Greetings
The entire FICSA team would like to extend its greetings to all colleagues in the International Public Service.
Best wishes to Staff Associations and Unions for the coming year, and for a fruitful, amicable and constructive 54th session of the FICSA Council (Montreal, 5 to 9 February 2001). The Federation will have the opportunity and responsibility to make an impact in a number of important areas affecting the life and conditions of employment and service of international civil servants. As always, we look forward to working together with you to strengthen our voice and ensure that our employers adopt the best practices with regard to their staff.
We would also like to extend our best wishes to all colleagues in the Diplomatic Community. Delegates to the various meetings will be faced with a number of challenges, and will be called on to play an important role in ensuring that their decisions serve to strengthen the international civil service, thereby fostering peace, development and international cooperation. As always, we look forward to working with you towards those important goals.
NEWS
UN suspends relief operations in Chechnya
The United Nations has suspended all humanitarian action in Chechnya for the time being in order to evaluate the situation following the kidnapping of a staff member of Médecins sans Frontières- Holland on Friday, 12 January. Non-governmental organizations working with the United Nations and those funded by the European Community Humanitarian Office have similarly suspended operations.
UN system staff killed in helicopter crash
Four members of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team in Mongolia lost their lives in a helicopter crash in northwest Mongolia on Sunday, 14 January. Mr. B. Bayarmar (Mongolia), Mr. Gerald Le Claire (British), Mr. Matthew Girvin (USA), and Ms. Sabine Metzner-Strack (Germany), perished in the crash along with five others.
Investigators in Mongolia said they don't know what caused the UN-chartered helicopter to crash and explode. The crash is being analyzed by a Mongolian investigation commission and by UN personnel.
UN officials said 14 survivors, three of whom were seriously injured, were flown back to the capital, Ulan Bator.
Corrigendum
FICSA Update No. 52/2000 on the UN Pension System reported under the heading, "Taxation of pensions" that the UN General Assembly would "reiterate its request to those Member States which do not grant tax exemptions to make all possible efforts to do so as soon as possible". The heading should have read "Taxation of Pension Fund Investments" as it refers only to taxation of those investments, not taxation of personal pensions.
We apologize for causing confusion - and false hope.