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INTRODUCTION

 

1. The Federation of Associations of Former International Civil Servants (FAFICS) is a group of associations of former United Nations civil servants. It officially represents pensioners and other beneficiaries at the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) to defend their interests and seek solutions to their various common problems. Therefore, the more member associations and individual members it has, the more it is listened to (detailed information on the Federation is available on its website http://www.fafics.org).

 

2. Despite the increasing number of UN pensioners, there are many countries where there is no association yet, while the existence of such a structure in a country and its affiliation to FAFICS provides pensioners with strong and effective support in monitoring and resolving the problems they may encounter, particularly with regard to their pensions, health insurance and survivor pensions.

 

3. The lack of association of former United Nations staff in many countries is due to the fact that either the persons concerned are not informed of the possibility of creating them or do not know how to do so. The following procedure and steps are therefore suggested to assist in the creation of a new association and its membership in FAFICS.

 

 

PROCEDURE FOR THE CREATION OF A NEW ASSOCIATION

 

4. It is recommended that the establishment of a new association of former United Nations staff Members in a given country or location where none already exists should follow the following steps:

 

5. The first step is for a former United Nations official or group of former United Nations Staffs to contact the President of FAFICS and the Secretary to express their willingness to establish an association and to seek information and advice to that effect.

 

6. The contacts of the current President and Secretary are:

 

 

7. The President with the assistance of the Secretary will provide them with the necessary information and assist them in the process of carrying out the project to create the new association.

 

8. At the same time, the former United Nations Staff or group of former United Nations officials contact the United Nations Resident Coordinator and/or United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident in the country or concerned to inform them of the project and request their support.

 

9. The group will also begin to identify, inform and sensitize other former United Nations employees to broaden the circle of the group for the organization of a Constituent General Assembly. The President of FAFICS may contribute to this task by requesting that the UNJSPF circulate a letter prepared by the group to all retired beneficiaries of the Fund in the country or concerned to inform them of the project and to communicate to them the contacts of the initiators as focal points.

 

10. The group may also begin to develop the basic texts (statutes and rules of procedure) of the future association, ensuring that the following principle is scrupulously respected: the association must be open to all former employees of the United Nations system, including local employees, without any discrimination based on nationality, the Agency or Institution for which they have worked, the place where they have been in service and the country of residence. Similarly, these texts must be compatible with those of the Federation. To this end, it is desirable that their preparation be carried out in consultation with the FAFICS Secretariat, which may provide them with the statutes and rules of procedure of existing member associations to inspire from them.

 

11. Finally, the group of initiators of the project to establish the new association, pending the Constituent General Assembly, may organize social activities to maintain links between the members of the group and former United Nations employees in the country or place concerned.

 

 

ADHESION TO THE FAFICS

 

12. The next step after the effective constitution of the new association is its membership in FAFICS. This step is very important because the increase in the number of member associations and individual members gives the Federation more weight in its role as an advocate for pensioners' interests before the UNJSPF, other common system bodies that regulate matters of concern to retirees and the authorities of the United Nations system.

 

13. To do so, the new association must send a formal request for membership to the President of FAFICS in which it commits itself to respect the Statutes and Regulations of the Federation, pay its annual dues and participate in the activities of the Federation.

 

14. The request must be accompanied by a file containing the following documents:

 

15. The entire file is sent to the FAFICS Secretary who studies it, requests additional information if necessary and prepares a report for the attention of the next Council, which alone is empowered to decide on the admission of the new association as a member of the Federation. Please note that the association must have at least 25 members to be accepted as a full member. Below this number, it may be admitted as an associate member.