Specialized Agency staff unions oppose more powers for Pension Fund CEO (29 June 2015)

AFICS "will get back asap" on request for urgent meeting to discuss Pension Fund matters (25.6.15)

ASSOCIATION OF FORMER INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVANTS

Room DC1-580, United Nations, New York, NY 10017

Tel. (212) 963-2943 Fax. (212) 963-5702 e-mail. afics@un.org

www.un.org/other/afics

NEW YORK

Honorary Members

Martti Ahtisaari

Kofi A. Annan

Ban Ki-moon

Aung San Suu Kyi

Boutros Boutros-Ghali

Javier Perez de Cuellar

25 June 2015

Dear Loraine, Lowell and Curling,

We are in receipt of your communication of 24 June 2015. First, let me reassure you that the

AFICS/NY Governing Board has not refused to hold an extraordinary meeting and regret that

this appears to be your impression. We already shared with you the critical practical

constraints and the existence of possible legal issues with respect to the logistics and timing of

any extraordinary meeting in July, and this has not changed.

Many members of our Governing Board are currently either abroad or out of town and the

weekend is soon upon us, making it extremely difficult for me to consult on a sufficiently wide

basis to reply on the substance of your letter. I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Sincerely,

[signed]Linda Saputelli

President

Message to AFICS: "honor by-laws and convene meeting on Pension Fund matters" (24.6.15)

Letter to the AFICS/New York President, Ms. Linda Saputelli

24 June 2015

Pension Fund matters: Request for extraordinary meeting under AFICS by-laws

Dear Linda,

Thank you for your letter of 23 June 2015 in response to the request made by 82 AFICS members for an extraordinary meeting to discuss proposed changes in the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund, and related issues that are to be presented to the upcoming session of the Pension Board. 

We were surprised to learn in your letter  that “…the Governing Board believes that answers to the ‘perceived gaps in information’ have been provided [at the 17 June meeting] and is not fully convinced of the need for an extraordinary meeting, much less on an urgent basis.”

While we appreciate that the Governing Board may not be fully convinced of the need for an extraordinary meeting, please understand that there are 82 members of AFICS who remain convinced of such a need, and who have requested in accordance with the AFICS by-laws that it be convened prior to the upcoming meeting of the Pension Board. 

AFICS "not convinced" on need to convene meeting on Pension Fund matters (23.6.15)

ASSOCIATION OF FORMER INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVANTS

Room DC1-580, United Nations, New York, NY 10017

Tel. (212) 963-2943 Fax. (212) 963-5702 e-mail. afics@un.org

www.un.org/other/afics

NEW YORK

Honorary Members

Martti Ahtisaari

Kofi A. Annan

Ban Ki-moon

Aung San Suu Kyi

Boutros Boutros-Ghali           LS/vw

Javier Perez de Cuellar

23 June 2015

Dear Loraine, Lowell and Curling,

We reported today to the AFICS/NY Governing Board on last week’s meeting of 17 June

between yourselves and Fernando Astete, Federico Riesco, Warren Sach and myself. As you

will recall, we had been asked by our Governing Board to ascertain what further information

you were seeking and what assurances you still needed regarding the Pension Fund. You said

that the specific purpose of your request was “perceived gaps in information concerning the

proposed MoU and media reports of the Fund’s intention to expand alternative investments”.

These came down to two matters: questions about the potential for further investments in

hedge funds and other risky alternatives which you felt were substantiated by articles that had

appeared in CNBC and Opalesque, and secondly, your belief that the exceptions to be granted

through the MoU would change the structure of the Fund and give the CEO the authority to

take over the investment function. We pointed out that answers on both points had been

provided repeatedly from the highest levels of the UN Administration—from the Secretary-

General’s Chef de Cabinet, the Under-Secretary-General for Management, the Assistant

Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, the CEO of the Fund and the

Representative of the Secretary-General for the investments of the Pension Fund. The

AFICS/NY Governing Board could not add anything to that record.

Notes on meeting with AFICS to discuss request for meeting on Pension Fund matters (17.6.15)

Notes on Meeting with AFICS Leadership – Wednesday, 17 June

Present: Linda Saputelli, Federico Riesco, Warren Sach, Fernando Astete

              Curling Smith, Loraine Rickard Martin, Lowell Flanders

At the start of the meeting, we were asked why the need for an extra-ordinary meeting, and we queried why this question was being raised when the statute clearly stated that 50 signatures from the membership was all that was needed to convene a meeting, and we submitted 81 signatures.

We were told that the governing board needed this information in order to make preparations for the meeting. An agenda was needed, and the board also had to have a sense of who would be needed from various quarters of the Organization in order to respond appropriately to the concerns being raised.

82 members invoke by-laws and request AFICS extraordinary meeting on Pension Fund matters (12.6.15)

12 June 2015

Dear Madam President and Governing Board members

Subject: Pension Fund matters: Request for extraordinary meeting

We refer to our request of 5 June, and to our request of 8 June 2015, the latter under AFICS Article IV (Assembly) by-laws, requesting the AFICS Governing Board to convene a meeting in June, before the July meeting of the Pension Fund, for the purpose of discussing the issues confronting the Pension Fund.

We wish to inform you that participation of ASG Wainaina is desirable, but not a prerequisite for convening the meeting.

Our 8 June letter was signed by more than 50 AFCS members, in accordance with AFICS by-laws, and we requested an acknowledgment by 10 June 2015 to include confirmation of a date and venue for the meeting.

Message to AFICS: we are not sheep (3.6.15)

3 June 2015

"The shepherd always tries to persuade the sheep that their interests and his own are the same." - Stendhal

Dear AFICS President and Governing Board,

Subject: Pension Fund Matters: We are Not Sheep

As the  AFICS Annual General Meeting approaches, allow me to remind the AFICS President and Governing Board that the AFICS membership, including those of us, AFICS members and other participants and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund, who have raised questions on the Pension Fund matter, are not sheep grazing contentedly in pastures to which we are herded.  

We, who have spoken out on the important issues regarding our Pension Fund, are former and current UN staff who from an early age had questions and opinions that we were not afraid to voice. Throughout our UN careers, we retained our propensity to think for ourselves, which continues to this day.  

Message to FICSA President: Petition contains no allegations of breaches by the CEO (20.5.15)

Response to the FICSA President: Petition to keep our pension in the UN and out of hedge funds

20 May 2015 

Dear Mr. El-Tabari,

We refer to your  letter to 'Dear Colleagues' on the subject of 'Petition to keep our pension in the UN and out of hedge funds' dated today, 20 May 2015, and posted on the AFICS/NY website.

We invite you to read again the petition to which you refer (link below). You will notice that it includes no mention whatsoever of "breaches" by the Pension Fund CEO.  

Your own letter calls attention to "allegations of breaches by the CEO" which you note "might have grounds", including "breaches in promotion or in favouritism" and "allegations of misuse of funds." 

FICSA President reads allegations into the petition which contains none (20.5.15)

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT, FEDERATION OF INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVANTS’ ASSOCIATIONS (FICSA)

From: FICSA

Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 8:08 AM

Subject: Petition to keep our pension in the UN and out of hedge funds - Message from the FICSA President

Dear Colleagues,

As you are aware a petition has been circulated describing wrong doings by the CEO of the UNJSPF. We, at FICSA, have not subscribed to this petition.  In fact, CCISUA has not declared its responsibility for its initiation either.  Some allegations of breaches by the CEO might have grounds, however, any breaches in promotion or in favouritism in recruitment are not uncommon issues in the UN common system and there are channels where they can be addressed.

As far as the allegations regarding the misuse of funds, FICSA has yet to receive evidence of such wrong doing and believe that the internal and external investigation and audit systems are better suited to assess this.

Question to AFICS: you agree with the issues but discourage members from signing the petition? (18.5.15)

18 May 2015

To AFICS/NY President and Governing Board

Please find below an open letter to Participants and Beneficiaries of the UN Staff Pension Fund, which we are requesting that you post on the AFICS website. 

Dear Participants and Beneficiaries of the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund,

We wish to refer to the petition launched on 6 May 2015 requesting the Secretary-General not to approve the changes proposed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pension Fund in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the UNJSPF and the Secretariat. 

Some have wondered who we are and whom we represent. We are a group of “concerned citizens,” participants and beneficiaries, many of whom are also members of AFICS.  While it is true that some of us are getting old, we haven’t yet lost our grip on reality. We are still able to understand the plain meaning of language and to identify unstated bureaucratic agendas when they stare us in the face.

AFICS to members: "There are issues but don't sign the petition." (12.5.15)

ASSOCIATION OF FORMER INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVANTS

Room DC1-580, United Nations, New York, NY 10017

Tel. (212) 963-2943 Fax. (212) 963-5702 e-mail. afics@un.org

www.un.org/other/afics

NEW YORK

Honorary Members

Martti Ahtisaari

Kofi A. Annan

Ban Ki-moon

Aung San Suu Kyi

Boutros Boutros-Ghali

Javier Perez de Cuellar

12 May 2015

PENSION FUND AND PROPOSED MoU

Dear Members of AFICS/NY,

Since the April 2015 postings on the AFICS/NY website, we have not had replies from the UN

Administration to our successive queries as to the final content and status of the Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU). In the last weeks AFICS/NY has either met or been in contact with the Office of the Secretary-General, the Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM), the Office of Internal Oversight Investigation (OIOS), the Legal Office and of course the Pension Fund, including the two Assistant Secretaries-General, to continue to press for resolution of the MoU. You may wish to consult the AFICS/NY website which began to post articles on the matter as far back as May 2014 and which continues to be updated as developments require.