In June FICSA...

...Participated in the 53^rd Session of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC)

1. FICSA was represented by President Bernard P. Grandjean and General Secretary André J. Heitz throughout the session, held in Montreal from 11 to 29 June (see FICSA Update No. 29, FICSA Update No. 31, FICSA Update No. 32 and FICSA Update No. 33/2001).

   ...Participated in the Session of the Ad Hoc Human Resources Network (Former CCAQ)

2. Ms. Judey Austin, Member of the Executive Committee for the Americas, and Ms. Anne Marie Pinou, Research and Liaison Officer, attended the session, held in New York from 5 to 7 June (see FICSA Update No. 35/2001).

   ...Participated in the Fourth Summit on the Security of International Staff

3. Ms. Judey Austin represented FICSA at the Summit, held at the United Nations Headquarters on 28 June.

   ...Conducted Visits and an Advocacy Drive in New Delhi

4. The FICSA President used the occasion of a private trip to Bangkok to promote FICSA matters. On his way back home, he stopped in New Delhi on 4 and 5 June.

5. He met with: staff at the UNDP and UNICEF offices; staff representatives from the UNESCO Office; staff representatives from the WHO Regional Office for South East-Asia (WHO/SEAR); representatives of FUNSA India; members of the Association of Former Staff Members of WHO/SEAR; Mr. Jürgen Bischoff, Director of the Asian and Pacific Center for Transfer of Technology (ACPTT); Ms. Mary Johnson, Director of the ILO Office; Mr. Richard J. Conroy, Senior Deputy Resident Representative (acting Resident Representative) of UNDP, and Mr. King, Deputy Resident Representative a.i.; Mr. Pedro Medrano, Regional Manager of WFP; Ms. Singh, Deputy Regional Director of WHO/SEAR and Mr. Nolan, Director of Administration and Finance (he was accompanied on this occasion by Mr. Rajeev Vijh, APCTT, General Secretary of the FUNSA, and Mr. Pinto, President of the UNICEF Staff Association).

   ...Conducted Visits and an Advocacy Drive in Beirut

6. The FICSA President also stopped in Beirut on 7 and 8 June. His visit had been organized mainly by Mr. Charles Kapes, Chairman of the UNRWA International Staff Association, and Mr. Diab Tabari, Chairman of the UNRWA Area Staff Association.

7. He met with: staff representatives from ESCWA, UNDP, UNESCO and UNICEF, particularly with a view to promoting the creation of a FUNSA; the President of the ESCWA Staff Association; staff representatives from the UNRWA Area Staff Union; and Mr. Alfredo Miccio, Director of the UNRWA Office in Lebanon. He also paid a courtesy visit to the UNDP Resident Representative.

   ...Conducted a General Service Salary Survey Workshop in San José (Costa Rica)

8. The workshop was held from 18 to 22 June. The trainer was Mr. Osvaldo Bastida.

9. Mr. Bastida also met with all United Nations staff in San José, with the UNDP Resident Representative and with the Directors of the United Nations Agencies. The staff decided to create a FUNSA, which has requested membership with observer status in FICSA.

   ...Received an Application for Associate Membership from the Staff Association of the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR)

10. On 18 June, the ISNAR Staff Association filed an application for associate membership in FICSA.

    ...Received the Visit of the Chairman of the WHO/SEAR Staff Association

11. On 5 June, the FICSA General Secretary received the visit of Mr. Kanaga Rajan, Chairman of the WHO/SEAR Staff Association. Mr. Rajan confirmed his Association’s intention to become a member of FICSA in the near future.

    ...Met with a Representative of the Staff Association of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

12. On 8 June, the FICSA General Secretary met with Mr. Jean-Charles Chamois, from the IFRC Staff Association, and discussed a number of issues currently confronting the staff of IFRC. The possibility for the IFRC Staff Association to become an associate member of FICSA was also discussed.

    ...Met with the Staff and the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD)

13. On 28 June, the FICSA President and General Secretary met with the staff of the SCBD to discuss matters of mutual interest. On the next day, Ms. Véronique Allain, Chairperson of the Association, submitted an application for membership in FICSA.

14. They also paid a courtesy visit to the SCBD Executive Secretary, Mr. Hamdallah Zedan.

    ...Provided Support to FUNSA Nigeria

15. On 28 June, the FICSA General Secretary wrote to Mr. Mark Malloch Brown, UNDP Administrator, to alert him to the situation in the Nigeria Country Office.

    ...Wrote to UNSECOORD and WFP regarding the security of staff in Sudan

16. On 28 June, the FICSA General Secretary wrote to Mr. Benon Sevan, United Nations Security Coordinator, and Ms. Catherine Bertini, WFP Executive Director, to seek information on the fate of locally-recruited staff, following an article published in the New York Times (see FICSA Update No. 30/2001; for the responses, see FICSA Update No. 37/2001.)

    ...Wrote to the "Geneva Group" on the results of the meeting with the Security Council

17. On 18 June, the FICSA General Secretary wrote to Ambassadors Simon W.J. Fuller and François Nordmann, of the United Kingdom and Switzerland, respectively.

    ...Wrote to the High Commissioner for Refugees on the fate of locally-recruited staff in the United Arab Emirates

18. On 19 June, the FICSA President wrote to Mr. Ruud Lubbers to draw his attention to the fact that four UNHCR staff members (holding UNDP contracts) were threatened by a termination of their contracts and that they were not treated in accordance with proper procedure and, even less, with decency.

19. Some 760 UNHCR posts should be abolished by the end of 2002.

    ...Liaised with Public Services International (PSI)

20. On 7 June, the FICSA General Secretary met with Mr. Hans Engelberts, PSI General Secretary, and Mr. Alan Leather, Deputy General Secretary, to discuss matters of mutual interest. The possibility of PSI organizing workshops for FICSA members will be explored.

    ...Liaised with CCISUA

21. On 7 June, the FICSA General Secretary met with Ms. Marlène Sequeira, President of CCISUA, to discuss some points in relation to the 53^rd session of ICSC.

    ...And...

22. The FICSA General Secretary liaised with Mr. Basharat Ahmad, Chairman of FUNSA Pakistan and Chairman of the FICSA Standing Committee on Conditions of Service in the Field regarding a claim, by the ILO Staff Union Committee, that there was a conflict of interest between being a member of that Committee and serving in FICSA.

23. FICSA participated in an exchange of information on the feasibility of electronic discussions, meetings and voting on behalf of FAO/WFP-APS.

24. FICSA followed up on the question of CSG and CRDS with the staff representatives and administration of UNESCO (see FICSA Update No. 27 for background information).

25. The FICSA General Secretary liaised with an ILO staff member in Moscow regarding the reduction of the mobility and hardship allowance.

26. FICSA provided information on the security arrangements for staff of the United Nations system to the Staff Association of the African Development Bank.

27. FICSA provided information to a staff grouping from the Council of Europe on the question of "long-term short-term contracts" in the United Nations system.

    ...And Also...

28. The ICAO Staff Association donated US$ 1,000 towards the financing of a workshop on the General Service salary survey methodology scheduled to be held in Kingston, Jamaica, in September.