WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION EXECUTIVE BOARD 107th Session Provisional agenda item 6.1 EB107/16 21 November 2000
Report of the International Civil Service Commission Report by the Secretariat
1. The twenty-sixth annual report of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC),1 being considered by the fifty-fifth session of the United Nations General Assembly, is submitted to the Executive Board in accordance with Article 17 of the ICSC Statute. The Board is invited to take note of the Commission’s report, the highlights of which are summarized in the table. 2. In accordance with Staff Regulation 12.2, amendments to the Staff Rules resulting from decisions expected to be taken by the General Assembly on the Commission’s report will be submitted for confirmation by the Executive Board in an addendum to this document. The issues under consideration are (a) base/floor salary scale and (b) dependency allowances. The additional costs resulting from confirmation of these changes would be absorbed under the appropriate allocations for the 2000-2001 budget.
(a)
Base/floor salary scale for the professional and higher categories
3. The Commission has recommended to the General Assembly an upward adjustment of 5.1% of the common system scale, to take effect from 1 March 2001. This adjustment is a routine annual exercise designed to bring the base/floor salary scale of organizations of the United Nations system into line with the salaries of the comparator civil service (the United States federal civil service in Washington, D.C.).2 The adjustment consists of transferring the requisite amount from post adjustment (the cost-of-living element) into salary on a “no loss – no gain” basis. It is done to ensure that allowances that are linked to the base/floor salary scale (the mobility and hardship allowance and certain separation payments) keep pace with inflation. The actual transfer procedure is cost neutral: minimal budgetary implications result from increases in the above-referenced allowances and small additional costs for duty stations where, as a result of the exercise, salaries fall below the revised base/floor salary scale.
General Assembly Official Records, Fifty-fifth session: Supplement No. 30 (A/55/30) (distribution to members of the Executive Board only). 2
1
The base/floor scale was introduced in 1990; adjustments have been made every year since.
EB107/16
(b)
Dependency allowances
4. Dependency allowances are determined on the basis of tax abatements and social security payments in the countries at the seven headquarters duty stations. Based on this methodology, the Commission has recommended that the children’s allowance (including the allowance for disabled children) and secondary dependant’s allowance should be increased by 11.89% as of 1 January 2001. This increase should also apply to allowances payable in local currencies.
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MAIN CONCLUSIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION, 2000 Subject Conditions of service of the professional and higher-graded categories (a) Base/floor salary scale Action Effective date Comments
• An adjustment of 5.1% in the base/floor salary scale through consolidation of post adjustment into base salary on a no-loss/no-gain basis.
1 March 2001
• This adjustment implies virtually no cost, since it is based on a shift from post adjustment (cost-of-living) to net base salary. Minimal cost at duty stations where salaries would otherwise fall below the base.
(b) Dependency allowances
• An adjustment of 11.89% to child allowance, including that for disabled children, and to secondary dependant’s allowance.
1 January 2001
• The adjustment is made to reflect increases in the value of tax abatement and payments under social legislation at the seven headquarters duty stations.
Conditions of service applicable to both categories of staff (a) Report of the Working Group on the Framework for Human Resources Management
• The Commission adopted the Framework for Human Resources Management as a dynamic tool which should be continuously updated.
2001
• The Commission recommended to organizations that the Framework should be used as a basis for their future policies and procedures for human resources.
(b) Draft standards of conduct for the international civil service
• To go forward with a new proposal to the United Nations General Assembly in 2001.
2001
• The draft Standards of Conduct submitted to the Commission in 2000 were not endorsed. Therefore, it was decided to postpone the exercise until 2001. Organizations will present their complete views and, to the extent possible, reach consensus on a new draft.
(c)
Review of the pay and benefits system
• To move forward with a review of the pay and benefits system and to establish mechanisms that allow for the broadest possible participation and discussion on the part of the organizations and the staff.
Starting in late 2000
• In the context of the Human Resources Framework, the Commission has established a Steering Committee to direct, over a two-year period, future work on the review of the pay and benefits system and make recommendations to the Commission. As part of its mandate, the Steering Committee will coordinate the work of three open-ended focus groups concentrating on (i) the nature of work; (ii) rewarding contribution; and (iii) management capability.
Subject (d) Education grant
Action
Effective date School year in progress on 1 January 2001
Comments
• An adjustment in the levels of education grant payable in five currency areas (Belgian franc, Irish pound, Italian lira, Swiss franc and US dollar in the United States).
• Under the approved methodology, levels of the education grant are undertaken in a biennial review cycle. The trigger point for reviewing such levels in a given currency area occurs when 5% or more of the cases reviewed exceed current maximum admissible expenditure levels.
• An adjustment in the flat rates for boarding school and the additional amounts for reimbursements of boarding costs over and above the maximum grant.
School year in progress on 1 January 2001
• In accordance with the current methodology, the flat rate for boarding and the additional flat rate for boarding have been updated by the movements of the consumer price index between the date of the last adjustment and the date of the current review.
• These adjustments do not entail a change in the Staff Rules, although the related additional costs will need to be absorbed in the appropriate allocations for the 2000-2001 budget.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION EXECUTIVE BOARD 107th Session Provisional agenda item 6.1 EB107/16 Add.1 3 January 2001
Report of the International Civil Service Commission Report by the Secretariat
1. In accordance with Staff Regulation 12.2, amendments to the Staff Rules made by the DirectorGeneral are submitted to the Executive Board for confirmation. 2. These amendments result from decisions taken by the United Nations General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session on the basis of recommendations made by the International Civil Service Commission, in accordance with common system arrangements. Details are provided in document EB107/16. The text of the amendments is contained in the Annex to the present document.
ACTION BY THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 3. The Executive Board is invited to consider the following draft resolutions.
Resolution 1 The Executive Board CONFIRMS in accordance with Staff Regulation 12.2 the amendments to the Staff Rules that have been made by the Director-General with effect from 1 January 2001 concerning dependency allowances for the professional and higher categories, and with effect from 1 March 2001 concerning the salary scale for use in conjunction with gross base salaries applicable to staff in the professional and higher categories.
Resolution 2 The Executive Board RECOMMENDS to the Fifty-fourth World Health Assembly the adoption of the following resolution:
EB107/16 Add.1
The Fifty-fourth World Health Assembly, Noting the recommendation of the Executive Board with regard to remuneration of staff in ungraded posts and of the Director-General, 1. ESTABLISHES the salary for ungraded posts at US$ 167 035 per annum before staff assessment, resulting in a modified net salary of US$ 113 762 (dependency rate) or US$ 102 379 (single rate); 2. ESTABLISHES the salary for the Director-General at US$ 205 309 per annum before staff assessment, resulting in a modified net salary of US$ 137 492 (dependency rate) or US$ 122 268 (single rate).
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ANNEX TEXT OF AMENDED STAFF RULES
330.
SALARIES
................................................................................................................................................................... 330.2 The following schedule of annual gross and annual net base salaries shall apply to all professional and higher category posts with effect from 1 March 2001:
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EB107/16 Add.1
Salary scale for the professional and higher graded categories: annual gross salaries and net equivalents after application of staff assessment1 (effective 1 March 2001) (US dollars) Step Level D-2 Gross Net D Net S Gross Net D Net S Gross Net D Net S Gross Net D Net S Gross Net D Net S Gross Net D Net S Gross Net D Net S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
124 384 127 132 129 877 132 623 135 369 138 115 87 318 89 022 90 724 92 426 94 129 95 831 80 218 81 645 83 072 84 498 85 925 87 352 109 894 112 245 114 598 116 944 119 297 121 648 124 002 126 352 128 702 78 334 79 792 81 251 82 705 84 164 85 622 87 081 88 538 89 995 72 407 73 687 74 967 76 245 77 525 78 796 80 018 81 240 82 460 96 705 70 157 65 176 79 780 59 255 55 180 65 388 49 756 46 445 53 129 41 253 38 694 41 189 32 656 30 805 98 832 100 961 103 089 105 216 107 342 109 471 111 598 113 724 115 853 117 982 120 106 122 234 71 476 72 796 74 115 75 434 76 752 78 072 79 391 80 709 82 029 83 349 84 666 85 985 66 385 67 545 68 703 69 862 71 018 72 177 73 335 74 493 75 651 76 809 77 966 79 101 81 733 60 544 56 364 67 220 50 965 47 556 54 632 42 335 39 675 42 633 33 696 31 763 83 680 61 829 57 543 69 053 52 175 48 669 56 132 43 415 40 653 44 075 34 734 32 720 85 627 63 114 58 722 70 880 53 381 49 780 57 633 44 496 41 633 45 519 35 774 33 677 87 579 64 402 59 902 72 714 54 591 50 892 59 135 45 577 42 611 46 960 36 811 34 633 89 527 65 688 61 080 74 544 55 799 52 002 60 692 46 657 43 592 48 403 37 850 35 590 91 571 66 974 62 259 76 373 57 006 53 113 62 332 47 739 44 587 49 847 38 890 36 548 93 645 68 260 63 439 78 206 58 216 54 225 63 967 48 818 45 580 51 290 39 929 37 493 95 723 69 548 64 617 80 038 59 425 55 335 65 606 49 900 46 577 52 731 40 966 38 434 97 795 70 833 65 796 81 868 60 633 56 447 67 244 50 981 47 571 54 174 42 005 39 375 99 869 101 947 104 019 106 095 108 171 72 119 73 407 74 692 75 979 77 266 66 949 68 082 69 210 70 340 71 470 83 700 61 842 57 555 68 879 52 060 48 564 85 529 63 049 58 663 70 520 53 143 49 561 87 361 64 258 59 770 89 191 65 466 60 877 91 089 66 675 61 985
D-1
P-5
P-4
P-3
P-2
P-1
D = Rate applicable to staff members with a dependent spouse or child. S = Rate applicable to staff members with no dependent spouse or child. ___________________ 1 This scale will be implemented in conjunction with a consolidation of 5.1% of post adjustment. Post adjustment indices and multipliers at all duty stations will be modified, effective 1 March 2001. Thereafter, changes in post adjustment classifications will be implemented on the basis of movements of the consolidated post-adjustment indices.
Annex
Annex
EB107/16 Add.1
340.
DEPENDANTS’ ALLOWANCES A staff member in a post of professional or higher grade, except for short-term staff members appointed under Rule 1320 or consultants appointed under Rule 1330, is entitled to a dependant’s allowance for dependants as defined in Rule 310.5, to be paid as follows:
340.1
US$ 1936 per annum for a child, except that in cases where there is no dependent spouse the first dependent child is not entitled to an allowance. The entitlement shall be reduced by the amount of any benefit paid from any other public source by way of social security payments, or under public law, by reason of such child. US$ 3872 per annum for a child who is physically or mentally incapacitated, subject to the conditions defined in Rule 340.1, except that if the staff member has no dependent spouse and receives the “with dependant” rate of net salary by virtue of such a child, an allowance of US$ 1936 shall be payable. US$ 693 per year for a father, mother, brother or sister.
340.2
340.3
Note: Adjustments shown in boldface type.
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