Amended – June 2016
PREAMBLE
The staff unions, associations and other staff representative bodies of the United Nations System,
Committed to developing an atmosphere of constructive co-operation,
Concerned with the need to provide for equitable and effective representation of the
staff in those bodies at all levels,
Wishing to promote and safeguard the rights, interests and welfare of all Members
based on the principles and rights enshrined in international human rights and labour
standards promulgated by the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies.
Having agreed to create a mechanism to facilitate consultation and to promote the
common interests of all international civil servants,
Decide to establish a Coordinating Committee for International Staff Unions and
Associations of the United Nations System, hereafter referred to as CCISUA, with the
following terms of reference.
OBJECTIVES
1. To promote the common interest of international civil servants of all
categories whose staff unions and associations are members of CCISUA.
2. To provide a means for staff representative bodies with common concerns
to consult with one another both formally and informally with a view to
reaching consensus on issues affecting conditions of service and staff
safety, security and welfare.
3. To allow those staff unions, associations and other staff representative
bodies of the system to address advisory and decision-making bodies with
a united voice and in particular to participate in the activities and the work
of the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, the International Civil
Service Commission (ICSC), and any other common system bodies,
executive or advisory.
4. To assist each other in finding solutions to common problems and in
monitoring the implementation of decisions affecting the staff both at
Headquarters and non-Headquarters duty stations.
5. To cooperate with other staff groupings with a view to formally arriving to
common positions on matters affecting conditions of service and staff
welfare.
6. To adhere to the spirit of solidarity and support for each member whenever
needed.
7. To maintain and develop relationships with other international and
national staff unions, associations, Federations and NGOs
8. To promote and safeguard the rights, interests and welfare of all Members
based on the principles and rights enshrined in international human rights
and labour standards promulgated by the United Nations and its
Specialized Agencies.
9. To contribute to the promotion of the objectives of the Charter of the
United Nations and the Constitutions of the Specialized Agencies.
MEMBERSHIP
10. Membership shall be open to all staff unions, associations and other staff
representative bodies of the common system, which are represented by
officers duly elected by the staff and officially recognized by CCISUA as a
staff representative body to speak on their behalf (footnote 1).
(footnote 1: A list of the current membership of CCISUA is provided in Annex I to the present Statutes. This membership list shall be kept updated by the CCISUA Bureau.)
11. Participation by any CCISUA member in any other staff grouping shall be
possible, provided that their objectives are not inconsistent with the
principles and Statutes of CCISUA.
12. Membership in CCISUA shall be subject to written acceptance of these
Statutes by the executive head of the staff union or association seeking to
be admitted. Application shall be made to the President of CCISUA, who
shall communicate the request to the membership of CCISUA for
approval.
13. Members wishing to withdraw from the Committee shall give notice in
writing to the President of CCISUA. Withdrawal shall become effective
two calendar months after notice has been received during which period
the withdrawing Member shall settle all outstanding financial and other
obligations to the Committee. The President of CCISUA shall inform all
Members of any such notice of withdrawal.
ORGANIZATION
A. GENERAL ASSEMBLY
14. The General Assembly shall be constituted of staff unions, associations
and other staff representative bodies of the common system, which are
represented by officers duly elected by the staff and officially recognized
by CCISUA as a staff representative body to speak on behalf of CCISUA.
15. As a general rule, general assemblies of CCISUA will be held at least
annually. Such meetings will be held preferably before meetings of the
Staff-Management Coordinating Committee or the ICSC. The meeting
locations will be decided by the CCISUA membership during plenary or
by the CCISUA membership via email vote.
16. Extraordinary meetings may be convened by decision of the Bureau or at
the written request of the majority of members of CCISUA. The official,
written request shall be addressed to the President of CCISUA. The date of
the meeting shall be set within a month following confirmed receipt of the
request.
17. A draft agenda shall be submitted to the participants of general assemblies
and shall include statutory items consisting of the election of officers, a
financial statement, a provisional agenda and the report of the President.
18. A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the CCISUA membership.
To the greatest extent possible, CCISUA will arrive at its decisions
through consensus. Where voting is required, the principle of one
association one vote will prevail. In order for a decision to be binding, it
must be passed by a simple majority of the members present and voting.
B. BUREAU
19. The Bureau shall consist of a President, Vice President for Conditions of Service,
Vice President for Outreach and Advocacy, Vice President for Safety, Security and
Field Operations, a General Secretary and an ex officio Treasurer, who shall be
appointed by consensus of the CCISUA membership, If no consensus then the Bureau
shall be elected by a majority vote after an open nomination process and first and
second motions by CCISUA members. While holding office, the Bureau is fully
accountable to the membership of CCISUA.
20. Bureau elections shall take place at the time of the annual General Assembly.
Members of the Bureau shall be appointed / elected for a one-year term. No two
Bureau Members shall be elected from the same staff union or association. Once a
Bureau Member has been nominated and elected, no more nominations from the same
staff union or association will be entertained for any other Bureau positions.
Nominations and elections shall proceed from the office of the President through the
list of other officers in the order outlined in paragraph 19, above.
RESPONSIBILITIES of the Bureau Officers
1. The President shall be the principal spokesperson for CCISUA,
responsible for the coordination of the positions among the members and
for maintaining official communications with and addressing common
system bodies such as the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, the
International Civil Service Commission and any other common system
bodies, executive or advisory, but may delegate representational activities
to a Vice-President or other Bureau member as appropriate.
2. The President shall designate a Vice-President as alternate on any issue as
required.
3. Should the President resign or become unable to serve, all the Membership
shall be consulted on the temporary designation of one of the Vice-
Presidents to serve as President, ad interim. The General Secretary shall
undertake an electronic vote within 30 days to select the Vice-President to
serve the remainder of the Bureau’s term as President.
4. The office of President shall be assumed temporarily by the General
Secretary should the President or aVice-President be unable to carry out
the function, until another election shall be held by the CCISUA
membership to fill any vacant position(s). Elections via electronic vote
shall be completed within 45 days.
5. The General Secretary shall:
a. Convene and attend all meetings of the CCISUA Bureau and CCISUA
General Assembly
b. Ensure that the minutes of the CCISUA Bureau and report of the
CCISUA General Assembly are recorded and distributed to the
CCISUA membership in a proper manner no more than four weeks
after each meeting
c. Ensure that the CCISUA communication records, including the
CCISUA website, are updated and properly maintained
d. Ensure that there is effective communication with CCISUA members
and affiliates on the affairs of CCISUA and the wider staff
representative movement
e. Ensure that appropriate publicity activities are developed and delivered
by CCISUA
f. When required, act as spokesperson on behalf of the CCISUA
Federation
REMOVAL OF OFFICERS
6. Any member of the Bureau who ceases to enjoy the confidence of the
members of CCISUA may be removed from office in accordance with the
following procedure.
a. A reasoned proposal for removal of a member of the Bureau may be
submitted by any three voting members of CCISUA through
circulating a joint proposal directly, by facsimile or other verifiable
means, to all other CCISUA members;
b. A proposal for removal of a member of the Bureau shall be accepted if,
within fifteen (15) days of the date of its submission, two thirds of the
CCISUA membership have notified the authors of the proposal and the
members of the Bureau of their agreement with the removal of the
member or members of the Bureau concerned;
c. A notification of agreement to the removal of a member of the Bureau
which is subject to any condition shall be regarded as null and void.
C. SECRETARIAT
7. The CCISUA secretariat is called upon to provide research and technical
support on matters affecting conditions of service and staff welfare; by
undertaking research and analysis on issues of concern to staff in the
common system; by expediting communications among members by
disseminating information and facilitating the exchange of views and
publicising the activities of CCISUA.
8. The secretariat shall maintain offices at a location to be determined by the
General Assembly. The CCISUA Bureau will supervise the secretariat
staff. The secretariat shall carry out the collection and analysis of
information, undertake the preparation of background, discussion and
conference papers on topics relevant to various personnel bodies such as
the Fifth Committee, the International Civil Service Commission and any
other common system bodies, executive or advisory. The secretariat shall
also coordinate the routine collection and distribution of documentation to
CCISUA members; supply information, provide research and draft
summaries, briefs, and other papers as needed; draft correspondence and
newsletters and public relations material; act as secretary to annual
meetings; and perform other ad hoc assignments.
FINANCES
9. The Fiscal Year shall be a 12-month period beginning 1 January and
ending 31 December.
10. The Finance Committee consists of three members designated by the
General Assembly on a yearly basis (footnote 2).
(footnote 2: The terms of reference of the Finance Committee are provided in Annex II to the present Statutes.)
11. The membership of the Finance Committee shall comprise, in addition to
the Treasurer, three members from different duty stations. Members of the
Bureau and the Procurement Committee shall not be members of the
Finance Committee. Members should be familiar with accounting
principles and procedures.
12. The Procurement Committee consists of three members designated by the
General Assembly on a yearly basis (footnote 3).
(footnote 3: The terms of reference of the Finance Committee are provided in Annex III to the present Statutes.)
13. The membership of the Procurement Committee shall comprise three
members from different duty stations. Members of the Bureau, the
Treasurer and members of the Finance Committee shall not be members
of the Procurement Committee. Members should be familiar with United
Nations procurement guidelines and procedures.
14. A Member in arrears of contributions by the opening date of the regular
session of the Assembly shall not be entitled to vote or sponsor candidates
for election at that session and as long as a sum totalling more than one
year’s contribution remains outstanding.
15. The President shall indicate at the regular session of the Assembly which,
if any, of the Members fall under of Article 14. The Member(s) cited shall
justify why the dues remain unpaid and may request waiving of Article 14.
Should the Assembly vote not to waive the provisions of Article 14, the
Member(s) in arrears will be automatically suspended.
16. The CCISUA budget shall be financed by assessed contribution in United
States dollars based on a mutually agreed formula at the CCISUA annual
General Assembly. Every CCISUA member may increase their
contribution beyond the minimum required contribution, to be expressed
during the pledging item of the CCISUA annual general meeting.
17. Each union and association member of CCISUA shall pay its assessed
contribution into the central CCISUA account within three months of the
General Assembly. The Treasurer shall circulate details of the CCISUA
account within two weeks following the General Assembly, to facilitate
the deposit of contributions.
18. The central CCISUA account shall be maintained by the Treasurer.
19. The schedule for payment of the contributions will be established on an
annual basis.
20. Every effort shall be made to forward contributions to the Central Account
no later than 31 July of each year.
21. Contributions for new members shall be payable within ninety (90) days
after approval of membership.
EXPENDITURES:
22. With the exception of travel related expenses, expenditures shall be made
in line with the budget and authorized as follows:
a. Amounts that exceed $10,000 either in respect of a single
transaction or in respect of multiple transactions where the
same vendor or service provider is utilized over a 12-month
period must have approval of the CCISUA membership.
b. Amounts between $200 and $10,000 must have approval of the
Bureau.
c. Amounts expended on behalf of the Federation up to $200 shall
be reimbursed by the Treasurer upon submission of receipts
and justification subject to the provisions of article 28.
23. The Bureau will keep travel expenses and subsistence to a minimum by
allocating responsibilities for CCISUA representation at various meetings
based on an estimated amount for each meeting taking into consideration
the annual budget.
24. All Requests for disbursement of funds or Cost plans for travel must be
signed jointly by the President and one of the Vice-Presidents or, in the
absence of the President, by any other member of the Bureau.
25. Full payment shall be provided for the members of CCISUA, while
undertaking representational activities on behalf of CCISUA.
26. The travel of the Treasurer and his/her participation in any Bureau
activities shall be authorized according to paragraph 21 above and
approved by the Bureau.
27. Disbursements of funds from the central account shall be approved by the
President and one of the Vice-Presidents or, in the absence of the
President, by another Vice-President. The approval shall be done in
writing or by other electronic means. These two officials shall authorize
the disbursement of funds as long as they do not exceed the established
budget. No authorized signatory shall sign a payment that is for
reimbursement of their personal expenditure on behalf of the Federation.
These two officials shall authorize the disbursement of funds as long as
they do not exceed the established budget. In case of exhaustion of a
budget line, the “miscellaneous funds” can be used, if necessary. In the
event of exhaustion of the miscellaneous budget line and another budget
line, the Treasurer shall seek approval from the full membership of the
Finance Committee for the reallocation of funds.
28. After approval, all invoices and bills shall be sent to the Treasurer for
payment.
29. All disbursements from CCISUA accounts must carry the signature of the
President or one of the Vice-Presidents and that of the Treasurer.
30. The Treasurer shall submit his/her financial report for the previous fiscal
year to the full membership one month before the annual General
Assembly, The Finance Committee, in cooperation with the Treasurer,
shall prepare the budget for presentation, through the Bureau, to the annual
General Assembly.
31. Any balance left in the central CCISUA account at the end of the budget
year shall be placed in a special Reserve Account, the use of which shall
be determined by the membership.
32. A professional and independent audit of the accounts and books of
CCISUA and of the Treasurer covering the previous fiscal year shall be
conducted annually. The audit shall be included with the financial report
for submission to the annual General Assembly.
PROCUREMENT:
33. In respect of the procurement of goods or services, excluding travel
expenses, that exceed $5,000, either in respect of a single transaction or in
respect of multiple transactions where the same vendor or service provider
is utilized over a 12-month period, the Procurement Committee shall
conduct a procurement process. Quotes shall be solicited from at least
three vendors or service providers for comparison.
34. A reasoned recommendation on selection shall be made by the
Procurement Committee based on the best value-for-money principle as
defined in the UN Procurement Manual. If three vendors or service providers
cannot be identified, the Procurement Committee shall submit a
recommendation based on those it could identify, together with a justification
for the limited number of comparators.
35. For amounts between $5,000 and $10,000, the recommendation of the
Procurement Committee shall be delivered by email to the Bureau members
for their decision. In the event the Bureau does not follow the
recommendation of the Procurement Committee, the Bureau shall provide
such recommendation with full justification of its decision to the CCISUA
members.
36. For amounts over $10,000, the recommendation of the Procurement
Committee shall be delivered by email to all CCISUA members for decision
to be taken by simple majority within five working days. In the event
members do not respond within the deadline, their vote shall be counted in
favor of the Procurement Committee’s recommendation. The results of the
vote shall be communicated to all CCISUA members and the Bureau by the
Procurement Committee.
AMENDMENT
The present Statutes can be reconsidered for amendment upon request from at least
one member of CCISUA. The text of any proposed amendment shall be submitted at
least five weeks prior to the annual General Assembly and thereafter immediately be
distributed to the membership, who shall comment no later than one week (7 days)
prior to the General Assembly. All amendments to which there is no objection shall
apply as of the next General Assembly. Any amendments to which an objection is
raised shall be discussed at the General Assembly meeting. Amendments must be
adopted by a two-thirds majority of the representatives present at the General
Assembly. Amendments shall be considered as the second item of the agenda (after
the report from the President) and shall become effective immediately unless such
amendments are rejected in writing by a two-thirds majority of the CCISUA
membership.
ANNEX I – CCISUA MEMBERS
ECA Staff Union
ECLAC Staff Council
ESCAP Staff Council
ESCWA Staff Council
International Criminal Court Staff Union
Staff Union of the International Labour Organization
Staff Union of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization
UNHCR Staff Council
UNICEF Global Staff Association
United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Staff Union
United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda Staff Association
United Nations Nairobi Staff Union
United Nations Office at Geneva – Staff Coordinating Council
United Nations Staff Union – New York
United Nations Staff Union – Vienna
UNU Staff Council
World Food Programme Professional Staff Association
ANNEX II – FINANCE COMMITTEE TERMS OF REFERENCE
The CCISUA General Assembly, at its seventh session, approved the establishment of
a Finance Committee that shall consist of three CCISUA members. The Finance
Committee shall be appointed at the Annual General Assembly.
The Finance Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure and shall nominate
a Chair from amongst its members.
This Committee shall be responsible for:
a. The monitoring of all the financial activities of CCISUA;
b. Ensuring the quarterly financial reports are submitted by the Treasurer of
CCISUA;
c. Advising the CCISUA Bureau on all financial matters, which in its opinion
will need immediate attention by the Bureau;
d. Ensuring that the annual audit is conducted and a report prepared for
submission to the CCISUA Assembly;
e. Ensuring that the budget is prepared for submission to the CCISUA Assembly.
ANNEX III – PROCUREMENT COMMITTEE TERMS OF REFERENCE
The CCISUA General Assembly, at its thirty-first session, approved the
establishment of a Procurement Committee that shall consist of three CCISUA
members. The Procurement Committee shall be appointed at the Annual
General Assembly.
The Procurement Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure and
shall nominate a Chair from amongst its members.
This Committee shall be responsible for conducting procurement processes
upon the request of and within a reasonable deadline set by the Bureau.
The request shall include a comprehensive description of the goods or services
required and evaluation criteria, as well as a timeline for their delivery.
The Bureau shall nominate one its members for each request to act as observer
and provide technical advice and guidance to the Procurement Committee.
The Committee shall strive to reach its decision by consensus. In the event a
consensus cannot be reached, the decision will be taken by majority. The
observer is a not a member of the Committee and has no voting rights.
The Procurement Committee members shall conduct this process as
expeditiously as possible and shall keep the Bureau informed of their progress.
ANNEX IV – CCISUA BUREAU TERMS OF REFERENCE
1. The Bureau of CCISUA shall be responsible for implementing the policies
laid down by the Assembly, formulating policies proposals for consideration
by the Assembly and representing CCISUA in matters of interest for CCISUA
membership.
2. The first meeting of the Bureau shall take place immediately after the annual
Assembly. In the first meeting, the Bureau shall agree on its programme of
work to implement the decisions taken by the Assembly. The responsibility for
undertaking substantive tasks in connection with specific items of its
programme of work shall be allocated among the members of the Bureau. The
President shall communicate the programme of work to all CCISUA members
and shall periodically report to them on the progress of work.
3. The Bureau shall hold a regular teleconference with all members of CCISUA
at least once every three months. The Bureau shall also hold a meeting
immediately before the SMCC and a follow-up meeting immediately after the
SMCC meeting.
4. The Bureau may further hold a meeting immediately before the General
Assembly of the United Nations or the ACC as required.
5. The quorum for decision-making of the Bureau shall consist of a minimum of
three members. To the greatest extent possible, the Bureau will arrive at its
decision through consensus. Where no consensus can be reached the decisions
of the Bureau may be made by a simple majority of the members of the
Bureau.
6. In the event of a disagreement as to the conduct of its business which cannot
be solved by the Bureau, the majority of the members of the Bureau may
request that the members of CCISUA appoint a mediating panel. The panel,
which shall consist of representatives of three CCISUA members, shall review
the matter and shall recommend to the Bureau the measures to be taken to
solve the disagreement.
ANNEX V – FINANCIAL RULES
1. COLLECTION OF FUNDS
a. The Treasurer shall send letters to all members concerned requesting
payments of their arrears before 31 July of each year. Payments can be made
in monthly instalments starting with the longest outstanding arrears.
b. All assessed and pledged contributions shall be paid in full and shall not be
subject to any deductions. CCISUA members entitled to payments shall
submit a request to the Treasurer who shall take the necessary action. Under
no circumstances shall deductions be made from a member’s contributions.
c. All contributions shall be paid in a timely manner in order to encourage
members to pay their contributions on time. Contributions which are not paid
before the deadline shall be subject to interest at a flat rate of 5% per year
effective starting 1 January of the year following the due date of payments.
2. MANAGING FUNDS
Funds should be managed in a conservative manner and invested in a savings account
and / or Certificates of Deposit
3. MONITORING OF FUNDS
A proper monitoring mechanism should be established to ensure the necessary checks
and balances.
a. All current CCISUA accounts shall be incorporated in the financial report.
b. The expenditure must not exceed the budget.
c. All carry-overs (liabilities, receivables) from one fiscal year to another will
be explained by the Treasurer in the financial report.
d. The maintenance of one account with the UNFCU shall meet CCISUA’s
operational requirements. The maintenance of a second account with a
financial institution in Switzerland is permissible as long as it carries interest
and the fees are minimal. The maintenance of more than one account is
permissible as long as each generates income and is not subject to high fees.
e. The reimbursement of travel claims and payments of other expenditures
should be accompanied by supporting documentation justifying the claim for
reimbursement. All travel claims shall be made on a F.10 expense form or the
equivalent, attaching a copy of the PT.8 financial plan or equivalent expense
authorization form, a copy of the airline ticket and a copy of an invoice of the
issuing travel agency. The initial payment made by the Treasurer should be
considered as an advance against the final settlement, the rationale being that
delegates may be required to change their original itinerary while in travel
status.
f. Regarding the control of fixed assets, all assets shall be clearly identified
and recorded in an inventory which shall be included in the financial report.
The Treasurer should record clear identifications, such as serial numbers and
should keep track of the movement of those assets. Any equipment loaned or
donated to CCISUA members should be recorded as such.
4. SPENDING FUNDS
As provided for in the Statutes, the President and Vice President shall be the two
officials who authorize the disbursement of funds as long as the amount does not
exceed the budget. Where necessary, the General Secretary may replace the Vice-
President for this function should the Vice-President not be available to carry out the
necessary authorization. In this respect, advice should be obtained from the Treasurer,
who should consult the Finance Committee if necessary. To avoid exhaustion of a
budget line, the inclusion of another budget line, the miscellaneous fund, can be used
if necessary. In case of exhaustion of a budget line, the Treasurer shall seek approval
from the full membership of the Finance Committee for the allocation of additional
funds.
5. TREASURER
The general responsibilities of the Treasurer are:
a. Responsible for receiving and recording the CCISUA budget on a fiscal
year basis. The accounting transaction against the budget line should be in
compliance with common accounting principles, procedures and practices.
b. Accounting transactions which should be recorded regularly. Receipt
deposits, identifying and also recording the expenditures incurred against the
budget line should be made regularly (monthly).
c. Monitoring cash flow closely in conjunction with bank statements and to
reconcile the bank statements.
d. Preparing financial statements quarterly which should be sent to the
Finance Committee and the President of CCISUA.
e. To maintain proper documents for filing, investigation and audit purposes.
f. Preparation of financial report which should be completed and audited
with certification one month prior to the CCISUA Annual General Assembly.
g. Distribution of Financial report and preliminary budget to the Finance
Committee for comments and preparation of the budget.
h. Responsible for analysis of financial activities, especially the expenditures
to recommend ways to be cost effective as well as to determine the investment
of liquid assets which should be presented to the CCISUA Assembly for
guidance and decision making.