United Nations General Assembly Resolution 13

by the UN General Assembly

13 (I). Organization of the Secretariat

I. Administrative Organization of the Secretariat

The administrative organization of the Secretariat should be so designed as to enable the work of the Secretariat to be conducted with the greatest possible efficiency.

Therefore, the General Assembly resolves that:

1. The Secretary-General shall take immediate steps to establish an administrative organization which will permit of the effective discharge of his administrative and general responsibilities under the Charter and the efficient performance of those functions and services required to meet the needs of the several organs of the United Nations.

2. The principal units of the Secretariat should be:

(a) Department of Security Council Affairs.

(b) Department of Economic Affairs.

(c) Department of Social Affairs.

(d) Department for Trusteeship and Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories.

(e) Department of Public Information.

(f) Legal Department.

(g) Conference and General Services.

(h) Administrative and Financial Services.

3. The Secretary-General is authorized to appoint Assistant Secretaries-General and such other officials and employees as are required and to prescribe their responsibilities and duties. Assistant Secretaries-General shall have responsibility for and supervision of Departments and Services. There shall always be one Assistant Secretary-General designated by the Secretary-General to deputize for him when he is absent or unable to perform his functions. The Secretary-General shall take whatever steps may be required to ensure the necessary coordination between the Departments of Economic Affairs and of Social Affairs, and the maintenance of appropriate administrative relationships between those Departments and the Economic and Social Council, on the one hand, and between those Departments and the specialized agencies on the other.

4. At the outset, the Departments and Services should, broadly speaking, conform to the descriptions given in paragraphs 22-40 of section 2, chapter VIII of the Report of the Preparatory Commission, but the Secretary-General shall make such changes in the initial structure as may be required to the end that the most effective distribution of responsibilities and functions among the units of the Secretariat may be achieved.

II. Information

The United Nations cannot achieve its purposes unless the peoples of the world are fully informed of its aims and activities.

The recommendations of the Technical Advisory Committee on Information submitted by the Preparatory Commission to the General Assembly constitute a sound foundation for the public information policy and activities of the United Nations.

Therefore the General Assembly:

5. Approves the recommendations of the Technical Advisory Committee on Information contained in annex I and transmits them to the Secretary-General for his information and consideration.

III. Recruitment and Promotion.

In accordance with paragraph 3 of Article 101 of the Charter, appropriate methods of recruitment should be established in order that a staff may be assembled which is characterized by the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, due regard being also paid to its recruitment on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

Therefore the General Assembly resolves that:

6. An International Civil Service Commission shall be established by the Secretary-General, after consultation with the heads of the specialized agencies brought into relationship with the United Nations, to advise on the methods of recruitment for the Secretariat and on the means by which common standards of recruitment in the Secretariat and the specialized agencies may be ensured.

7. In the selection of staff, the Secretary-General should follow in general the suggestions outlined in paragraphs 50-57 of section 2, chapter VIII of the Report of the Preparatory Commission.

8. A balanced age distribution should be achieved from the outset, in order to maintain regular inflow, promotion and outflow of staff.

9. Every member of the staff should be eligible for such promotion within the United Nations as his or her services and abilities warrant, in accordance with paragraph 47, section 2, chapter VIII of the Report of the Preparatory Commission.

IV. Rights and Obligations of the Staff.

The degree in which the objects of the Charter can be realized will be largely determined by the manner in which the Secretariat performs its task. The Secretariat cannot successfully perform its task unless it enjoys the confidence of all the Members of the United Nations.

Therefore the General Assembly:

10. Adopts the provisional staff regulations, embodying the fundamental rights and obligations of the staff, as contained in annex II, and transmits to the Secretary-General, for his consideration, the draft provisional staff rules, as contained in section 4 of chapter VIII of the Report of the Preparatory Commission, together with the paper submitted by the Canadian delegation (document A/C.5/10).

11. Authorizes the Secretary-General to appoint a small advisory committee, possibly including representatives of the staff, to draft, for submission to the second part of the first session of the General Assembly, a statute for an administrative tribunal.

V. Taxation.

Having regard particularly to the administrative and budgetary arrangements of the Organization, the General Assembly concurs in the conclusion reached by the Administrative and Budgetary Committee that there is no alternative to the proposition that exemption from national taxation for salaries and allowances paid by the Organization is indispensable to the achievement of equity among its Members and equality among its personnel.

Therefore the General Assembly resolves that:

12. Pending the necessary action being taken by Members to exempt from national taxation salaries and allowances paid out of the budget of the Organization, the Secretary-General is authorized to reimburse staff members who are required to pay taxation on salaries and wages received from the Organization.

13. In the case of any Member whose nationals in the service of the Organization are required to pay taxation on salaries and allowances received from the Organization, the Secretary-General should explore with the Member concerned methods of ensuring as soon as possible the application of the principle of equity amongst all Members.

14. The records and documents of the Administrative and Budgetary Committee and of the Advisory Group of Experts respecting staff contributions plans be referred to the Secretary-General for his information, and the Secretary-General be requested to submit recommendations thereon to the second part of the first session of the General Assembly.

VI. Classification, Salaries and Allowances

The conditions of employment in the Secretariat should such as will attract qualified candidates from any part of the world.

Therefore the General Assembly resolves that:

15. An Assistance Secretary-General shall receive a net salary of $13,500 (U.S.) together with an allowance varying from $7,000 (U.S.) to $11,500 (U.S.) at the Secretary-General's discretion.

16. A top-ranking Director shall receive a net salary of $11,000 (U.S.) together with an allowance varying from $3,000 (US) to $6,000 (US) at the Secretary-General's discretion.

17. The allowances for Assistant Secretaries-General and top-ranking Directors are deemed to include all representation (including hospitality), housing, education and children's allowances for these posts but not such reimbursable allowances as travel, subsistence and removal costs upon appointment, transfer or termination of appointment with the Organization; official travel and home leave travel.

18. Subject to the budgetary provisions voted by the General Assembly, and except in the case of the posts of Secretary-General, Assistant Secretaries-General and Director, the Secretary-General, after discussion with the Advisory Group of Experts which he is recommended to appoint, is authorized to make a tentative classification of posts and to assign salaries to these posts according to the general principles set forth in paragraphs 41 to 45 and 71 of section 2 of chapter VIII of the Report of the Preparatory Commission. The Secretary-General is also authorized to employ members of the staff on short-term contracts pending the establishment of a permanent classification plan as outlined in resolution 19 below.

19. Subject to the budgetary provisions voted by the General Assembly, the Secretary-General, after discussion with the Advisory Group of Experts referred to in Resolution 18, shall arrange:

(a) for the development of a classification plan of all posts required by the Secretariat, based upon the duties, responsibilities and authority of each post;

(b) for the grouping of posts by main categories and within categories by grades;

(c) for the assignment of appropriate salaries to each main category and grades therein according to the salary standards which may be established by the General Assembly;

(d) for the assignment of each post in the Secretariat to its appropriate category and grade on the basis of its duties, responsibilities and authority.

The Secretary-General is authorized to employ temporary personnel on special limited term contracts outside of the permanent classification plan when he finds it necessary.

20. In determining the salaries for the several grades and for the various categories of posts, account should be taken of the special factors affecting service in the Secretariat, and, in particular, of the wide range of remuneration for comparable work prevailing in the government services of the Members of the United Nations; the more limited prospects of promotion to the highest posts in the Secretariat compared with the prospects of promotion to the highest posts in the Secretariat compared with the prospects of promotion in some of the national services; the cost of living at the seat of the United Nations --- a factor which may be affected, in the early years, by possible housing difficulties; and the additional expenses which a large proportion of the staff will incur by living away from their own country, such expenses varying with the number of dependents and other factors.

21. The General Assembly approves, in principle, the adoption of schemes to become effective 1 January 1947:

(a) for the payment of children's allowances as a supplement to the salaries of eligible members of the staff of the Organization;

(b) for the payment of an education grant to an eligible member of the staff who may wish to send his child, or children, from the country to which he is assigned for duty to that country recognized as his home at the time of his appointment, provided such country be not the country where is permanently assigned for duty.

22. The Secretary-General shall submit to the second part of the first session of the General Assembly a scheme for children's allowances and education grants, and the memorandum of the Advisory Group of Experts on these subjects (document A/C.5/19/Rev. 1) shall be transmitted to the Secretary-General for his consideration.

23. With regard to the installation of members of the staff at the interim site of the Organization, the Secretary-General is authorized to establish a scheme for installation allowances and the conditions under which such allowances shall be granted.

VII. Duration and Termination of Appointments

The General Assembly resolves that:

24. Subject to the Secretary-General's full latitude, as suggested in resolution 18, to employ members of the staff on short-term contracts pending the establishment of a permanent classification plan, and subject to appropriate arrangements for the appointment of temporary staff at all times, members of the staff who have successfully passed the period of probation shall be offered some reasonable assurance that they will be able to make their careers in the Secretariat.

25. Members of the staff who have passed the period of probation shall be given contracts for an indeterminate period which shall be subject to review every five years on the basis of reports by their superior officers.

26. Notwithstanding the provisions above, Assistant Secretaries-General, Directors and such other principal higher officers as the Secretary-General may determine, shall be appointed under contrasts not to exceed five years, subject to the possibility of renewal.

27. Any contract shall be terminable by the Secretary-General under the conditions set forth in regulation 22 of the staff regulations if the necessities of the service require the abolition of the post or a reduction of the staff, or if the services of the individual concerned proved unsatisfactory.

VIII. Retirement and Compensation

The General Assembly resolves that:

28. The Secretary-General shall establish immediately a provident fund for members of the staff, giving consideration to the scheme outlined in part I of the suggestions of the Advisory Group of Experts on the establishment of a staff retirement scheme and related questions (document A/C.5/20).

29. The Secretary-General shall submit to the second part of the first session of the General Assembly a report on the operation of the provident fund, suggesting such changes in the scheme as he may consider desirable.

30. The Secretary-General shall submit to the second part of the first session of the General Assembly proposals for a permanent staff retirement scheme to become operative 1 January 1947, taking due account of the suggestions of the Advisory Group of Experts, the various points raised during the general discussion of these suggestions in the Administrative and Budgetary Committee and other relevant considerations.

31. In establishing a permanent staff retirement scheme the Secretary-General shall give consideration to the desirability of adopting a system for the provision of benefits to widows and orphans of members of the staff, either by a separate scheme or by the grant of a lump sum benefit on the death of the member.

32. The Secretary-General appointed as the first session of the General Assembly shall be provided with an annual retirement allowance of one-half of his net salary (excluding allowances) on his retirement, provided that he has completed his term of service with the United Nations, as set out in chapter VIII, section 2, paragraph 18 of the Report of the Preparatory Commission.

33. :(a) The Secretary-General shall submit to the second part of the first session of the General Assembly proposals for permanent schemes for injury compensation and compassionate benefits.

(b) Pending the adoption of a permanent scheme, the Secretary-General is authorized to indemnify a member of the staff who is injured as the result of an accident incurred in the course of his duties or to pay an indemnity to the staff member's estate should he die in such circumstances.

(c) Pending the adoption of a permanent scheme, the Secretary-General is authorized to indemnify a member of the staff who is compelled to discontinue his employment as a result of sickness directly attributable to his work in the service of the Organization or to pay indemnity to the staff member's estate should he die in such circumstances.

IX. Transmittal of Section 2 of Chapter VIII of the Report of the Preparatory Commission

The General Assembly resolves that:

34. Section 2, chapter VIII of the Report of the Preparatory Commission be transmitted to the Secretary-General for his guidance.

Thirty-first plenary meeting, 13 February 1946.