In a video message to all personnel, United Nations Volunteers Executive Coordinator Richard Dictus has announced new Conditions of Service for international UN Volunteers. The message, part UNV's information campaign to notify UN partners and UN Volunteers of major policy changes that will take effect as of 1 March 2015, highlights changes particularly relevant to current and prospective UN Volunteers.
In a video message to all personnel of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, UNV Executive Coordinator Richard Dictus announced new Conditions of Service for international UN Volunteers that will take effect as of 1 March 2015.
The Conditions of Service form the legal foundation of the relationship between UNV and the UN Volunteer.
The UNV Executive Coordinator said, "The changes in the Conditions of Service for international UN Volunteers are a result of an exhaustive process of review and revision – a process which has yielded an updated, workable instrument to better suit the changing needs of UN Volunteers, retain UNV as an attractive, cost effective modality to UN entity partners, and streamline volunteer management procedures."
Highlighting policy changes particularly relevant for current and prospective international UN Volunteers, Richard shared that the maximum time limit to serve as an international UN Volunteers will be set at four years. In addition, UNV has reformulated the living allowance structure towards a lump-sum approach to ensure an equal standard of living for all UN Volunteers, regardless of where they are serving around the globe.
He announced that the entitlement of Hazardous Duty Station Supplement will be phased out. And that to assist those UN Volunteers serving in non-family duty stations, UNV is introducing a new entitlement, a two-level Well-Being Differential, which will be determined by the number of added burdens they face. To assist repatriating UN Volunteers transition to their home medical system, UNV is introducing 30 days of post-service coverage that will be offered to all UN Volunteers who have completed at least their initial contract period.
"As part of an overall spirit of reform, UNV has remodeled the UNV Code of Conduct, which all UN Volunteers must abide, to align it with the best practices of ethics and professionalism," the UNV EC stated in closing. "Definition of misconduct, internal disciplinary procedures, as well as a requirement to abide by the UN Agencies’ specific Codes of Conduct were introduced."
The video message is part of an information campaign to provide advance notice to UNV’s UN partners in the field and, most importantly, the UN Volunteers who need to know about the changes to the new ICOS that will take effect on 1 March 2015.
Watch the video Briefing on the new COS for international UN Volunteers by UNV Executive Coordinator Richard Dictus.
For more on the major policy changes, download the four-page Overview on the UNV Conditions of Service for international UN Volunteers.