russian Federation said he intended to support and adopt the text as submitted, but wished to make one comment:  by the text, the General Assembly would ask for a review of the termination indemnity schedule.  He would like it to be placed on record that the Assembly had already affirmed the termination indemnity schedule.  Accordingly, it would now ask for a review.  A number of delegations had concerns about the application of the system, which were shared by the Russian Federation, and more than other delegations, the United States had insisted on the inclusion of the paragraph about the review.

He explained further that the agreed text was adopted on the condition that there would be a statement by the Chair, to clarify the thrust of that paragraph.  Unfortunately, no statement was agreed.  For that reason, he himself would make the statement.  He emphasized that the Assembly would not be asking for a review of the termination indemnity schedule as a whole, but that it was simply asking that a study be done of possible cases of abuse of the system for the category of staff that had worked 10 years or more.  In his view, the proposed language did not imply that there was any abuse of the system.  Rather, it would have the Assembly examine whether there might be some abuse in that connection.

By terms of the resolution, the Assembly would take note of the Commission’s report.  In section A of the draft, on conditions of service of staff in the Professional and higher categories, the text would have the Assembly reaffirm that the range of 110 to 120 for the margin between the remuneration of officials in the Professional and higher categories and that of the comparator civil service (the United States federal civil service) should continue to apply, on the understanding that the margin would be maintained at a level around the midpoint of 115 over time.  For the period from 1 January to 31 December, it is estimated at 113.8.

Regarding the base/floor salary scale, the text would recall the Assembly’s resolution 44/198 by which it had established a floor net salary level of officials in comparable positions serving at the base city of the comparator civil service.  It would approve, with effect from 1 January 2010, as recommended by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), the revised base/floor scale of gross and net salaries for staff in the Professional and higher categories contained in an annex to the Commission’s report.

On gender balance and geographical distribution, the text would have the Assembly note with disappointment the insufficient progress made with regard to women’s representation, particularly at the senior level.  It would welcome a decision by the Commission to implement outreach initiatives to attract, develop and retain the most talented men and women, and encourage the Commission to consider further issues relating to female staff retention.

Concerning conditions of service for both categories of staff, the text would have the Assembly take note of the Commission’s recommendation to introduce end-of-service severance pay in common system organization for fixed-term staff involuntarily separating from the organization upon the expiration of their contract after 10 or more years of continuous service.  It would decide to revert to the question of the proposed end-of-service severance pay at its sixty-fifth session.

Further to the text, the Assembly would take note of the recommendation of governing bodies of the United Nations common system organizations to harmonize their termination indemnity schedule with that of the United Nations, and also request the Commission to review the application of the termination indemnity.  It would reiterate that the death grant should not be payable to secondary dependants and reiterate its call to the governing bodies of the common system organization to align their provisions regarding death grants with those of the United Nations.

On the mandatory age of separation, the text would have the Assembly request the Commission to report, at its sixty-sixth session, on the possibility of changing the mandatory age of separation, including the implications in the areas of human resources policies and pensions.  As for the senior management network, it would note the decision of the Chief Executives Board to discontinue work on the senior management network, and request the Commission to monitor the adequacy of measures aimed at improving management capacity and performance within the United Nations common system.