CL 117/9


Council

Hundred and Seventeenth Session

Rome, 9-11 November 1999

AMENDMENT TO THE STAFF REGULATIONS

Table of Contents



I. INTRODUCTION

1. The Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) asked the Director-General of FAO to submit to the FAO Council, at its One-Hundred-and-Seventeenth Session, a proposal to amend the FAO Staff Regulations. The amendment would allow WFP to issue indefinite appointments to its staff. Indefinite appointments are appointments that do not carry a specific date of expiry. This appointment type is already provided for in the UN Staff Rules.

2. WFP intends to move to indefinite appointments for its international professional staff inline with UNHCR and other organisations involved in relief activities. It is WFP's view that the move will simplify and make more equitable the contracting of its staff, attract and retain more high quality staff, and enable the Programme to adjust its staff profile in a balanced way to respond to any future changes in its resource levels.

3. The introduction of this type of appointment at WFP requires a prior amendment to the FAO Staff Regulations. Article VII.6 of the General Regulations of WFP provides that "the Executive Director shall administer the staff of WFP in accordance with FAO Staff Regulations and Rules and such special rules as may be established by the Executive Director in agreement with the Secretary-General (of the United Nations) and the Director-General (of FAO)." As, unlike the situation at the United Nations, the possibility of granting indefinite appointments is not available under current FAO Staff Regulations, an amendment to these Regulations is required.

4. The representatives of staff associations concerned by this proposal have been consulted. The proposal, which concerns only WFP staff, will be introduced with respect to International Professional Staff.

A. PROPOSED AMENDMENTS

5. It is proposed that Staff Regulation 301.045 be amended to read as follows1:

"301.045. 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."

6. It is also proposed that Staff Regulation 301.0914 be amended to read as follows2:

"301.0914. 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 limitations, and that although the staff member would be qualified and suitable for another post in the Organization, no such post is vacant".

7. The published schedule of termination indemnities set out in Staff Regulation 301.151 is amended to read as follows:

COMPLETED YEARS OF SERVICE

WITH THE ORGANITATION

MONTHS OF PAY AS DEFINED IN STAFF REGULATION 301.155
CONTINUING APPOINTMENTS INDEFINITE APPOINTMENTS
(WFP ONLY)
FIXED-TERM APPOINTMENTS
Less than 1 year Nil Nil )
1 year Nil 1 month ) One week for each month of
2 years 3 months 1 ) uncompleted service subject
3 years 3 2 ) to a minimum of six weeks'
4 years 4 3 ) and a maximum of three
5 years 5 4 ) months' pay
6 years 6 5 3
7 years 7 6 5
8 years 8 7 7
9 years 9 9 9
10 years 9.5 9.5 9.5
11 years 10 10 10
12 years 10.5 10.5 10.5
13 years 11 11 11
14 years 11.5 11.5 11.5
15 years or more 12 12 12

II. SUGGESTED ACTION BY THE COUNCIL

8. Rule XXXIX.3 of the General Rules of the Organization (GRO) provides that the Director-General should promulgate staff regulations with the approval of the Council. The Council is requested to give its approval to the proposed amendments to the Staff Regulations.

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1  Words in bold to be added.

2  Words in bold to be added.