21 December 2001

FICSA Update No. 66 2001

    Fifth Committee Adopts Resolution on the Common System

  • On 20 December 2001, the Fifth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly concluded its work, in particular, on the United Nations common system. It adopted without a vote a draft resolution whose main elements are as follows:

    1. The General Assembly would, upon adoption of the draft resolution, reaffirm its commitment to a single unified United Nations common system as the cornerstone for the regulation and coordination of the conditions of service of the United Nations common system and as the best instrument to secure the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for the international civil service. It would also reaffirm the Statute and the central role of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC).

    2. With regard to the Standards of conduct for the international civil service, the General Assembly would "welcome" the text as set out in the Commission’s report.

    3. The General Assembly would approve a number of recommendations of the Commission with regard to the introduction of the Euro.

    4. The General Assembly would note that the overall margin (ratio) between the 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 for 2001 is 111.0 (one percentage point above the minimum level of the margin). It would also note the margins at the different levels and "consider that this imbalance should be addressed in the context of the overall margin considerations established by the General Assembly".

    5. The General Assembly would approve, with effect from 1 March 2002, a revised base scale of gross and net salaries for staff in the Professional and higher categories showing an increase of 3.87 per cent (in most duty stations, this will not translate into a take home pay increase since the post adjustment will be decreased by the same amounts). It would also – as a result of a point made a few weeks ago by the Delegation of the Russian Federation (see FICSA Update No. 58 of 15 November 2001) "note the increasing number of duty stations where the post adjustment classification is equal or close to zero and request the Commission to review the methodology to ensure purchasing power equivalence is appropriately reflected".

    6. Finally, on the issue of strengthening the international civil service (read: review of the mandate, composition and functioning of the Commission), the General Assembly would request the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Chairman of the Commission, to present a timetable for the implementation of the review at the main part of the Assembly’s fifty-seventh (next) session.

  • Except for the last one, all elements of the draft resolutions were approved in informal consultations on 26 November 2001. In yesterday’s formal session, Mr. Michel Tilemans (Belgium), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that the Union was pleased to have reached consensus on the issue of strengthening the international civil service and that it was satisfying to know that elements of the Secretary-General’s proposal were moving forward.

  • FICSA also welcomes this development. The consensus – albeit relating to a slow process – indeed represents a breakthrough. FICSA is happy to have contributed to it through its advocacy activities in New York over the last few years.

    * * * * *

    The year 2001 started with some bad news for the community of United Nations civil servants. It is likely to end on a much happier note.

    The entire FICSA team would like to extend its Season’s Greetings and its best wishes for Year 2002 to all colleagues in the International Public Service, and also in the Diplomatic Community.