Hundred and sixty-fourth Session REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL ON THE OPERATING COSTS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD SUMMARY

Transcription

1 ex United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Executive Board Hundred and sixty-fourth Session 164 EX/37 PARIS, 26 March 2002 Original: French/English Item 6.12 of the provisional agenda REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL ON THE OPERATING COSTS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD SUMMARY At its 162nd session, after examining document 162 EX/34* relating to the operating costs of the Executive Board and of the General Conference, the Board, in 162 EX/Decision 7.9, paragraph 6, subparagraph 2, invited the Director-General to provide it with the necessary information to enable it at its 164th session to take decisions in regard to the savings on travel expenses and subsistence allowances of the Members of the Executive Board as well as on the criteria and directives governing the travel arrangements of the Chairperson of the Executive Board and the administration and utilization of the funds made available to its Chairperson. This document is submitted to the Executive Board in accordance with 162 EX/Decision 7.9 mentioned above. * Annexed hereto. 1. At its 31st session, the General Conference allocated the Executive Board a total budget of 7,839,400 for Its breakdown by object of expenditure is as follows: Breakdown by object of expenditure Travel expenses and subsistence allowance of representatives Total of appropriations 2,181,700 Operating expenses 660,000 Language services and documentation 3,690,100 Staff costs 1,307,600

2 164 EX/37 page 2 Details A. Travel expenses and subsistence allowance of representatives: 2,181,700 (27.83% of total budget) (Rule 61 of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board) Object of expenditure Amount Travel to sessions of representatives not residing in Paris 360,000 Subsistence allowance during sessions for representatives not residing in Paris 1,100,000 Travel for consultations by representatives residing in Paris 281,700 Subsistence allowance during sessions for representatives residing in Paris 200,000 Information missions to UNESCO Offices by representatives 50,000 Other official travel on behalf of the Executive Board 50,000 Travel expenses and subsistence allowance for meetings of the Group of Experts on Financial and Administrative Matters (FA) (140 EX/Decision 7.1, para. 6) 140,000 B. Miscellaenous operating expenses: 660,000 (8.42% of total budget) Object of expenditure Representation allowance of the Chair (Rule 63 of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board) Insurance of representatives (Paragraph 4 of the Annex to the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board) Office expenses of 58 representatives (Rule 62 of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board) Amount 45,000 20,000 11,600 Hospitality (water, tea, coffee and pastries) 70,000 Flowers during the sessions 4,400 Temporary assistance 237,000 Overtime 170,000 Telephone and fax communications 12,000 Photocopies 52,000 Office equipment and supplies 12,000 Computer equipment 17,000 Other expenses (Chairperson s gavel, medals, publications) 9,000

3 164 EX/37 page 3 C. Language services and documentation: 3,690,100 (47.07% of total budget) Object of expenditure Amount Interpretation 1,500,310 Translation and composition 1,164,260 Documentation 484,480 Other contracts 60,000 Overtime 108,900 Equipment, supplies, hire charges 316,650 Training 7,000 Other costs 20,000 Microfilming 28,500 D. Staff costs: 1,307,600 (16.68% of total budget) Professional category and above (two posts) General Services category (five posts) Amount 1,307, The relevant rules on financial and administrative questions, contained in Section XII of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board entitled Financial and administrative arrangements, are reproduced below. XII. Financial and administrative arrangements Rule 61 Rule 62 Rule 63 Travel expenses and subsistence allowance The Organization shall pay for travel performed by the representatives of the Members of the Board in the execution of their duties as Members and shall provide them with a subsistence allowance, on the conditions defined in the annex to these Rules. Reimbursement of office expenses The Organization shall also reimburse to the representatives of the Members at their request secretariat and communication expenses incurred in the performance of their functions as Members, on the conditions defined in the annex to these Rules. Representation allowance A representation allowance, of an amount to be determined from time to time by the General Conference, on the proposal of the Board, shall be paid to the Chairman of the Executive Board, during his term of office as Chairman, on the conditions fixed by him.

4 164 EX/37 page 4 Rule 64 Rule 65 Restriction on other expenses and allowances and on remuneration The representatives and alternates appointed by Members of the Board shall not, during their term of office, accept from the Organization payment of any expenses or allowances other than those provided for in Rules 61, 62 and 63. They shall not receive any fees or remuneration from the Organization during their term of office. Restriction on appointment to Secretariat Representatives and alternates appointed by Members of the Board may not enter into a contractual relationship with the Secretariat until 18 months have elapsed from the date of cessation of their representative functions.

5 164 EX/37 Annex ANNEX REGULATIONS FOR PAYMENT OF TRAVEL EXPENSES, SUBSISTENCE ALLOWANCE AND OFFICE EXPENSES TO REPRESENTATIVES APPOINTED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 1 I. TRAVEL EXPENSES AND SUBSISTENCE ALLOWANCES The payment of travel expenses and the subsistence allowance provided for in Rule 61 of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board shall be subject to the following conditions: 1. Travel expenses payable by the Organization 1.1 Journeys (round trips) carried out in the execution of official duties: (a) By representatives appointed by the Members of the Executive Board (or subject to the provisions of paragraph 5 below, by their alternates), between their normal place of residence and the place of any meeting of the Board or of its subsidiary organs. (b) By representatives appointed by the Members of the Executive Board only, between the seat of their government or the capital city of their country and the place of any session of the Executive Board, on the understanding: (i) that the journeys referred to in this section shall take place after the receipt of the provisional agenda of any session of the Executive Board; (ii) that those journeys shall not exceed the number of regular or special sessions held each year; and (iii) that paragraph of the present annex regarding the subsistence allowance shall not apply to such cases. 1.2 Travel of a representative appointed by the Member, or of any other person specially appointed by the Board, to perform a mission on behalf of the Board, within the terms of a specific decision of the Board. 2. Route, mode and class of travel 2.1 The amount of transportation costs payable shall be: (a) By air: standard business class for the representatives of States Members of the Board and first class for the Chairperson; (b) By rail: first class, with sleeper; (c) By sea: minimum first-class accommodation on the ship travelled in; or the actual fare by direct route, whichever is less. 2.2 However, the sum payable for rail or sea travel shall in no way exceed the cost of travel by air as specified in paragraph 2.1(a) above. 2.3 Costs resulting from delays (other than those for which the traveller is not responsible), indirect route or travel originating or terminating elsewhere than the traveller s normal place of residence shall not be payable. 2.4 If a private car is used for travel, transportation costs shall be payable at the rate per kilometre of direct route applied by the Organization, but not exceeding the costs of standard first class or business class air travel as specified in paragraph 2.1(a) above; no transportation costs shall be payable in respect of other persons travelling in the same car. 1 See 32 EX/Decision 6; 33 EX/Decision 7.1; 42 EX/Decision 6.1; 55 EX/Decision 6.10; 56 EX/Decision 11.2; 66 EX/Decision 8.9; 87 EX/Decision 7.4; 94 EX/Decision 5.1 (Second Part, Part I, Chapter 2); 99 EX/Decision 9.9; 129 EX/Decision 7.6; 135 EX/Decision 8.1; 146 EX/Decision

6 164 EX/37 Annex page Whenever possible, tickets and reservations shall be obtained through UNESCO; when this is not done, the authorized costs may be reimbursed to the traveller in the currency in which expenditure was made or in French francs. 3. Subsistence allowance 3.1 A subsistence allowance shall be payable: During travel, for each day spent in travel the costs of which are paid by the Organization; During meetings of the Board or of its subsidiary organs, for each day throughout the period of meetings spent in the locality in which the meetings are held, including, when meetings are held immediately before, during or immediately after sessions of the General Conference, each day covered by the whole period of meetings of the Board and the Conference; however, representatives appointed by the Members or alternates attending meetings in the locality in which they normally reside (i.e. when no travel or only urban travel is involved) shall receive a subsistence allowance only in respect of days on which they attend meetings; During missions, for each day required for the performance of this mission and spent elsewhere than in the locality in which the representative appointed by the Member normally resides. 3.2 When the interval between two sessions is not sufficient to enable a representative appointed by the Member to return conveniently to his normal place of residence he may receive, at his request, instead of the payment of the round trip to his place of residence, a daily subsistence allowance equivalent to 75 per cent of the daily subsistence allowance granted during sessions for the period between the close of one session and the opening of the next, provided that the amount so to be provided by the Organization shall not exceed the cost of a round trip between the place of meeting and the representative appointed by the Member s normal place of residence. 3.3 The rates payable to representatives appointed by the Members of the Board shall be those applicable to the Director-General. 3.4 When representatives appointed by the Members or alternates attend meetings in the locality in which they normally reside (i.e. when only urban travel is involved) half the applicable rate shall be paid. 3.5 The subsistence allowance for days spent in travel may be paid either in the currency of the country or final destination or, in case of travel to attend meetings, in the currency of the country in which the meeting is held. The subsistence allowance for the period of meetings shall be paid in the currency of the country in which the meetings are held. At the request of the Board Members or their alternates, up to one third of the subsistence allowance may be paid in another currency. 3.6 The subsistence allowance shall not be deemed to cover the following expenses which shall be reimbursable to the traveller upon request: Passports or visas required for travel the costs of which are paid by the Organization; Excess baggage, if the excess is certified to consist of documents or equipment necessary for business in connection with the Board; Baggage insurance premiums, subject to a maximum insured amount of 1,000; Taxi fares from place of residence or business to station, port or airport and vice versa or between two transportation termini if a necessary part of travel; Representation expenses incurred during a mission covered by paragraph 1.2.

7 164 EX/37 Annex page 3 4. Insurance 4.1 The Organization shall take out an accident insurance policy for the duration of each session, including travel to and from the place of meeting, for a capital sum of 125,000, for each of the representatives appointed by the Board Members during each session of the Board, or his alternate when he replaces the representative appointed by the Member for an entire session. This insurance shall cover the following risks: death and permanent, total or partial disablement resulting from an accident to the person insured occurring at any time during each session of the Board, including accidents during both journeys between the place of residence and the place in which the meeting is held Representatives appointed by the Board Members shall also be covered by a health insurance policy providing for the payment of medical expenses (hospitalization, consultations, pharmaceutical expenses) incurred during their stay in the place of meeting of the Board or the General Conference. These expenses shall be reimbursable at the rate of 100 per cent up to a ceiling of 12,500 per Member insured and per session. Chronic or pre-existing illness, as well as optical and dental expenses, are excluded from this scheme Alternates 5.1 When a representative appointed by the Member is absent and is represented by one or more alternates at certain meetings of a session or of a group of meetings, a subsistence allowance shall be payable to one alternate only in respect of days on which he represents the Member at meetings. 5.2 When an alternate or alternates attend a session or group of meetings, transportation costs shall be payable for one alternate only, and provided that the representative appointed by the Member renounces, for that session or group of meetings, any travel entitlement he may have under subparagraph 1.1 (a) and (b). 6. New members Representatives appointed by the Members newly elected to the Board shall be eligible to receive a subsistence allowance in respect of any meetings held immediately after the close of the session of the General Conference at which they are elected, but their transportation expenses on this occasion shall not be payable by the Organization. 7. General conditions 7.1 Any exchange calculations involved in the application of these regulations shall be based on the official rates available to UNESCO on the day on which the transactions is effected. 7.2 Any payment made under these regulations shall be subject to the implicit undertaking by the representative appointed by the Member that payment for the same purpose has not been received from any other source. 7.3 Any question concerning the interpretation of these regulations shall be submitted to the Chairman of the Board who shall consult the Board if necessary. 2 3 See 66 EX/Decision 8.9. See 87 EX/Decision 7.4; 94 EX/Decision 5.1 (Second Part, Part I, Chapter 2); 99 EX/Decision 9.9.

8 164 EX/37 Annex page 4 II. REIMBURSEMENT OF OFFICE EXPENSES The reimbursement of office expenses provided for in Rule 62 of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board shall be subject to the following conditions: 1. Expenses in the following categories shall be eligible for reimbursement: secretarial expenses; stationery; cable, postage and telephone charges. 2. Reimbursement shall be made annually on the basis of statements presented by the representative appointed by the Member, accompanied whenever possible by full documentation substantiating the request. 3. Reimbursement shall be made in the currency in which the expenditure was incurred or in French francs. 4. The amount to be reimbursed to any representative appointed by the Member shall not exceed 100 in any year.

9 ANNEX ex United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Executive Board Hundred and sixty-second Session 162 EX/34 PARIS, 21 September 2001 Original: French/English Item 7.9 of the provisional agenda OPERATING COSTS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD AND OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE SUMMARY This document has been prepared in accordance with 161 EX/Decision 4.2(b), paragraph 11. It consists of two parts: the first part concerns the operating costs of the Executive Board and the second part concerns the operating costs of the General Conference.

10 162 EX/34 page 2 I. OPERATING COSTS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 1. The Executive Board of UNESCO consists of 58 Member States. The President of the General Conference sits ex officio in an advisory capacity on the Executive Board (Constitution, Art.V.A.1(a)). 2. The Executive Board of UNESCO normally holds two sessions a year. It holds three sessions in years when the General Conference meets. For the purpose of calculating the subsistence allowances to be paid to the representatives of the Members of the Board not residing in Paris, in accordance with Rule 61 of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board, the number of days of each session, taking account of days spent in travel, weekends, public holidays and the fact that the representatives are remunerated during the session of the General Conference, is as follows: th session: 150th session: th session: 155th session: 20 days 25 days 20 days 28 days st session: 152nd session: 153rd session: 156th session: th session: 158th session: 25 days 47 days 2 days 27 days 51 days 3 days 159th session: 18 days 161st session: 24 days th session: 27 days nd session: 44 days (estimate) 3. The General Conference of UNESCO allocated the Executive Board budgets of 8,538,900 for 1996/1997, 8,403,000 for 1998/1999, 7,614,900 for 2000/ / / /2001 Language services and documentation 4,182,100 4,142,100 3,690,100 Travel expenses (including consultations, visits to regional offices and official travel for the Executive Board), subsistence allowances of representatives of the Members of the Executive Board (including working groups and office expenses) 2,998,600 2,853,700 2,327,700 Representation allowance of the Chair, representatives insurance, hospitality expenditures (tea, coffee, pastries, mineral water), office supplies, computer equipment, photocopies, telephone communications, temporary assistance (room clerks), overtime (General Service staff) 319, , ,000 Staff costs (2 Professional and 5 General Service staff) 1,038,900 1,071,200 1,083,100 8,538,900 8,403,000 7,614,900

11 162 EX/34 page 3 4. Apart from these staff members assigned to the Board on a full-time basis, other staff members are detached to assist the commissions and committees during the sessions. Many staff members work on the preparation of the documents submitted to the Board. Travel expenses of representatives 5. The Organization meets the travel expenses of the representatives of the Members of the Board incurred in the execution of their duties (Rule 61 of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board), that is to say, their return travel between their normal place of residence and the place where the Executive Board meets (Paris) or, in the case of representatives residing in Paris, between Paris and their respective capitals before or after the sessions of the Board (consultations). A certain number of representatives residing in Paris do not exercise their right to such travel. Travel expenses of representatives of the Member States of the Executive Board for the purpose of obtaining information about the operation of the regional offices and field projects, particularly in the region to which they belong, and other official travel on behalf of the Executive Board are also met. 6. The cost of air travel is covered in standard business class for representatives of Board Members and in first-class for the Chairperson of the Board and the President of the General Conference (Annex to the Rules, paragraph 2). Purchase/reimbursement of tickets 7. Travel expenses are paid to representatives of the Members of the Board personally; they may either obtain their tickets through UNESCO or purchase them themselves and request reimbursement. Subsistence allowances paid to representatives 8. The Organization pays subsistence allowances to representatives of the States Members of the Executive Board for the purpose of their participation in Board meetings. For representatives residing anywhere other than in Paris, the rate for the daily subsistence allowance is the rate applicable to the Director-General (Annex to the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board, paragraph 3.3), that is to say, the United Nations daily rate fixed by the International Civil Service Commission on a monthly basis, increased by 40% and 5. Representatives residing in Paris receive half this rate for the days during which they attend meetings. Certain representatives residing in Paris waive their right to the subsistence allowance. Reimbursement of office expenses 9. Rule 62 of the Rules of Procedure provides that UNESCO shall reimburse to the representatives of Board Members at their request secretariat and communication expenses incurred in the performance of their functions, up to an amount of 100 per annum, on the conditions for the reimbursement of office expenses defined in Part II of the Annex to the Rules, which specifies: The following expenses may be reimbursed: secretariat services, office supplies, cable, postage and telephone charges. The reimbursement of these expenses is made annually on the basis of statements presented by the appointed representative, accompanied whenever possible by documentation.

12 162 EX/34 page 4 Reimbursement is made in the currency in which the expenditure was incurred or in French francs. The amount to be reimbursed to any representative appointed by a Board Member may not exceed 100 in any year. 10. In actual fact, very few representatives request such reimbursements. The 5,800 annual budget provision is used to cover the cost of foreign telephone calls made by representatives during the sessions. 11. Comparative information concerning the practices of other specialized agencies of the United Nations system, including the status of the members of their executive body, is given in Annex I. II. OPERATING COSTS OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE 12. The General Conference meets every two years. The length of its sessions has been considerably reduced over the years, from 27 working days (32 calendar days) in 1987 to 18 working days (23 calendar days) in In view of the reduction in its allocation, proposals for changes were made to the Executive Board at its 160th session. The Board approved these proposals in 160 EX/Decision 6.1.1/6.1.2, with the result that the 31st session of the General Conference (October-November 2001) will be reduced to 18 working days (20 calendar days). With regard to the 32nd session (2003) the same period was used as the basis for the budget proposals in Part I of the Draft Programme and Budget for (31 C/5). 13. The allocation in document 30 C/5 (Approved) for the General Conference amounted to 6,153,700, divided up under four headings: personnel costs, external audit fees, interpretation, translation and documentation services of the General Conference, and other costs relating to the functioning of the Conference. The table below shows the changes in these allocations from the 29th to the 31st sessions: 29th session (1997) 30th session (1999) 31st session (2001) Personnel costs 260, , ,500 External audit 567, , ,800 Interpretation, translation, documentation 6,474,000 6,329,400 4,837,100 Other costs 55,000 65,000 57,300 Total 7,356,300 7,596,800 6,153, The personnel costs cover three posts financed from the regular budget. To that figure must be added extrabudgetary funds amounting to 101,000 ( ) for the financing of one GS post. The provision for external audit is also supplemented by extrabudgetary funds amounting to 103,200, earmarked for the audit of extrabudgetary programmes other than those financed by UNDP. The other costs heading covers the operating costs and travel expenses of the President of the General Conference and the operating costs of the Secretariat of the General Conference.

13 162 EX/34 page The Rules of Procedure of the General Conference do not provide that the Organization should cover the travel and subsistence expenses of the delegates of the Member States during sessions. Nevertheless, since 1986, countries experiencing difficulties, particularly the least developed countries, may request the Organization to cover the round trip (economy class) of one member of their delegation. At the 30th session, 72 States made use of this facility, which represented a cost of 93,400. Information on the practice of other international organizations in this regard may be found in Annex II. 16. Occasionally, certain specific expenses must be covered by the budget of the General Conference. This includes the working groups which it sometimes decides to establish between two sessions. Whereas the Working Group on the Structure and Function of the General Conference ( ) was largely financed from voluntary contributions (95,000 out of a total cost of 126,500), the group established in to consider the situation of Member States with arrears of contributions was financed with General Conference funds (86,000) as was the group set up in 1999 to consider the Rules of Procedure of the General Conference (35,000). 17. At its 30th session the General Conference amended its Rules of Procedure to enable its Legal Committee to meet between two sessions if convened by the President of the [General Conference] acting on his own initiative or at the request of the Executive Board. The Legal Committee took the view that resources should be set aside so as to ensure the participation of States in the meetings of the Committee and that it would be for the deliberative bodies of the Organization to assess the budgetary implications of that situation. No decision has been taken on that subject, however, either by the General Conference or by the Executive Board. In view of this, when the President of the General Conference convened the Committee in November 2000, she informed the States Members of the Committee that those who belonged to the least developed countries could request the Organization to cover the cost of one round trip (economy class). Six States approached the Secretariat on that basis, incurring a total cost of 11,300.

14 162 EX/34 Annex I ANNEX I COMPARATIVE INFORMATION ON UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES PRACTICES ( ) Agency ILO (Geneva) 175 members ITU (Geneva) 189 members UPU (Berne) 189 members WHO (Geneva) 191 members WMO (Geneva) 185 members IAEA (Vienna) 132 members UNIDO (Vienna) 168 members IFAD (Rome) 161 members ICAO (Montreal) 185 members IMO (London) 158 members FAO (Rome) 181 members Executive body Governing body (56 members) (28 govt., 14 employers, 14 workers) Council (46 Member States) Council of Administration (41 Member States) Executive Board (32 Member States) Executive Council (36 members individual capacity) Board of Governors (35 Member States) Industrial Development Board (53 Member States) Executive Board (18 Member States) Council (33 Member States) Council (32 Member States) Council (49 Member States) Frequency and duration of meetings 3 times per year; Total 55 days per biennium Once a year: 8 working days Once a year: 7-10 working days 8 working days in even years; 10 working days in odd (budget) years Once a year; 11 working days Cost of meetings 3,729,458 For biennium Travel paid and class Employer and worker members: full economy, business if over 5 hours Per diem paid and rate Employer and worker members: standard rate plus 40% plus 3 rounded 625,550 Business Standard rate plus 40% plus 3 400,000 per year Chairman: business, Members: economy 2,911,201 (Financial Report : costs of EB meetings at 5,822,402) Five times a year 2,500,000 (Services for policy-making organs) 3 times per biennium; 3 working days per session Three times a year; 2 working days per session and one day of subcommittee meetings 3 sessions per year; 43 meetings in 1999 Twice a year: 5 working days per session Once a year, three times in a conference year, 16 days in Chairman: first Members: economy 514,962 Members: travel (economy) or per diem. Both for LDCs upon request 1,481,100 (approved budget estimates for biennium) 1,154,000 (including staff costs) per year 880,135 (including staff costs) (1999) Chairman only: standard rate plus 40% Standard rate plus 40% Members: per diem (standard rate) or travel. Both for LDCs upon request Number of staff assigned full time 2 Professionals 1 General Service None 1 Professional 3 General Service (some part time) 5 staff members None No travel paid No per diem paid 3 Professionals 3 General Service No travel paid Executive Directors of members and alternate members upon request business class No per diem paid Standard rate plus 15% 8 Professionals 11 General Service (also responsible for meetings of other governing bodies) No travel paid No per diem paid 2 Professionals 3 General Service 127,700 No travel paid No per diem paid None 3,315,000 per year Economy, business if over 9 hours No per diem paid 10 Professionals

15 162 EX/34 Annex II ANNEX II COMPARATIVE INFORMATION ON UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES PRACTICES Assembly Frequency and duration of meetings Travel paid and class Per diem paid Total budget 1 US United Nations General Assembly Main part : 3 months (in session all year long) For the main part (mid- September to mid-december) one return trip in first-class and 4 return trips in business class for each LDC None ( ) 2.24 million (President of the Assembly, delegates travel) ILO International Labour Conference (175 members) Once a year (17 calendar days) None None ( ) 10,040,507 (staff; travel; contractual services; general operating expenses; supplies, etc.) FAO Conference (181 members) Every two years (9 working days) Return trip for one member of the delegation of each Member State of the Council (49 members) (class not specified) None ( ) 6,630,000 (breakdown not specified) WHO World Heath Assembly (191 members) Once a year (5-7 working days) Return trip for one member of the delegation of each LDC (economy class) None ( ) 18,136,000 for the governing bodies (staff, language and documents service) 1 The figures obtained by the Secretariat do not cover the same costs from one organization to the other.