Brown Bag Lunch Series Presentation of UNOG

Transcription

1 Brown Bag Lunch Series Presentation of UNOG Helen Kwon-Karaul Karaul, Staff Development Officer, OHRM Sophia E. Richter, Administrative Officer, DFS

2 Welcome to UNOG!

3 Overview About Geneva UNOG Common services at UNOG Conditions of Service Moving to Geneva Other Int l l Organizations and companies Reference Literature

4 Where we are in the heart of Europe

5 About Geneva Geneva is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zurich) and is the most populous city of Romandie (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). The city proper had a population of 186,825 and the metropolitan area had 769,000 residents. A 2007 survey by Mercer Consulting found Geneva to have the second-highest quality of life in the world (narrowly outranked by Zürich). Z It is surrounded by two mountain chains, the Alps and the Jura.

6 Languages

7 Facts and Figures About Geneva 40 % of residents in Geneva come from outside Switzerland There are 26 Cantons in Switzerland Geneva has the shortest commuting time of any major city in the word Dog droppings is annually listed as the top complaint of citizens in Geneva The World Wide Web was invented and developed in Geneva at CERN laboratories.

8 About Geneva Time Zone: : GMT/UTC +1 Telephone area code: : 041 Population: : 176,000 (2004) Health and Safety Geneva is a safe city with 1.99 violent crimes per 100,000 in Petty crimes such as pick-pocketing pocketing are common around the central train station, but common sense usually prevails. Top quality hospitals and clinics are available 24 hours throughout the city. Swiss medical facilities and health care are among the best in the world, but very expensive.

9 About Geneva Economy Geneva's economy is mainly services oriented. The city has an important and old finance sector,, which is specialized in private banking (managing assets of about 1 trillion USD) and financing of international trade.. It is also an important centre of commodity trade. Currency The currency in Switzerland is the Swiss Franc (CHF, SFr.). The Euro is also accepted at most businesses but expect to pay a premium rate. Most transactions in the city are conducted in cash and a surprising number of businesses and restaurants do not accept credit cards so be prepared. ATMs are widely available throughout the city.

10 About Geneva Climate Due to the tempering effects of the lake and surrounding mountains, ns, Geneva is pleasant almost year round. September and October are the rainiest months. January and February are the coldest but rarely drop below freezing. Summers are long with relatively low humidity and cool breezes from the lake. The Mont Blanc is visible from Geneva about half of the days out of the year. Electricity Electricity in Switzerland is 220 volts, 50 cycle AC. Most U.S. appliances require a converter and an adapter to operate, although some dual-voltage items such as laptops may only require an adapter. Some European appliances may also require an adaptor as Switzerland uses a 3-prong 3 outlet system.

11 About Geneva Transportation: Geneva is easily conquered on foot but there are a number of transportation options when you need it. Driving is not recommended in the city due to the limited and expensive nature of parking. Public transport consists of very dependable trams, buses and trolley buses b that service the city quickly and efficiently (from about 5am to midnight with a night bus service running on weekends). Driving in the city is not recommended as parking is very difficult. Accommodation: The shortage of accommodation has spread over all the Geneva region. Two principal reasons: the increase of the population and d the stagnation concerning the construction of new apartments and houses.

12 UNOG UNOG is the representative office of the Secretary-General at Geneva It is the largest duty station outside of UNHQ The Office provides financial and administrative support services to more than 20 Geneva-based organizations/departments. It provides conference services for UN Meetings held at Geneva, as well as for specialized agencies.

13 Organigramme of UNOG

14 Common Services at UNOG Human Resources Management Service Budget & Financial Management Service Information and Communication Technology Service (IT and telecommunications) Central Support Services (Security, transports and travels, grounds management) Relations with host country authorities regarding visa status of UN staff, duty-free privileges, security and protocol Conference servicing (over( 2,400 meetings with interpretation into the six official languages, printing and distribution of reports and documentation, etc.) Library and research facilities for the Secretariat and other users Information Service

15 Offices supported by UNOG

16 UN Secretariat Staff in Geneva 3286 Staff Members as of 14 June 2007 USG 5 ASG 4 D 81 P 1186 G 1674 Language Teachers 16 L 264 Revisers 24 Translators 32

17 Conditions of Service General Conditions: Gross salary (minus staff assessment) Post adjustment Pension entitlements Health and life insurance Annual and sick leave, maternity, paternity and adoption leave Individual Benefits and Allowances Dependency benefits Education grant and education grant travel (one/school year) Home Leave (every two year) Flexi-time and part-time time Language incentive (accelerated step) Rental subsidy Repatriation grant

18 Conditions of Service DSA: 366 CHF (321 USD) Post Adjustment: 74.7 % Rental Subsidy: Threshold percentages: 23% single, 21% dependent Reasonable Maximum Rent Levels for Geneva S/m alone S/m with 1 child S/m with 2 children S/m with 3 children S/m with 4 children 2200 CHF 3900 CHF 3900 CHF 4400 CHF 4900 CHF

19 Conditions of Service Education Grant Maximum amount admissible educational expenses and maximum grant for disabled children Maximum education grant Normal flat rate when boarding not provided Additional flat rate for boarding (at designated duty stations) Maximum grant for staff serving at designated duty stations Calculation for maximum admissible educational expenses (attendance only) New York (USD) 34,598 25,949 5,406 8,109 34,058 27,391 Geneva (CHF) 26,868 20,151 5,331 7,997 28,148 19,760

20 Moving to Geneva Travel for staff member, spouse and dependent children Full removal or lump sum option Assignment grant (30 days DSA, when no full removal: one-month salary lump sum and non- removal element)

21 Work Culture at UNOG Pace is slower, workload similar Working hours 08:30 05:30, an hour for lunch P5 and above diplomatic status Tax-free purchase of new car all Ps

22 Other International Agencies 8,500 staff work for the United Nations System and other international organizations across Geneva CEB CERN EFTA FAO IAEA IBE ICC ICRC ICSMA ICTY IFRC ILO IMF IOM IPU ISO ITC ITU JIU NGLS UNAIDS UNCC UNDCC UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination UNDP United Nations Development Programme European Organization for Nuclear Research UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural European Free Trade Association Organization Food and Agriculture Organization UNFPA United Nations Population Fund International Atomic Energy Agency UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements International Bureau of Education Programme International Computing Centre UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees International Committee of the Red Cross UNICEF United Nations Children s s Fund International Civil Servants Mutual Association UNIDIR United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research International Criminal Tribunal for the former UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Yugoslavia Organization International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent UNITAR United Nations Institute for Training & Research Societies UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services International Labour Organization UNRISD United Nations Research Institute for Social International Monetary Fund Development International Organization for Migration UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Inter-Parliamentary Union UNV United Nations Volunteers International Organization for Standardization WFP World food Programme International Trade Centre WHO World Health Organization International Telecommunication Union WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization Joint Inspection Unit WMO World Meteorological Organization UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service World Bank Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS WTO World Trade Organization United Nations Compensation Commission United Nations Development Cooperation Cycle

23 NGOs About 250 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have their seat in Geneva,, including: The Aga Khan Foundation The Airports Council International The Conference of European Churches (CEC) The International AIDS Society The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) The International Baccalaureate program The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) The International Road Transport Union (IRU) The International Union Against Cancer (UICC) Mandat International (MI) The International Committee of Committees (ICC) The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) The UN Watch The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) The World Council of Churches (WCC) The World Heart Federation (WHF) The World Economic Forum (WEF) The World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Wide Web Virtual Library The International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (also known as The Geneva Association) CARE International [1] Youth With A Mission (YWAM) The international board of directors for Médecins Sans Frontières res

24 Geneva private sector Geneva hosts the international headquarters of companies like JT International (JTI), Mediterranean Shipping Company, Serono, SITA, Société Générale de Surveillance and STMicroelectronics.. Many other multinational companies like Caterpillar, DuPont, Take Two Interactive, Electronic Arts, Hewlett-Packard Packard, INVISTA, Procter & Gamble and Sun Microsystems have their European headquarters in the city too. There is a long tradition of watchmaking (Baume et Mercier, Chopard, Franck Muller, Patek Philippe, Rolex, Raymond Weil, Omega,, etc.). Two major international producers of flavours and fragrances, Firmenich and Givaudan,, have their headquarters and main production facilities in Geneva.

25 More Information (UNOG Intranet) (Genève internationale) (City of Geneva) tourisme.ch/ (Geneva airport)

26 Reference Literature Living and Working in Switzerland : A Survival Handbook (by David Hampshire) Beyond Chocolate (by Margaret Oertig-Davidson)

27 See you soon!