As you may be aware, a memo was issued at the end of last week by the Department of Management in New York preventing as of 1 April 2012, with some exceptions, the use of regular budget vacant posts to fund temporary appointments. The full details are in the memo.

The Council is aware that this development may affect some of you quite severely. It is therefore in contact with HR services in Geneva, both directly and through sectoral assemblies, to clarify and evaluate the full impact of this measure.

At the same time, it is important to be aware that these measures are also being taken in the context of encouraging managers to provide regular appointments to staff who perform well in ongoing functions, and to speed up the recruitment process.

To that end, if you believe you may be affected by this measure, we encourage you to contact your supervisor to discuss this matter further. For assistance on this, please contact Mr. Mohamed Chiraz Baly, Executive Secretary of the UNOG Staff Coordinating Council.