1. In line with the goals of streamlining and simplifying administrative issuances of
the Organization and making best use of modern technology, Personnel Division intends to
make the FAO Administrative Manual available on the Intranet. In order to facilitate this
process, a word-processing template has been created in order to standardize paragraph
numbering and formatting.
2. In the first instance Manual Section 301, Staff Regulations, which will be posted on
the Intranet. Although the actual text will not be affected by the use of this template,
the paragraph numbering will no longer reflect the current version of the Staff
Regulations. Although minor, the changes require approval by the FAO Council.
3. Cross-references to the Staff Regulations elsewhere in the FAO Manual will be
updated by "ink amendment" until such time as those sections are also placed on
the Intranet. This will permit users to overcome any difficulties during the transition
period. The Committee is invited to review the proposal, under the terms of Rule
XXVII.7(a) of the General Rules of the Organization, and submit it to the Council for
approval.
301.0 Scope and purpose
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The Staff Regulations embody the fundamental
conditions of service and the basic rights, duties and obligations of the staff members of
the Food and Agriculture Organization. They represent the broad principles and personnel
policy for the staffing and administration of the Organization. The Director-General, as
the Chief Administrative Officer, shall provide and enforce such Staff Rules consistent
with these principles as he considers necessary. |
ARTICLE I
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301.1 Duties, obligations
and privileges
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301.1.1 |
The staff members of the Organization are international civil
servants. Their responsibilities are not national but exclusively international. By
accepting appointment, they pledge themselves to discharge their functions and to regulate
their conduct with the interests of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations only in view. |
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301.1.2 |
Staff members are subject to the authority of the
Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the
Organization, and to whom they are responsible in the exercise of their functions. |
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.1.21 The whole time of staff members shall be at the
disposal of the Director-General. |
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.1.22 The Director-General shall establish a normal working
week. |
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301.1.3 |
In the performance of their duties staff members shall
neither seek nor accept instructions from any government or from any other authority
external to the Organization. |
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301.1.4 |
Staff members shall conduct themselves at all times in a
manner befitting their status as international civil servants. They shall not engage in
any activity that is incompatible with the proper discharge of their duties with the
Organization. They shall avoid any action and, in particular, any kind of public
pronouncement which may adversely reflect on their status. While they are not expected to
give up their national sentiments or their political and religious convictions, they shall
at all times bear in mind the reserve and tact incumbent upon them by reason of their
international status. |
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301.1.5 |
Staff members shall exercise the utmost discretion in all
matters of official business. They shall not communicate to any person any information
known to them by reason of their official position which has not been made public, except
in the course of their duties or by authorization of the Director-General. Nor shall they
at any time use such information to private advantage. These obligations do not cease upon
separation from the Organization. |
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301.1.6 |
No staff member shall accept any honour, decoration, favour,
gift, or remuneration from any government excepting for war service; nor shall a staff
member accept any honour, decoration, favour, gift, or remuneration from any source
external to the Organization, without first obtaining the approval of the
Director-General. Approval shall be granted only in exceptional cases and where such
acceptance is not incompatible with the terms of Staff Regulations 301.1.2 and 301.1.21
and with the individual's status as an international civil servant. |
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301.1.7 |
Any staff member who becomes a candidate for a public office
of a political character shall resign from the Organization. |
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301.1.8 |
Staff members are granted the privileges and immunities
referred to in Article VIII of the Constitution and in the Convention on the Privileges
and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies, insofar as this convention has been ratified
by the governments concerned. These privileges and immunities are conferred in the
interests of the Organization. They furnish no excuse to the staff members who enjoy them
for non-performance of their private obligations or failure to observe laws and police
regulations. In any case where these privileges and immunities arise, the staff member
shall immediately report to the Director-General, with whom alone it rests to decide
whether they shall be waived. |
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301.1.9 |
Staff members shall subscribe to the following oath or
declaration: "I solemnly swear (undertake, promise) to
exercise in all loyalty, discretion and conscience the functions entrusted to me as an
international civil servant of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations; to discharge these functions and regulate my conduct with the interests of the
Organization only in view, and not to seek or accept instructions in regard to the
performance of my duties from any government or other authority external to the
Organization." |
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.1.91 The oath or declaration shall be made orally by the
Director-General at a public meeting of the Conference, by the Deputy Director-General at
a public meeting of the Council, and by all other staff members of the Organization before
the Director-General or his authorized representative. |
ARTICLE II
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301.2
Classification of posts and staff
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301.2.1 |
In conformity with the principles laid down by the Conference
and the Council, the Director-General shall make appropriate provisions for the
classification of posts and staff according to the nature of the duties and
responsibilities required. |
ARTICLE III
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301.3 Salaries and
related allowances
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301.3.1 |
Salaries of staff members shall be fixed by the
Director-General in accordance with the provisions of Annex I to these Regulations. |
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.3.11 The net salary of staff members in the
Professional and higher categories with dependants shall be differentiated from that of
those without dependants by means of different rates of staff assessment, as set out in
the FAO Manual. |
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301.3.2 |
The Director-General shall establish a scheme for the payment
of dependency allowances to full-time staff members who hold an appointment for one year
or more. |
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.3.21 For the Professional and higher categories
dependency allowances shall be as follows:
- or each dependent child, other than a disabled child, US$ 1,730 per annum except as
under (iii) below;
- for a dependent child declared to be physically or mentally disabled, either permanently
or for a period expected to be of a long duration, an allowance of US$ 3,460 shall be paid
except as under (iii) below;
- where there is no dependent spouse, no allowance shall be paid for the first dependent
child in respect of whom the dependency rate of staff assessment is applicable, except if
the first dependent child is disabled, in which case an allowance of US$ 1,730 per
annum shall be paid;
- where there is no dependent spouse, a single allowance for one of the following
secondary dependents: father, mother, brother or sister, of US$ 619 per annum.
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The amount of these allowances, if paid in the currency of
the country of the duty station, shall be as set out in the FAO Manual. |
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.3.22 If both husband and wife are staff members, only
one may claim for dependent children, the first staff member, for the first child, under
Staff Regulation 301.3.11, and other children under Staff Regulation 301.3.21(i); in which
case the other staff member may claim only under Staff Regulation 301.3.21(iv) for
secondary dependants, if so entitled. |
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.3.23 Staff members in the General Service category
shall be entitled to receive dependency allowances at rates and under conditions
established by the Director-General, due regard being given to the circumstances in the
locality in which the office is located. |
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.3.24 With a view to avoiding duplication of benefits
and in order to achieve equity between staff members who receive dependency benefits from
any source external to the Organization and those who do not receive such dependency
benefits, the Director-General shall prescribe conditions under which the dependency
allowance for a child shall be payable only to the extent that the dependency benefits
enjoyed by the staff member or the staff member's spouse amount to less than such a
dependency allowance. |
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301.3.3 |
Education grant. |
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.3.31 Subject to a maximum amount established by the
Council, the Director-General shall also establish terms and conditions under which an
education grant shall be available to:
- staff members serving outside their recognized home country, whose dependent children
are in full-time attendance at a school, university or similar institution;
- staff members reassigned to their recognized home country for a further period of
service following an assignment of one year or more of expatriate service, whose dependent
children are in full-time attendance at school, university or similar institution;
- any staff member, whether expatriate or not, whose dependent children are unable by
reason of physical or mental disability to attend a normal educational institution and
therefore require special teaching or training to prepare them for full integration into
society or, while attending a normal educational institution, require special teaching or
training to assist them in overcoming the disability.
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In applying the scale of reimbursement approved for the
education grant, if expenses incurred by a staff member are in a currency other than the
US dollar, the rate of exchange used, or amount paid, shall be as set out in the FAO
Manual. |
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.3.32 Eligibility for the grant under Staff Regulation
301.3.31(a) and 301.3.31(b) shall begin with the child's fifth birthday and shall continue
until the end of the fourth year of post-secondary studies or the award of the first
recognized degree, whichever is the earlier. |
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.3.33 Eligibility for the grant under Staff Regulation
301.3.31(b) shall continue for the balance of the scholastic year in course, not exceeding
one full scholastic year, after return from expatriate service. |
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.3.34 Eligibility for the grant under Staff Regulation
301.3.31(c) shall begin from the date on which the special teaching or training is
required up to the end of the year in which the child reaches the age of 25 years. In
exceptional cases the Director-General may extend the age limit to 28. |
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.3.35 Education travel.
- In accordance with the conditions prescribed by the Director-General, travel costs of
the child may also be paid for an outward and return journey once in each scholastic year
by a route approved by the Director-General between the educational institution and the
staff member's duty station or, where this is justified by exceptional circumstances,
another point approved by the Director-General provided that the amount paid by the
Organization does not exceed the cost of an outward and return journey between the staff
member's home country and the duty station.
- However, in the case of staff members serving at designated duty stations as set forth
in the FAO Manual, such travel cost may be paid twice in the year in which the staff
member is not entitled to home leave.
- Travel expenses under (i) above for a child for whom an education grant under Staff
Regulation 301.3.31(c) is payable and who has to be placed in an educational institution
away from the duty station may be reimbursed up to the cost of two trips per annum between
the educational institution and the staff member's duty station. Within the limit of the
said cost, the Director-General, may authorize reimbursement of trips between the
educational institution and another point. In very exceptional circumstances, the
Director-General may also authorize the reimbursement of travel expenses for a person
accompanying a disabled child.
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301.3.4 |
The Director-General may decide in each case whether the
dependency allowance or the education grant shall extend to adopted children or
step-children. |
ARTICLE IV
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301.4 Appointment and promotion
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301.4.1 |
As stated in Article VIII of the Constitution and in Rule
XXXIX(1) of the General Rules of the Organization, the power of appointment of staff
members rests with the Director-General. Upon appointment, each staff member shall receive
a letter of appointment in accordance with the provisions of Annex II to these Regulations
and signed by the Director-General or by an official in the name of the Director-General. |
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301.4.2 |
The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or
promotion of the staff shall be the necessity for securing the highest standards of
efficiency, competence and integrity. Due regard shall be paid to the importance of
recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. |
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301.4.3 |
Selection and compensation of staff members shall be made
without distinction as to race, sex or religion. So far as practicable, selection shall be
made on a competitive basis. |
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301.4.4 |
Subject to the provisions of Rule XXXIX(2) of the General
Rules of the Organization, and without prejudice to the recruitment of fresh talent at all
levels, the fullest regard shall be had, in filling vacancies, to the requisite
qualifications and experience of persons already in the service of the Organization. This
consideration shall also apply on a reciprocal basis to the United Nations and to the
specialized agencies brought into relationship with the Organization. |
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301.4.5 |
Subject to this Staff Regulation, staff members shall be
granted continuing or fixed-term appointments, under such terms and conditions consistent
with these Regulations as the Director-General may prescribe. All appointments may include
a probationary period which shall not exceed 18 months. Staff members of the World Food
Programme may also be granted indefinite appointments. |
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301.4.6 |
Assistant Directors-General shall receive fixed-term
appointments for periods not to exceed five years, subject to prolongation or renewal. If
a staff member holding another type of appointment, or a fixed-term appointment with an
unexpired term of more than five years, accepts a post with the rank of Assistant
Director-General, the appointment status or fixed-term appointment shall be modified, as a
condition of acceptance in order to be consistent with this provision. |
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301.4.7 |
The Director-General shall establish appropriate medical
standards which staff members shall be required to meet before appointment. |
ARTICLE V
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301.5 Annual and
special leave
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301.5.1 |
Staff members shall be allowed appropriate annual leave. |
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301.5.2 |
Special leave may be authorized by the Director-General in
exceptional cases. |
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301.5.3 |
Eligible staff members shall be granted home leave once in
every two years. Staff members whose home country is the country of their duty station or
who continue to reside in the home country while performing their official duties shall
not be eligible for home leave. |
ARTICLE VI
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301.6 Social security
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301.6.1 |
Provision shall be made for the participation of staff
members in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund in accordance with the Regulations
of that Fund. |
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301.6.2 |
The Director-General shall establish a scheme of social
security for the staff, including provisions for health protection, sick leave, and
maternity leave, and reasonable compensation in the event of illness, accident or death
attributable to the performance of official duties on behalf of the Organization. |
ARTICLE VII
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301.7 Travel and
removal expenses
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301.7.1 |
Subject to the conditions and definitions prescribed by the
Director-General, the Organization shall, in appropriate cases, pay the travel expenses of
staff members, their spouses and dependent children. |
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301.7.2 |
Subject to conditions and definitions prescribed by the
Director-General, the Organization shall pay removal costs for staff members. |
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301.7.3 |
The Director-General may withhold, in full or in part, any
payment of travel or related expenses for a staff member's immediate family provided for
under the provisions of the FAO Manual, if a payment for the same purpose is received for
the family from a source external to the Organization. |
ARTICLE VIII
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301.8 Staff
relations
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301.8.1 |
In accordance with the principle that the staff has the right
to organize for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting its interests, one or more
representative staff bodies recognized by the Director-General shall maintain continuous
contact and negotiate with the Director-General with respect to the terms and conditions
of employment of the staff and general staff welfare. |
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.8.11 Negotiations between recognized staff
representative bodies and the Director-General shall be subject to the understanding that
the Director-General will retain, under the provisions governing his constitutional
responsibility, the right of final determination in matters within his authority. |
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.8.12 In negotiations with such staff bodies, the
Director-General shall not be committed to any final decision whenever such decision rests
with the governing bodies of the Organization or would deviate from the common system of
the United Nations; in such cases, the Director-General shall strive for agreed positions
to be forwarded to the competent organs of the Organization or of the common system. |
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.8.13 Recognized staff representative bodies shall not
have the right to engage in "negotiations" with any of the governing bodies but
the Council may, in exceptional circumstances, grant them access to the Council meetings
to present their views, provided their application for such access is endorsed by the
Director-General. |
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301.8.2 |
The Director-General, in deciding whether to recognize any
group as a representative staff body, will take into account whether:
- such body represents a sufficiently large number of staff members or a sufficiently
distinct group of staff; and
- the statutes and declared aims of such body are consistent with the constitutional
objectives of the Organization.
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301.8.3 |
The Director-General may, in agreement with recognized staff
bodies, establish joint administrative machinery with staff participation to advise him
regarding personnel policies and general questions of staff welfare and to make to him
such proposals as it may desire for amendment of the Staff Regulations and Rules. |
ARTICLE IX
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301.9 Separation
from service
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301.9.1 |
The Director-General may terminate the appointment of a staff
member who holds a continuing appointment (i) if the necessities of the service require
abolition of the post or reduction of staff, or (ii) whose services prove unsatisfactory,
or (iii) who is, for reasons of health, incapacitated for further service. |
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.9.11 The Director-General may also, in exceptional
circumstances, terminate the appointment of a staff member who holds a continuing or a
fixed-term appointment if such action would be in the interest of the good administration
of the Organization and in accordance with the standards of the FAO Constitution, provided
that the action is not contested by the staff member concerned. |
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.9.12 The Director-General may terminate the
appointment of a staff member with a fixed-term appointment prior to the expiration date
for any of the reasons specified in Staff Regulation 301.9.1, or for such other reasons as
may be specified in the letter of appointment. |
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.9.13 In the case of staff members serving a
probationary period or holding any other type of appointment not referred to in Staff
Regulations 301.9.1 and 301.9.12, the Director-General may at any time terminate the
appointment on finding that such action would be in the interests of the Organization. |
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.9.14 The Director-General may, on the advice of the
Organization's Medical Officer, terminate the appointment of a staff member who holds a
continuing, fixed-term or, in the case of the World Food Programme, indefinite
appointment, on finding that the staff member is unable to perform assigned duties because
of physical or mental limitations, and that although the staff member would be qualified
and suitable for another post in the Organization, no such post is vacant. |
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301.9.2 |
Staff members may resign from the Organization upon giving
the Director-General the notice required under the terms of their appointment. |
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301.9.3 |
If the Director-General terminates an appointment the staff
member shall be given such notice as may be applicable under the Staff Regulations and
Staff Rules. Payment of termination indemnity shall be made by the Director-General in
accordance with the rates specified in Annex III to these Regulations. |
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301.9.4 |
The Director-General shall establish a scheme for the payment
of repatriation grants within the maximum rates and under conditions specified in Annex IV
to these Regulations. |
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301.9. |
Staff members may not be retained in active service beyond
the age of 62 years, unless the Director-General, in the interests of the Organization,
extends this age limit in exceptional cases. Normally, such extension will be one year at
a time. Staff members, except those whose participation in the United Nations Joint Staff
Pension Fund commences or recommences on or after 1 January 1990, may, however, elect to
retire at the age of 60 years. |
ARTICLE X
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301.10
Disciplinary measures
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301.10.1 |
The Director-General may establish an administrative
machinery with staff participation which will be available to advise him in disciplinary
cases. |
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301.10.2 |
The Director-General may impose disciplinary measures on
staff members whose conduct is unsatisfactory, and may summarily dismiss a member of the
staff for serious misconduct. |
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301.10.3 |
Staff members whose appointments are terminated by the
Organization, or who are demoted or suspended, shall be entitled to a written statement of
cause at the time notice is given, and an opportunity to reply in writing. |
ARTICLE XI
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301.11 Appeals
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301.11.1 |
The Director-General shall establish a Committee within the
Organization to advise him in cases of appeal by individual staff members regarding a
grievance arising out of disciplinary action or arising out of an administrative decision
which staff members allege to be in conflict, either in substance or in form, with the
terms of their appointment or with any pertinent Staff Regulation, Staff Rule or
administrative directive. At the request of the staff member, the Director-General may
render a final decision without recourse being made to the said Committee. The Committee
shall consist of two members and five alternate members nominated by the Director-General,
two members and five alternate members elected by the staff as a whole, and an independent
Chairman appointed by the Council. The Council shall appoint two alternate Chairmen to
serve when the Chairman is unavailable; if the Chairman and alternate Chairmen are
unavailable, the remainder of the Committee may select an ad hoc Chairman, who
shall not be a staff member. |
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301.11.2 |
The International Labour Organisation Administrative Tribunal
shall, under conditions prescribed in its Statute (except for cases dealt with by the
United Nations Administrative Tribunal under Staff Regulation 301.11.3), hear and pass
judgement upon applications from staff members alleging non-observance of their terms and
conditions of appointment, including all pertinent Regulations and Rules. |
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301.11.3 |
The United Nations Administrative Tribunal shall, under
conditions prescribed in its Statute, hear and pass judgement upon applications from staff
members of the Organization alleging non-observance of the Regulations of the United
Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, in which staff members of the Organization participate
in accordance with Staff Regulation 301.6.1. |
ARTICLE XII
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301.12 General
provisions
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301.12.1 |
These Regulations, which first became effective 1 July 1952,
shall be applicable to all staff members. They may be supplemented or amended by the
Conference or Council, without prejudice to the acquired rights of staff members. Such
modifications, as well as any Rules issued by the Director-General within the framework of
the foregoing Regulations, shall apply to all staff members. |
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301.12.2 |
The application of, and all amendments to, these Staff
Regulations and any Rules issued thereunder, shall be in conformity with the relevant
decisions of the International Civil Service Commission. As provided in Rule XXXIX(3) of
the General Rules of the Organization, the Director-General shall have authority to amend
the Staff Regulations as may be required to give effect to such decisions. The
Director-General may also amend the Staff Regulations to give effect to recommendations of
the International Civil Service Commission which have been approved by the General
Assembly of the United Nations and relate to the salaries and allowances of the staff in
the professional and higher categories. |
