United Nations Common System : Report of the International Civil Service Commission

A/RES/63/251No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 125United Nations common system, published in 2009.

What other versions does this mandate have?

12 versions · 1989–2016

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/70/244

2016A/RES/70/244United Nations common system : report of the International Civil Service CommissionLatestCompare with previous version
2015A/RES/69/251United Nations common system : report of the International Civil Service CommissionCompare with previous version
2014A/RES/68/253United Nations common system : report of the International Civil Service CommissionCompare with previous version
2013A/RES/67/257United Nations common system : report of the International Civil Service CommissionCompare with previous version
2012A/RES/66/235AUnited Nations common system : report of the International Civil Service CommissionCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

16 topics

Civil Service Dependency Allowances Education Grant Field Offices Gender Mainstreaming General Service Staff Geographical Distribution International Civil Service Mobility and Hardship Allowance Performance Appraisal Professional Staff Recruitment Salaries and Allowances Wage Surveys Washington, D.c. (United States)Working Conditions

What does this mandate say?

29 operative paragraphs

Takes note with appreciation of the work of the International Civil Service Commission;

Takes note of the report of the Commission for the year 2008;Error: Reference source not found

Reiterates its invitation to the Secretary-General, in his capacity as Chairman of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, to urge the heads of the organizations of the United Nations common system to fully support the work of the Commission, in conformity with its statute,Error: Reference source not found by providing it with relevant information in a timely manner for studies that it conducts under its statutory responsibilities for the common system, as well as by other possible means;

Encourages the Commission to continue to coordinate and regulate the conditions of service of staff of the organizations of the common system, bearing in mind the limitations imposed by Member States on their national civil services;

Recalls article 28 of the statute of the Commission;2

A.Conditions of service for both categories of staff

1.Education grant

Approves, with effect from the school year in progress on 1 January 2009, the recommendations of the Commission in paragraph 62 of its reportError: Reference source not found and annex II thereto;

Requests the Commission to report on the methodological review of the education grant to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session;

2.Performance management

Reiterates the importance of developing mechanisms for better differentiating levels of performance;

Requests the Commission to work closely with organizations to identify workable means of rewarding performance;

Welcomes the work of the Commission in benchmarking innovative practices in the area of performance management, and encourages the Commission to keep performance management under review;

Requests the Commission to submit an updated performance management framework to the General Assembly;

B.Conditions of service of staff in the Professional and higher categories

1.Evolution of the margin

Recalling section I.B of its resolution 51/216 and the standing mandate from the General Assembly, in which the Commission is requested to continue its review of the relationship between the net remuneration of United Nations staff in the Professional and higher categories in New York and that of the comparator civil service (the United States federal civil service) employees in comparable positions in Washington, D.C. (referred to as “the margin”),

Notes that the margin between net remuneration of United Nations staff in grades P-1 to D-2 in New York and that of officials in comparable positions in the United States federal civil service in Washington, D.C., for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2008 is estimated at 114.7 and that the average margin level for the past five years (2004–2008) stands at 112.9;

Reaffirms that the range of 110 to 120 for the margin between the net remuneration of officials in the Professional and higher categories of the United Nations in New York and officials in comparable positions in the comparator civil service should continue to apply, on the understanding that the margin would be maintained at a level around the desirable midpoint of 115 over a period of time;

2.Base/floor salary scale

Recalling its resolution 44/198, by which it established a floor net salary level for staff in the Professional and higher categories by reference to the corresponding base net salary levels of officials in comparable positions serving at the base city of the comparator civil service,

Approves, with effect from 1 January 2009, as recommended by the Commission in paragraph 79 of its report,Error: Reference source not found the revised base/floor scale of gross and net salaries for staff in the Professional and higher categories contained in annex IV to the report;

3.Children’s and secondary dependant’s allowances

Approves, with effect from 1 January 2009, as recommended by the Commission in paragraph 129 of its report,Error: Reference source not found the revised flat-rate allowance and the transitional measure thereto;

4.Mobility/hardship

Recognizes the hardship conditions under which staff members are often required to perform their official duties, and the personal disruption that operationally required mobility may impose on staff;

Approves, with effect from 1 January 2009, as recommended by the Commission in paragraph 94 of its report,Error: Reference source not found the revised level of the hardship, mobility and non-removal allowances;

Welcomes the intent of the Commission to review whether the mobility/ hardship continues to fulfil the purposes for which it was established;

Encourages the Commission to further refine the mobility/hardship scheme in order to foster, in particular, the achievement of organizational objectives;

Requests the Commission to report on the outcome of its planned review of the mobility/hardship scheme to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session;

5.Gender balance/geographical balance

Notes with disappointment the insufficient progress made with regard to the representation of women in the organizations of the United Nations common system, and in particular their significant underrepresentation at senior levels;

Notes the decisions of the Commission contained in paragraph 109 of its report;Error: Reference source not found

Invites the Commission to continue to monitor future progress in achieving gender balance, including the aspect of regional representation if it deems it appropriate, and to make recommendations on practical steps that should be taken to improve the representation of women in the organizations of the United Nations common system;

C.Conditions of service of staff in the General Service and other locally recruited categories

Review of the methodology for surveys of best prevailing conditions of employment at headquarters and non-headquarters duty stations

Notes paragraph 148 of the report of the Commission,Error: Reference source not found and requests the Commission to report on the methodological review to the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session;

D.Conditions of service in the field

1.Effectiveness and impact of recruitment and retention measures at difficult duty stations

Welcomes the decision of the Commission to undertake a global staff survey to complement the findings of its studies;

Invites the Commission to conduct similar staff surveys periodically in support of its work, as well as any follow-up surveys;

Requests the Commission to continue its consideration of issues related to recruitment and retention and to report thereon as appropriate;

2.Hazard pay for internationally recruited staff

Expresses its appreciation for staff who live and work under hazardous conditions in the service of the United Nations;

E.Strengthening of the international civil service

Reaffirming that the staff is an invaluable asset of the Organization, and commending its contribution to furthering the purposes and principles of the United Nations,

Emphasizes that the capacity of the Commission as a source of technical expertise and policy advice should be further strengthened;

Stresses that the work of the Commission shall be given the importance and attention it deserves by the governing bodies of the organizations of the common system;

Requests the Commission to closely monitor the developments in the organizations of the United Nations common system in order to ensure the effective regulation and coordination of the conditions of service in the common system;

Notes the decision of the Commission to keep the Senior Management Network programme under review, and, bearing in mind paragraph 178 of its report,Error: Reference source not found requests the Commission to monitor the envisaged redesigning of the programme and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session.

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