Chapter V. Decisions of Administrative Tribunals of the United Nations and related intergovernmental organizations

DECisiOns OF ADminisTRATivE TRiBunAls OF ThE uniTED nATiOns AnD RElATED inTERgOvERnmEnTAl ORgAnizATiOns1

1. Decisions of the united nations Administrative Tribunal2

   1. Judgement No. 1169 (23 July 2004): Abebe v .the Secretary-General of the United Nations3

      Receivability .ratione temporis—Waiver .of .time .limits .pursuant .to .rule .111 3 .(d) . of . the . staff . rules—Appointments . under . the . 200 . Series . Staff . Regulations . and . Rules .in .contravention .of .ST/AI/2974—Legal .expectancy .of .renewal—Eligibility . to .apply .and .entitlement .to .a .position—Gender .parity .rules—General .Assembly . resolution .49/167 .of .23 .December .1994 .and .ST/AI/412—Promotion .of .General .Service . staff .to .Professional .posts .outside .the .framework .of .competitive .examinations— General .Assembly .resolution .33/143 .of .20 .December .1978

      1 . In .view .of .the .large .number .of .judgements .which .were .rendered .in .2004 .by .the .administrative . tribunals .of .the .United .Nations .and .related .intergovernmental .organizations, .only .those .judgements . which .address .significant .issues .of .United .Nations .administrative .law .or .are .otherwise .of .general .interest .have .been .summarized .in .the .present .edition .of .the .Yearbook .For .the .full .text .of .the .complete .series . of .judgements .rendered .by .the .tribunals, .namely, .Judgements .Nos .1164 .to .1222 .of .the .United .Nations . Administrative .Tribunal, .Judgements .Nos .2271 .to .2374 .of .the .Administrative .Tribunal .of .the .International .Labour .Organization, .Decisions .Nos .309 .to .329 .of .the .World .Bank .Administrative .Tribunal, .and . Judgement .No .2004–1 .of .the .International .Monetary .Fund .Administrative .Tribunal, .see, .respectively, . documents .AT/DEC/1164 .to .AT/DEC/1222; .Judgements .of .the .Administrative .Tribunal .of .the .International .Labour .Organization: .96th .and .97th .Sessions; .World .Bank .Administrative .Tribunal .Reports, . 2004; .and .International .Monetary .Fund .Administrative .Tribunal .Reports, .Judgement .No .2004–1

      2 . The .Administrative .Tribunal .of .the .United .Nations .is .competent .to .hear .and .pass .judgment . upon .applications .alleging .non-observance .of .contracts .of .employment .of .staff .members .of .the .United . Nations .Secretariat .or .of .their .terms .of .appointment .In .addition, .the .Tribunal’s .competence .extends .to . the .United .Nations .Joint .Staff .Pension .Fund .(including .cases .from .all .specialized .agencies .that .participate .in .the .Fund .and .which .have .accepted .the .jurisdiction .of .the .Tribunal .in .Pension .Fund .cases), .the . United .Nations .Programmes .and .Funds, .such .specialized .agencies .and .related .organizations .that .have . accepted .the .competence .of .the .Tribunal .(the .International .Maritime .Organization .and .the .International .Civil .Aviation .Organization), .the .staff .of .the .Registries .of .the .International .Court .of .Justice, .the . International .Tribunal .for .the .Law .of .the .Sea, .and .the .staff .of .the .International .Seabed .Authority .For . more .information .about .the .United .Nations .Administrative .Tribunal .and .the .full .texts .of .its .judgements, . see .http://untreaty un org/UNAT/main_page htm

      3 . Julio .Barboza, .President; .and .Omer .Yousif .Bireedo .and .Jacqueline .R .Scott, .Members

      4 . Administrative .instructions .describe .instructions .and .procedures .for .the .implementation .of .the . Financial .Regulations .and .Rules, .Staff .Regulations .and .Rules .or .Secretary-General’s .bulletins .and .are .

      2 2 . UNITED .NATIONS .JURIDICAL .YEARBOOK .2004

      The .Applicant .entered .the .service .of .the .United .Nations .Economic .Commission .for . Africa .(ECA) .at .the .G- .level, .as .an .English .Secretary, .on .2 .October .1977 .Her .contract .was . subsequently .extended .and, .on .1 .August .1982, .she .received .a .permanent .appointment

      On .8 .March .1990, .the .Applicant, .who .was .serving .at .the .G-6 .level, .applied .for .the .L-1 . level .post .of .Project .Administrative .Officer .On .30 .August .that .year, .she .was .offered .a .one-year .intermediate-term .appointment .as .Acting .Project .Administrative .Officer, .at .the .level . L-1, .step .1, .under .the .200 .Series .of .the .Staff .Regulations .and .Rules .She .was .advised .that .her . appointment .would .be .subject .to .her .resignation .from .her .permanent .post; .accordingly, . on .3 .September, .she .resigned .from .her .permanent .post .and .accepted .the .offer .Thereafter, . the .Applicant’s .200 .Series .contract .was .extended .several .times .until .she .was .informed, .on . 16 .January .1996, .that .her .appointment .would .not .be .extended .beyond .31 .January .1996, .due . to .lack .of .funds

      On .2 .April .1996, .ECA .advised .the .Office .of .Human .Resources .Management .(OHRM) . that .a .number .of .General .Service .staff .members .had .been .given .200 .Series .appointments . for .extended .periods .of .time .and .had .been .given, .or .had .assumed, .career .expectations . under .this .Series .On .19 .April, .OHRM .responded .that .the .staff .members .in .question .had . received .200 .Series .appointments .in .contravention .of .administrative .instruction .ST/AI/297 . and .of .the .delegation .of .authority .to .ECA .OHRM .suggested .that .the .staff .members .might . be .re-employed .at .the .General .Service .level, .if .posts .were .available .to .accommodate .them . On .10 .May, .the .Legal .Adviser, .ECA, .informed .the .Executive .Secretary .that .the .staff .members .had .not .been .“properly .advised .as .to .the .consequences .of .the .200 .Series .appointment ” . He .continued, .“[t]he .only .remedy .I .see .to .this .is .that .on .expiry .of .their .present .contract[s,] . ECA .seek .exceptional .approval .to .reinstate .them .in .the .100 .Series .at .the .[General .Service] . level .they .had .at .the .time .of .the .200 .Series .appointment ”

      On .31 .July .1996, .the .Applicant .was .reinstated .at .her .previous .G-6 .level .with .retroactive . effect .as .of .1 .February .On .2 .August, .the .Applicant .sent .an .“appeal” .against .the .decision . to .reinstate .her .at .the .General .Service .level .to .the .Executive .Secretary .and .after .extensive . correspondence .on .the .matter, .she .reiterated .this .request .on .7 .March .1997 .Thereafter, .she . requested .administrative .review

      On .11 .August .1997, .the .Applicant .lodged .an .appeal .with .the .Joint .Appeals .Board .(JAB) . in .New .York .In .its .report .of .7 .December .1999, .the .JAB .found .the .case .receivable, .ratione temporis, .as .exceptional .circumstances .existed .in .the .case .which .warranted .a .waiver .of .the . time .limits, .pursuant .to .staff .rule .111 3 .(d) .It .found .that .ECA .should .have .considered .the . Applicant .for .promotion .to .the .Professional .level .in .view .of .her .education, .performance, . and .the .Organization’s .goal .of .increasing .the .number .of .women .serving .at .that .level, .as . mandated .by .General .Assembly .resolution .49/167 .of .23 .December .1994 .and .ST/AI/412 .The . JAB .concluded .that .the .Applicant .deserved .full .and .fair .consideration .for .appointment .at . the .Professional .level .and .recommended .that .the .Secretary-General .order .ECA .to .make . bona .fide .efforts .to .find .her .“a .suitable .post .at .the .Professional .level,” .in .conformity .with . ST/AI/412 .On .10 .April .2000, .the .Applicant .was .informed .that .the .Secretary-General .did . not .agree .with .the .JAB’s .conclusions .as, .pursuant .to .General .Assembly .resolution .33/143 . of .20 .December .1978, .the .promotion .of .staff .from .the .General .Service .category .to .the . Professional .category .is .made .exclusively .through .competitive .examination .Accordingly, .

      promulgated .and .signed .by .the .Under-Secretary-General .for .Administration .and .Management .or .by . other .officials .to .whom .the .Secretary-General .has .delegated .specific .authority .(see .ST/SGB/1997/1) .

      . chapter .V . 2 3 he .had .decided .to .take .no .further .action .in .her .case .On .30 .April .2002, .the .Applicant .filed . her .Application .with .the .Tribunal

      In .its .consideration .of .the .case, .the .Tribunal .agreed .with .the .JAB .that .the .case .was . receivable, .ratione temporis. .The .Tribunal .found .that .the .Applicant .and .the .Organization . were .involved .in .ongoing .communication .in .an .effort .to .resolve .her .situation .and, .whether . her .request .for .administrative .review .was .submitted .on .21 .March .1997, .as .claimed .by .the . Applicant, .or .on .13 .May .1997, .per .the .Respondent, .it .fell .within .the .required .two-month . time .limit .Accordingly, .the .Tribunal .proceeded .to .consider .the .substantive .question .of . whether .the .Applicant .was .entitled .to .be .placed .against .another .Professional .post .when . her .200 .Series .appointment .ended

      The .Tribunal .recalled .that, .in .ordinary .circumstances, .given .the .temporary .nature .of . 200 .Series .posts; .the .fact .that .the .Applicant .was .notified .on .several .occasions .that .her .post . was .in .danger .of .non-renewal; .and, .in .the .absence .of .an .express .promise .that .her .contract . would .be .renewed, .she .would .not .have .a .legal .expectancy .of .renewal .of .her .appointment . Despite .the .fact .that .the .Respondent .had .admitted .his .culpability .in .putting .the .Applicant . in .the .untenable .situation .in .which .she .found .herself, .having .resigned .her .permanent .position, .the .Tribunal .found .that .the .Applicant .had .not .provided .any .evidence .that .she .was . given .an .expectation .of .a .career .under .the .200 .Series .The .Tribunal .thus .concluded .that . she .did .not .have .a .legal .expectancy .to .a .career .under .the .200 .Series .and...