FICSA Circular 900 2001

FICSA/CIRC/900,Geneva, 28 May 2001

    FICSA Advocacy in Washington

FICSA advocacy in Washington
  • The FICSA President, Mr. Bernard Grandjean, and the Research/Liaison Officer, Ms. Anne Marie Pinou, visited Washington from 30 April to 4 May to seek support from key national decision-makers and State Department officials on issues of security, HIV/AIDS, human resources management reform and realistic budgeting in the UN system to promote Associate Membership to Washington-based international organizations The Federation's representatives also met with PSI officials based in Washington and officials of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA).

    Meetings with key decision-makers (Capitol Hill)
  • FICSA was pleased to note the bipartisan environment in which officials of the committees dealing with international organizations and UN system matters operate. There seemed to be an increasing awareness on the Hill of the work of the UN system and the image of the UN.

  • The two most positive developments concerned the UN budget and US membership in UNESCO. The US was more favourably disposed towards relaxing the constraints on the UN budget, recognizing that there should ultimately be a move from a zero nominal to a zero growth budget. This at least would take account of increases in the cost of living. Furthermore, the US was giving serious consideration to returning to UNESCO, although this would probably not happen for another year. The recent reduction from 25 to 22 per cent in the US contribution to the regular budget and the phased reduction in the scale of assessments for peacekeeping, seems to have been instrumental in creating a climate for change.

  • By focusing its efforts on a select group of Senators and Congressmen, FICSA opened the way for further exchanges on a regular basis. In particular, the Congressional representatives from New York extended an open door policy to the Federation, reminding FICSA to contact their offices should the Federation ever disagree with any of the provisions of a legislative bill.

    Meetings with the key national legislators, US State Department, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA)
  • FICSA was fortunate to be able to meet with a number of senior officials at the US Department of

    State, including officials from the Bureau of Diplomatic Security Services. The discussions were open and frank, on topics that included human resources management reform and staff security. Instituting effective security measures for its staff has been an uphill battle within the Department of State. However, the State Department has come a long way in ensuring that its staff receive the protection they are entitled to when posted outside the United States. A comparison between the US and the UN's expenditures for staff security readily reveals the deficiencies of the UN system.

  • There is solid support within the State Department for improving security arrangements for UN system staff. FICSA was informed that, in many cases, the State Department is able to work with the host government to ensure the protection of American nationals. In addition, the communications capacity exists to provide security information quickly. FICSA pointed out that UN system staff often find themselves in places where there is either no government to consult, or where diplomatic staff have already been withdrawn by their governments, leaving only the UN behind. It was clear to the US authorities that both funding and mechanisms for accountability were important elements in ensuring staff security. The US fully supported the cost-sharing arrangements decided by the General Assembly and felt that the security measures of agencies operating in the field should be funded on that basis. Measures were also required to address issues of accountability and oversight.

    Meeting with the American Foreign Service Association
  • FICSA met with the President and Vice-President of the American Foreign Service Association, which represents the interests of State Department employees. AFSA, like FICSA, does not enjoy the right to collective bargaining. As expressed by a senior official at the State Department, the employees= organization functions as an advisory, educational and information body, but it does not have a standard package of authorities that go along with being a trade union organization. Instead, staff interests are addressed through a political process.

    Promoting Associate Membership
  • Since instituting the Associate Membership category, FICSA has conducted an ongoing drive to convince international organizations outside the UN system of the need for unity and solidarity among all international public servants. In this spirit, FICSA successfully drew together representatives of the Washington-based international organizations, under the auspices of the PAHO-WHO Staff Association. A representative of Public Services International (PSI) attended the meeting.

  • The FICSA President pointed out that, because public servants have many issues in common, such as mobility, HIV/AIDS and staff security, it was now time to unite. There was a need to share information, especially in view of the fact that the administrations consulted on a regular basis. There were many benefits to uniting under the umbrella of FICSA: it would strengthen both collective and individual efforts and actions; and the Federation's expertise as a 'think tank' and 'data bank' would be available for all members. The President explained that differences between the organizations would be accommodated by providing for regional groupings.

  • FICSA also met individually with the World Bank Group Staff Association and with the Inter-American Development Bank Staff Association, and attended the IADB Staff Assembly. Those meetings confirmed the prevalence of negative trends that have already spread throughout the common system. They are characterized by low morale, stress and contractual irregularities, to name just a few, and attest to the commonalities of the international civil services.

    Meeting with Public Services International (PSI)
  • >The Federations meeting with PSI revealed the extent to which public servants face the same threats to their conditions of service. National civil services have been hit hard by reforms, particularly those imposed by the international banks. The PSI representative could not fail to note the irony that staff in the organizations that have devised downsizing plans for national civil services will soon suffer the same fate. In her view, it was vitally important that staff fight these trends while they still have permanent contracts and are in a position to do so.

    Meeting with the Assistant Director of PAHO

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  • The FICSA delegation also had the opportunity to meet with the Assistant Director of PAHO, who is a strong advocate of improving measures for staff security, including the designation of the Security Coordinator, strengthening security training and providing information about security to staff in the field.

    Members of US Congress

    Kenneth Bernard, M.D., Office of Senator Bill Frist, M.D., Republican, Tennesse and member of the Sub-Committee on International Operations and Terrorism, Senate Foreign Relations Committee

    Dave Broome, Foreign Policy Advisor to Senator Bill Frist, M.D.

    Peter A. Contostavlos, Legislative Assistant for Senator Bill Nelson, Democrat, Florida and member of the Sub-Committee on International Operations and Terrorism, Senate Foreign Relations Committee

    Melvenia Jefferson Gueye, Legislative Director for Congressman Gregory W. Meeks, Democrat, New York and member of the Sub-Committee on International Operations and Human Rights, Committee on International Relations

    Celes E. Hughes, Legislative Assistant, Defense and Foreign Policy for Senator John Kerry,

    Democrat, Massachusetts and member of the Sub-Committee on International Operations and

    Terrorism, Senate Foreign Relations Committee

    Mark P. Lagon, Ph.D, Senior Professional Staff Member for Senator Jesse Helms, Republican,

    North Carolina, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations

    Enere H. Levi, Esq., Legislative Counsel for Congressman Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, American

    Samoa and member of the Sub-Committee on International Operations and Human Rights,

    Committee on International Relations

    Ryan R. McConaghy, Legislative Correspondent for Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat,

    New York

    Jonathan Pray, Legislative Assistant to Congressman Tom Tancredo, Republican, Colorado and

    member of Sub-Committee on International Relations and Human Rights, Committee on International Relations

    Department of State

    William B. Wood, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs

    Laurie J. Tracy, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Resources, US Department of State George

    Abrams, Director, Administrative Affairs, Bureau of International Organization Affairs Howard

    Perlow, Director, Office of Social and Humanitarian Affairs (IO/SHA)

    William A. Stanton, Director, United Nations Political Affairs (IO/UNP)

    Mary Tracy, Deputy Director, Bureau of Human Resources, Office of Overseas Employment, US Department of State

    Colonel David Randolph Bissell, Senior Military Advisor, Peacekeeping and Humanitarian

    Operations, Office of Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Operations (IO/PHO)

    Ann Blackwood, Office of Technical and Specialized Agencies (IO/T)

    Gordon Olson, International Organization Affairs, Office of UN Political Affairs

    Lynette Podolsky, Human Resources Staff, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of UN Systems Administration (IO/S)

    Sarah Swift, International Humanitarian Affairs, (IO/SHA)

    Simone Whittemore, International Relations Officer, Office of Economic and Development Assistance, Bureau of International Organization Affairs (IO/EDA)

    Richard M. Gannon, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, US Department of State

    Michael Considine, Special Agent, Diplomatic Security Service, US Department of State

    List of persons visited

    Gustavo Strittmatter, Chair, PAHO/WHO Staff Association

    Morallina George, Chair, World Bank Group Staff Association Executive Committee

    Jorge Teller, President, Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) Staff Association

    Carlos Gonzales, Vice-President, Organization of American States (OAS) Staff Association

    Mirta Roses Periago, Assistant Director, PAHO

    Beatriz Edwards, Public Services International (PSI)

    Marshall Adair, (outgoing President ), American Foreign Service Association

    John K. Naland, State Vice President (and soon to be President of the American Foreign Service Association)

    * * *

    We should like to acknowledge here the invaluable contribution made by the PAHO/WHO Staff Association to the success of this advocacy drive.