C 2003/14


Conference

Thirty-second Session

Rome, 29 November-10 December 2003

APPOINTMENT OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE FAO CONFERENCE TO THE STAFF PENSION COMMITTEE


1. Article 4 (a) of the regulations of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension fund provides that “the Fund shall be administered by the United Nations joint Staff Pension Board, a staff pension committee for each member organisation, and a secretariat to the Board and to each such committee”. Under Article 6 (c) the staff pension committee of each member organisation “shall consist of members and alternate members chosen by the body of the organisation corresponding to the General Assembly, its chief administrative officer, and its participants in service...”

2. The FAO/WFP Staff Pension Committee plays an important role in the general effort to harmonise UN pensions and their administration with the requirements of Organisations of the UN common system and of their staff, who may serve and retire in all countries of the world. The characteristics of the International civil Service of the UN system require particular care as well as in-depth treatment of the issues that are brought to the attention of the UN General Assembly. Its responsibilities are:

  1. to review the pension Fund regulations and Administrative rules with respect to possible amendments thereto in order to formulate the position of the Committee’s delegation to the United Nations joint Staff Pension Board, which in turn makes recommendations as appropriate, to the United Nations general Assembly;
  2. to interpret and apply the Regulations and Administrative rules of the Pension Fund in cases of contestation by FAO & WFP participants of a decision by the Secretary for the Staff Pension Committee concerning participants’ entitlements and/or status;
  3. to grant disability benefits in payment (approximately 25-30 cases per year), in accordance with the Regulations and rules of the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund.

3. The Committee meets in Rome as the need arises (normally six to eight times a year for meetings lasting half a day). The Committee appoints three members and three alternates (one member and one alternate from among the members designated by the FAO Conference, the Director-General and FAO/WFP Participants respectively) to represent the Organisation in the UN Joint Staff Pension Board, the higher administrative body of the Fund, reporting directly to the UN General Assembly. Regular sessions of the Board are held not less frequently than once every two years.

4. The FAO/WFP Staff Pension Committee consists of:

5. The Conference-appointed members and alternates at present are:

Term of Office

Members

Alternates

1 January 2001 -
31 December 2003

Ms. Doña Dolores M Cedeño Perez,
Minister Counsellor of the Dominican Republic to FAO

H.E. Souhaib Deen Bangoura,
Permanent Representative of Republic of Guinea to FAO

1 January 2002 -
31 December 2004

Mr. Bruce Berton,
Alternate Permanent Representative of the United States of America to FAO

Mr. Milan Paksi,
Counsellor & Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to FAO

1 January 2003 -
31 December 2005

Mr. Mohamed Said Ali Harbi,
Counsellor and Permanent Representative of Sudan to FAO

Mr. Muhamad Nahar Sidek,
Assistant Agriculture Attaché, Embassy of the Republic of Malaysia to FAO

6. In view of the time factor and to avoid undue travel costs in connection with attendance at Staff Pension Committee meetings which are held in Rome, the Conference has usually appointed representatives who are resident in Rome.

7. The Conference is invited to appoint to the Staff Pension Committee the following:

  1. one member to serve from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2006;
  2. one alternate member to serve from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2006;
  3. one member to serve from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2007;
  4. one alternate member to serve from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2007.