UN PENSION BOARD CHAIR ATTEMPTS TO DISCREDIT
THE UN STAFF ASSOCIATIONS
THE UN STAFF ASSOCIATIONS
In her letter to the UN Administration, circulated today by AFICS/NY by email to its members, the new Chair of the Pension Board alleges “irresponsibility”, and much worse, on the part of the UN Staff Associations in connection with a UN Broadcast dated 2 August 2017 titled “What happened at this year’s meeting of the Pension Fund Board.”
The new Chair, Annick van Houtte, takes to task the UN Staff Associations for raising issues in the broadcast of interest to participants and beneficiaries concerning audit reports presented to the Board (no doubt among them OIOS audit report 2017/2 that detailed serious managerial deficiencies in the Fund Secretariat), extension of the contract of the Chief Executive Officer and blocking of elected participant representatives from participation at the Board.
Finally, she wants the "issuance of a broadcast correcting the misinformation" and notes that she's "available to contribute to the text." Further, she wants the use of the UN IT infrastructure blocked for future "misinformation" about the 64th session of the Board, or the Fund.
The Chair's letter is clearly just the latest in blatant political maneuvering concerning the Fund. Bear in mind that the CEO pushed and succeeded in having the annual Board meeting moved from New York (where it was scheduled in the UN schedule of meetings) to Vienna because of political calculations.
Recall too that the former Pension Board Chair led the Board last year in muzzling the UN Staff Associations and attempting to intimidate the media for writing about problems at the Fund. The bottom line, is that there's a definite pattern here.
Note too that AFICS/NY is very selective in circulating information to its members. For example, its members have never received any of the recent past's reports of UN governing bodies detailed managerial deficiencies on both sides of the Fund (GA resolution 71/265, ACABQ report 71/621, Board of Auditors report, A/71/5.Add.16, or Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) audit, 2017/02 and they will not be found on the AFICS website.
In following pension issues closely for the past three years, it's clear that the fact that AFICS/NY members received this letter so promptly is sufficient reason to question its content and motives. The issues at stake are much too serious to be taken at face value. I would caution current and former staff toward to listen and read with a critical mind.
Specifically, we must question the motives of those who would attempt to discredit our hardworking UN Staff Associations, who in fact are the ones who’ve shown the most consistency in working tirelessly on behalf of the interests of participants and beneficiaries during this entire saga.
Last year, in the face of known managerial deficiencies, the Board tried to push through the CEO's contract a year in advance. That attempt failed. This year the same proponents, now led by a new Chair, came back armed with a positive evaluation of his performance from the 2014/2015 cycle, and with the new Audit Committee report dated 12 July 2017 attached to the Board Chair's letter.
They pushed hard for a renewed five year extension, and a compromise of a recommendation for a final three year term was hard-won by our participant representatives. One of the best things that could happen to our Fund is that the SG rejects this, and declines to renew the CEO’s contract at the end of the year.
Questions to ask ourselves as we read this letter from the Board Chair: who are the members of the UNJSPF Audit Committee who’ve decided they’re satisfied with progress made on the managerial deficiencies identified by the OIOS?
Very important, what are OIOS' views of progress, or lack thereof, made on the findings in their report and the several critical recommendations made about addressing the backlog and the abysmal level of client services?
One Tom Repasch, listed as Chair of the Audit Committee, responded to my recent letter to Board members, when I raised issues contained in the OIOS audit and reports of UN governing bodies for their consideration in deciding on the CEO’s extension, as follows:
____________________________________
From: Tom Repasch
Date: Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 4:30 AM
Subject: Re: Letter to Board Members of the UNJSPF: Consideration of extension of the CEO's contract
To: Loraine Rickard-Martin
From: Tom Repasch
Date: Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 4:30 AM
Subject: Re: Letter to Board Members of the UNJSPF: Consideration of extension of the CEO's contract
To: Loraine Rickard-Martin
Please remove me from your address list. I do not wish to receive your communications.
______________________________________
______________________________________
Mr. Repasch does not “wish to receive communications” that may contain inconvenient truths that do not jibe with his reality. One wonders whose interests he represents on the Audit Committee and on the Board. We should question the motives of any Board member who "does not wish" to receive information from participants and beneficiaries of the Fund.
Note carefully the forceful tone and language of the Board Chair's letter where she uses words such as "unethical" and "inflammatory" and "disclosure of incorrect and misleading information may seriously jeopardize the efficiency and credibility of the Pension Fund and its Board". She may wish to consider the impact of her letter on the Board's credibility.
Make no mistake: the Board Chair is determined to intimidate, and otherwise cause as much damage as possible. Again we must question her motives and trust that the Administration will reject this blatent attempt to discredit our UN Staff Associations. Undoubtedly, the health of our Fund depends on it.
CLICK ON LINK TO READ LETTER AND ATTACHMENTS.
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