WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION EXECUTIVE BOARD 111th Session Provisional agenda item 8.1 EB111/19 10 December 2002
Amendments to the Staff Rules1 Report by the Secretariat
1. Amendments to the Staff Rules made by the Director-General are submitted for confirmation by the Board, in accordance with Staff Regulation 12.2.2 2. The amendments contained in the present document are made in the light of experience and in the interest of good personnel management. They have been the subject of consultation across the Organization. The amendments take effect from 1 January 2003. 3. Amendments to the Staff Rules resulting from decisions taken by the United Nations General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session, on the basis of recommendations made by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) (see also document EB111/18), will be issued as an addendum to this document.
STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR STAFF MEMBERS 4. Staff Rule 110.7.1 has been edited for clarification and to ensure conformity between the English and French texts.
SALARY DETERMINATION 5. Staff Rule 320.1 has been amended to delete reference to “service appointments”, which are not awarded on initial appointment. In addition, the last sentence has been amended to clarify the basis for granting additional steps on appointment. This amendment will be supplemented by implementation provisions in the WHO Manual.
RECRUITMENT POLICIES: EMPLOYMENT OF RELATIVES 6. Staff Rule 410.3 has been amended to align WHO’s family relationship definitions with those applied by other organizations in the United Nations common system. 1 2
Copies of the Staff Rules and Staff Regulations are available in the meeting room for Board members. Basic documents, 43rd ed. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2001.
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PATERNITY LEAVE 7. In January 2001, the Executive Board confirmed the introduction of five days’ paternity leave on a trial basis for two years, with effect from January 2001,1 to be reviewed in the light of developments in the common system. Since ICSC is taking up consideration of the issue in 2003, it is considered appropriate to extend the trial period until January 2004, in the expectation that the review to be undertaken by ICSC will have been completed by that time. The footnote to Staff Rule 760 has been amended to reflect this extension.
ACTION BY THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 8. In the light of these revisions, the Board may wish to consider the following draft resolution which would confirm the amendments to the Staff Rules as contained in the Annex to this document. The Executive Board CONFIRMS in accordance with Staff Regulation 12.2 the amendments to the Staff Rules made by the Director-General concerning standards of conduct, salary determination, employment of relatives and paternity leave, with effect from 1 January 2003.
1
Resolution EB107.R7.
2
ANNEX AMENDMENTS TO THE STAFF RULES Former Text 110.1 STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR STAFF MEMBERS 110.7 The Director-General shall decide on the compatibility of any interests declared by staff members with Article I of the Staff Regulations, and on any action to be taken under this Rule: 110.7.1 A staff member who has, or whose spouse or dependent children have, any interest in (including association with) any entity with which the staff member may be required, directly or indirectly, to have official dealings on behalf of the Organization, or which has a commercial interest in the work of WHO, or a common area of activity with WHO, shall report the interest to the Director-General. New Text 110.1 STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR STAFF MEMBERS 110.1 to 110.6 unchanged 110.7 Unchanged
320. SALARY DETERMINATION 320.1 On appointment to a service or fixed-term appointment, the net base salary of staff members shall be fixed at step 1 of the grade of the post to be occupied. In exceptional circumstances it may be fixed at a higher step in the grade in order to maintain the staff members’ former income level.
410. RECRUITMENT POLICIES 410.1 The paramount considerations in the selection of staff shall be competence and integrity. For posts in the professional category and above, geographical representation shall also be given full consideration. Such representation is not a consideration in appointments to posts subject to local recruitment. 410.2 Candidates under 20 or over 62 years of age shall not normally be considered for appointment. 1
A staff member who has, or whose spouse or dependent children have, any interest in (including association with) any entity: (1) with which the staff member may be required, directly or indirectly, to have official dealings on behalf of the Organization; or (2) which has a commercial interest in the work of WHO, or (3) which has a common area of activity with WHO shall report the interest to the Director-General No further changes 320. SALARY DETERMINATION 320.1 On appointment to a fixed-term appointment, the net base salary of staff members shall normally be fixed at step 1 of the grade of the post to be occupied; in exceptional circumstances, however, it may be fixed at a higher step in the grade in order to take into account a staff member’s qualifications, skills and experience in relation to the requirements of the post. 410. RECRUITMENT POLICIES 410.1 Unchanged
110.7.1
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410.2 Unchanged
2 Former Text 410.3 Subject to Staff Rule 410.3.1, persons closely related by blood or by marriage to a staff member, as defined by the Director-General, shall not normally be appointed if another equally qualified person is available. New Text 410.3 Except where another person equally well qualified cannot be recruited, appointment shall not be granted to a person who bears any of the following relationships to a staff member: father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister. 410.3.1 The spouse of a staff member may be appointed provided that the spouse is fully qualified for the position and provided that the spouse is not given any preference for appointment by virtue of the relationship to the staff member. Unchanged 410.3.2.1 shall not be assigned to serve in a position in the same unit, or to a position that is superior or subordinate in the line of authority to the position occupied by the staff member to whom he or she is related. Unchanged 410.3.1 410.3.2 The spouse of a staff member may be appointed provided that the spouse is fully qualified for the post and provided that the spouse is not given any preference for appointment by virtue of the relationship to the staff member. A staff member who is related to another staff member as specified under Rules 410.3 and 410.3.1: 410.3.2.1 shall not be assigned to serve in a post in the same unit, or to a post that is superior or subordinate in the line of authority to the post occupied by the staff member to whom he or she is related. shall not participate in the process of selection, assignment, reassignment or transfer of the related staff member; or in the taking or reviewing of an administrative decision affecting the employment status, entitlements, or other benefits of the related staff member. The marriage of one staff member to another shall not affect the contractual status of either spouse, but their entitlements and other benefits shall be modified as provided in the Staff Rules and Manual. The same modifications shall apply in the case of a staff member whose spouse is a staff member of another Organization participating in the United Nations common system. 760.
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410.3.2
= = = 410.3.3 760.
410.3.2.2
410.3.2.2
410.3.3
Unchanged
MATERNITY AND PATERNITY LEAVE1 _______________ 1 Paternity leave is introduced on a trial basis for two years, with effect from 1 January 2001, to be reviewed in January 2003.
MATERNITY AND PATERNITY LEAVE1 _______________ 1 Paternity leave is introduced on a trial basis, with effect from 1 January 2001, to be reviewed in January 2004.
Annex