ICSC: The International Civil Service Commission

WELCOME and MABUHAY ! WELCOME and MABUHAY !

Mr. VirGILio G. Gundayao, Mr. VirGILio G. Gundayao, MBA/MPAMBA/MPA

Exec. Dir., Graft-Free PhilippinesExec. Dir., Graft-Free Philippines, a national project of , a national project of PhilippinePhilippine Jaycee SenateJaycee Senate2004 Exec. Director, Junior Chamber International (JCI) Phils.2004 Exec. Director, Junior Chamber International (JCI) Phils.

Immediate Past Exec. Director, JC Leaders InternationalImmediate Past Exec. Director, JC Leaders InternationalEx-AMO, CSC Ex-AMO, CSC Mamamayan Muna, Hindi Mamaya Na! Mamamayan Muna, Hindi Mamaya Na! ProgramProgram

WELCOME & MABUHAY ! ! !

The The International Civil Service CommissionInternational Civil Service Commission (ICSC): (ICSC): Weathering Global ChallengesWeathering Global Challenges

09 February 2013 * (Saturday 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM)09 February 2013 * (Saturday 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM)PUP-Graduate School, Sta. Mesa, ManilaPUP-Graduate School, Sta. Mesa, Manila

WE greatly acknowledge a compleat GURU

Prof. ADELA JAMORABE-RUIZ, DPA, PhDPUP Graduate School

The The

International Civil Service International Civil Service Commission Commission (ICSC): (ICSC): Weathering Global Weathering Global

ChallengesChallengesPresented by:Presented by:

VirGILio G. Gundayao, MBA/MPAVirGILio G. Gundayao, MBA/MPA

09 February 2013 * (Saturday 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM)09 February 2013 * (Saturday 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM)

PUP-Graduate School, Sta. Mesa, ManilaPUP-Graduate School, Sta. Mesa, Manila

The United Nations Common SystemThe WB Group and the IMF -- although specialized agencies of the The WB Group and the IMF -- although specialized agencies of the

United Nations – claim to be not part of the common system. United Nations – claim to be not part of the common system.

Common System Organizations

United Nations (UN) World Health Organization (WHO)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

I nternational Civil Aviation Organization (I CAO)

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Universal Postal Union (UPU)

United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)

I nternational Telecommunication Union (I TU)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

United Nations Children's Fund (UNI CEF) I nternational Maritime Organization (I MO)

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)

World I ntellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

I nternational Trade Centre (I TC)

I nternational Fund for Agricultural Development (I FAD)

I nternational Labour Organization (I LO) United Nations I ndustrial Development Organization (UNI DO)

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

I nternational Atomic Energy Agency (I AEA)

World Food Programme (WFP) World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Definition of the Common System

« The common system represents common standards, methods and arrangements being applied to salaries, allowances and benefits for the staff of the United Nations, those specialized agencies which have entered into a relationship with the United Nations, the International Atomic Agency and a number of other international organizations. The common system is designed to avoid serious discrepancies in terms and conditions of employment, to avoid competition in recruitment of personnel and to facilitate the interchange of personnel. It applies to over 52,000 staff members serving at over 600 duty stations. »

http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/common.htm

  The International Civil Service Commission

The ICSC http://icsc.un.org/

-Growing fields of competence, increasingly conflictual, limited staff representation

 Established in 1974 by the UN General Assembly to

« regulate and coordinate the conditions of service of the

United Nations common system »

Recognised by all UN Organizations (ILO since April 1975)

-A technical body with political influences

15 commissioners are diplomats, Chairperson full time, influential (Secretariat)

What is ICSC?The International Civil Service Commission is an independent expert body established by the United Nations General Assembly:

The General Assembly of the United Nations establishes an International Civil Service Commission…

…for the regulation and coordination of the conditions of service of the United Nations common system…

- GA Resolution 3357 XXIX of 18 December 1974

Two of the members are designated Chairman and Vice-Chairman and serve on a full-time basis.

15 members appointed by the General Assembly in their personal capacity as individuals of recognized competence with substantial experience of executive responsibility in Public Administration.

Composition & Appointment

Selected with due regard for equitable geographical representation..

Chairman Kingston P. Rhodes Chairman Kingston P. Rhodes (Sierra Leone)(Sierra Leone)

Vice-Chairman Wolfgang Stockl Vice-Chairman Wolfgang Stockl (Germany)(Germany)

Composition & Appointment

The ICSC Members & the The ICSC Members & the SGSG

The UN CharterThe UN Charter

The UN Charter, Art.101:"3. The paramount consideration in the employment of the staff and in the determination of the conditions of service shall be the necessity of 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". – See ILO Staff Regulations, art.4.2. A)

How Does

ICSC

Work ?

Annex II: Oath of OfficeStaff Regulation 1.1(b)

Staff members shall make the following written declaration witnessed by the SGor his authorized representative:

“I solemnly declare and promise to exercise in all loyalty, discretion and conscience the functions entrusted to me as an international civil servant of the United Nations, to discharge these functions and regulate my conduct with the interest of the United Nations only in view, and not to seek or accept instructions in regard to the performance of my duties from any Government or other sources external to the Organization. I also solemnly declare and promise to respect the obligations incumbent upon me as set out in the Staff Regulations and Rules.”

(Source: ST/SGB/1998/19, 10 December 1998, Status, Basic Rights and Duties of United Nations Staff Members, p. 12

[revised Code of Conduct])

Recommendations to:

General Assembly

Governing Bodies

Executive Heads

ICSC

Issues Under ICSC Mandate

Decisions

Broad principles to determine conditions of service

Education grant, home leave, repatriation grant, termination

indemnities, dependency allowances &

language incentive for Professional and above staff

Staff assessment

Scales of salaries for professional

staff

1. Makes recommendations to

theGeneral Assembly

on:

Functions & Powers

2. Establishes:

Methodologies by which the principles for determining conditions of service should be applied

Mobility and Hardship

allowances

Hazard pay

Post Adjustment classifications

Job Classification standards

Daily Subsistence Allowance rates

Functions & Powers

London

Montreal

Madrid

New York

ParisRome

GenevaVienna

3. Conducts General Service

salary surveys at HQ locations:

Functions & Powers

4. Makes recommendation

s to organizations:

Human Resources policies

Gender balance/Work-Life issues

General Service salary scales at headquarters

Staff training policy

Standards of conduct

Performance management

Contractual arrangements

Functions & Powers

Recent issues under ICSC consideration

Performance management;Review of the mobility/ hardship scheme and of the

different types of allowances and the danger pay;Review of the pensionable remuneration;Base/floor salary scale and review of staff assessment

rates used in conjunction with gross salaries;Evolution of the United Nations/United States net

remuneration margin;Survey and report on diversity in the United Nations

(UN) Common System;Review of the General Service salary survey

methodologies;

Upcoming issues on the ICSC agendaThe new framework for performance management

based on rewards and recognition;

Update of the standards of conduct;

Review of the education grant methodology;

Review of the UN/US net remuneration margin;

Review of security evacuation allowance.

Human Resources Management in times of financial crisis

The Secretary General pointed out recently that we are living “in an era of austerity” and proposed all UN departments to decrease their budget by 3%.

“The 3% cut is not across the board and doesn’t apply uniformly to all offices”.

14 September 2011, Town Hall Meeting of the SG with staff from duty stations across the world.

Some departments voluntarily offered cuts of 7%.

Mobility in the UN common system

Movement within organizations: * Across occupational groups/departments; * Geographic mobility (may be voluntary or mandatory)

Movement across organizations: * Within the United Nations common system (inter-organizational mobility).

Inter-Agency Mobility in the UN system

Goal:

Increased managed inter-agency mobility to enhance system-wide efficiency 

Role:

Promotes the sharing of knowledge and experience; Builds a competent, versatile, multi-skilled and experienced international civil service 

Inter-Agency Mobility Policy Objectives Fostering staff members’ appreciation that they are part of one

United Nations system;

Encouraging movement of individual staff members between organizations;

Valuing experience gained in UN system organizations;

With due regard for organizations’ placement, rotation and internal mobility policies, giving staff members of all UN common system organizations equal access and consideration for employment opportunities on a competitive basis;

Creating an administrative framework that supports mobility;

Addressing work/life issues that impede mobility.

CEB Inter-Agency Mobility Statement (2003)

Inter-Agency Mobility in the UN system

What is being done?

CEB Statement on Inter-Agency Mobility (2003)

Dual Career and Staff Mobility Programme (2008)

Work/life balance initiatives (2008)

Delivering as One Programme (2009) (8 pilot countries: Albania, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Pakistan,

Rwanda, Tanzania, Uruguay, Viet Nam)

Right to work initiative pilots (2010)

Dual career/spouse employment

Increasing concern by staff about relocation and expatriate spouse employment:

Dual Career & Staff Mobility Programme

To assist those expatriate

spouses and partners who wish to work to obtain

employment

To help newly arrived expatriate families to settle

into their new duty station

Chief Executives

Board(CEB)

Dual career/spouse employment

Dual Career & Staff Mobility Programme

Global Expatriate Spouse Association

Local Expatriate Spouse Associations

Dual Career & Staff Mobility Website

In UN & World Bank Group duty stations (43).

Offer on-site assistance for employment and career interests of spouses.

www.unstaffmobility.org

Information for settling into new duty stations.

Offers country-specific career and employment information.

Career Development A new Performance Management framework emphasizing the motivation, engagement and development of staff members.

The new framework

More clear role of the key

organizational players

Emphasis on the UN values

Changing behaviors

Emphasis on a number of key enablers in the

organization for successful

implementation of performance management

Career Development Initiatives

UN Secretariat Voluntary Initiative for Network Exchanges (VINEs)

-helps professional category staff to move laterally across departments and duty stations within Job Networks.

Revised UN Competency Framework- includes a refined set of Core Values and Core and Managerial Competencies that together comprise the profile of what it takes to be successful and effective in the UN’s fast-changing operational terrain.

Austerity Measures in Place• New York post adjustment and New

York GS Salaries were frozen 2009 and 2010

• GA request to take into account member states’ decisions regarding their national civil services

• GA request to increase weight of national civil service when determining the GS salary scale (new GS Salary Survey Methodology as of 1 January 2011)

Austerity Measures under GA Consideration

• Revoke Post New York Post Adjustment Increase of 1 August 2011 an freeze New York Post Adjustment at prior level for at least two years.

• Reduce Margin UN-US from range 110 – 120 to range 110 – 115.

• Not to increase hardship/mobility scheme by 2.5 per cent as proposed by ICSC and freeze at current level for three year.

Consequences• Beside New York salaries pensionable

remuneration would be frozen (at level of 1 August 2007), because of link with New York post adjustment.

• Possible post adjustment increases at duty stations other than New York would be downscaled

Pivotal role of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC)

System-wide Coordination

Staff have to unite locally, even if not internationally

Training to achieve the best out of the system

Final word should be local – if well prepared.

Process is not necessarily transparent

World wide mobilization on methodology

• United Nations Staff are International Civil Servants 24/7

• Staff may take instructions only from the Secretary-General (or his designated representatives)

• Mobility: Staff may be assigned anywhere in the world by the Secretary-General

• Highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity (Charter, article 101.3)

• Staff are subject to standards of conduct and ethics

• Maximum age: 62 (except very seniorpositions)

STAFF OF THE UNITED NATIONS

CATEGORIES OF STAFF•Senior Levels

• Under-Secretary-General (USG)• Assistant Secretary-General (ASG)

•Professional and Higher Categories (internationally recruited):

• Directors (D-1 & D-2)• Professionals (P-1 – P-5)

•Locally Recruited Staff:• National Officers• General Service & Related Categories (support staff)• (G-1 – G-7, TC-1 – TC-8, S-1 – S-7, PIA, LT)

•Other Personnel:• Consultants & Contractors (Special Service

Agreement: SSA)• Service Contracts• Interns

•United Nations Volunteers (UNV)

MAIN ENTITLEMENTS & BENEFITS• Annual & Sick Leave• Home Leave• Maternity & Paternity Leave• Education Grant & Travel• Rental Subsidy• Defined-benefits Pension• Health Insurance• Installation & Shipment & Repatriation• Pay for Additional Official Language• Mobility and Hardship Pay• Rest and Recuperation (peacekeeping missions)

UN ESTABLISHED DUTY STATIONS & TRIBUNALS

GenevaUNOG,

UNCTAD, OHCHR, ECE,

OCHA

NairobiUNON, UNEP,

UN-Habitat

New YorkUN

Headquarters

ViennaUNOV, UNODC

Addis AbabaECA

BangkokESCAP

BeirutESCWA

SantiagoECLAC

The HagueICTY

ArushaICTR

SUBSTANTIVE JOBS IN THE UNITED NATIONS

• Economic Affairs

• Social Affairs

• Political Affairs

• Civil Affairs

• Humanitarian Affairs

• Human Rights

• Rule of Law

• Public Information, Radio & TV

• Drug Control & Crime

Prevention

• Statistics

• Demographics

• Public Administration

• Electoral Affairs

• Legal Affairs

SUPPORT JOBS IN THE UNITED NATIONS• Administrators: Human

Resources, Finance, Budget, Facilities Management, Administration (general)

• Information and Communications Technology

• Information Management

• Cartography

• Medical

• Programme/Project Management

• Security

• Logistics

• Procurement

• Engineering

• Aviation

• Library Science

• Conference Servicing

• Language Staff: Interpreter, Translator, etc.

• P-2 = 2 yearsNo experience required if you pass the United Nations NCRE or Language examination

• P-3 = 5 years

• P-4 = 7 years

• P-5 = 10 years

• D-1 = 15 years

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Rank-in-person* Salary hierarchy Personal

qualifications or contributions

INTERNAL PAY POLICY

Rank-in-job Job hierarchy Responsibility

and assigned tasks or contributions

*not used by the Secretariat

UN JOBS WEBSITE: http://jobs.un.org

• Examinations held annually based on a country’s representation status and government’s agreement

• Most entry level positions (P-2), except for peacekeeping, are filled through competitive examinations

NCRE applicants must:

• Be a national of any of the participating Member States

• Be younger than 32 years old as of 31 December of the year of the exam

• Hold at least a first-level university degree relevant to one of the offered occupational groups

• Be fluent in either English or French

UN NATIONAL COMPETITIVE RECRUITMENT EXAMINATION

• Examinations held based on the needs of the United Nations

• All language staff (interpreters, translators, etc.) must have passed the applicable examination

• Language staff are hired from the roster at the entry level (P-2)

• No age limit other than the retirement age of 62

Language examination applicants must:• Hold at least a first-level university degree• Be able to interpret or translate from two languages into

main language• Interpreters: be graduates of a reputable interpretation

school and/or have practical experience of conference

interpretation• Translators, editors, etc.: persons with any background

(law, economics, etc.) are welcome

UN LANGUAGE EXAMINATIONS

UN INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME• Opportunity to familiarize yourself with the daily issues

of the United Nations

• Interns work in departments related to their field of study

• It is an unpaid full-time internship

Requirements:• Must be enrolled in graduate school• Must apply at least 4 months in advance of the start

of internship to the duty station of choice• Duration: 2 months (may be extended up to 6

months)• Starting dates are mid-January, June and mid-

September• http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/sds/internsh/

index.htm• http://jobs.un.org -> Internship

MAIN REASONS FOR WORKING AT THE UN• Opportunity to serve a good cause

• Opportunity to work in a multicultural environment and global organization

• Opportunity to serve in different locations

• Status and reputation of the United Nations

• Strong belief in the purpose of the United Nations

PUP Regent Corazon Alma G De Leon, former CSC Chair & DSWD Secretary served the ICSC from 1991 - 1995

Mario D. Yango, former CSC commissioner; 84 ICSC Member 1991 - 1995

Philippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 00:44:00 07/02/2009

MANILA, Philippines. Mario Yango, retired civil service commissioner and former Philippine representative to the International Civil Service Commission, died on June 29 at the Manila Doctors Hospital surrounded by his family. He was 84.

• He is survived by his wife, Pilar Benigno, (first wife, Edelmira Poblete died in 2002); daughter Cynthia Yango-Eugenio; sons Jaime and Mario Jr.; son-in-law Rene Eugenio and daughters-in-law Adora De Ramos and Levi Cello; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

A graduate of the Ateneo College of Law in 1952, Commissioner Yango started as a mere clerk, rose from the ranks through merit and retired as commissioner after 39 years of uninterrupted service. Yango was known and beloved for his hard work, efficiency, and most of all honesty.• Yango established standards and guidelines and chaired an interagency body to pass requirements for

exempting Civil Service positions from eligibility requirements. This was one way of avoiding unscrupulous politicians from skirting the eligibility requirement in appointing their protégés in government.

Upon his retirement from the Civil Service Commission in 1991, he was elected to the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), which is responsible for making recommendations to the General Assembly of the United Nations for the regulation of agencies that participate in the UN common system.

• Long after retirement from these capacities, Yango continued to help government employees with eligibility issues as well as securing employment in government offices. Untiring in all these endeavors, Yango often said that his job didn?t pay much but it was ennobling.

https://careers.un.org/lbw/Home.aspx (http://icsc.un.org/joblinks.aspICSC Secretariat in figures:

37 staff members at present

20 in the Professional and above cat.egories 17 in the General Service category

21 women (10 P & above, 11 GS) 16 men (10 P & above, 6 GS)

25 nationalities represented

The best way to find your self is to lose your self in the service of others.  Mahatma Gandhi 

References

Stoeckle keynote presentation, Berlin, Dec. 1-2, 2011http://icsc.un.org/http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/common.htm

A Framework for Human Resources Management International Civil Service Commission, 2001The New Book of Knowledge, Scholastic Library Publishing, Inc., 2007.

Thank you!

www.un.orghttp://jobs.un.org