Continuing appointment

What is the difference between a permanent appointment and continuing appointment?

Permanent appointments were linked to the concept of a career service, and thus subject to satisfactory performance. A staff member granted a permanent appointment had a reasonable expectation of continued employment until his/her mandatory age of separation.

Continuing appointments are open-ended appointments. However, unlike the permanent appointment, the Secretary-General may terminate the appointment without the consent of the staff member if, in the opinion of the Secretary-General, such action would be in the interest of the good administration of the Organization.

Does time spent working on a temporary assignment count towards the five years of continuous service required to be eligible for a continuing appointment?

One of the eligibility requirements for converting to a continuing appointment is an “appointment through a competitive process”. What does that mean?

Appointment through a competitive process means that you have been selected for a position via established procedures including review by a central review body that was established by the Secretary-General or through a competitive examination (such as NCRE or G to P). Field central review bodies were established for peacekeeping operations and special political missions in 2009.

Will there be a certain number of seats available for each Department or Mission?

How will the review be conducted?

Is a “Letter of Reprimand” from a supervisor considered as a disciplinary measure?

No. This is an administrative measure and such measures, as listed in staff rule 10.2 (b), are not equivalent to the disciplinary measures which render staff members ineligible.

Will I be granted a continuing appointment if I meet all the criteria and I am found to be eligible?

The review of eligibility is Phase I of the process. If the number of continuing appointments to be awarded under a given post envelope is larger than the number of eligible staff members then those staff members recommended to be granted continuing appointments will be assessed by OHR to ensure that they continue to meet the following criteria during the entire review period:

(a) have performance rating of at least “Meets expectations” or equivalent

What if I have a temporary appointment in between two fixed-term appointments, would the period on temporary appointment be treated as continuous?

The period of service on a temporary appointment would constitute a break in the continuity of service under a fixed-term appointment, therefore your overall period of service would not be considered continuous. The period of service under a temporary appointment would not count towards the five-years of qualifying service. And the count of qualifying years of service would start counting from the date of your second fixed-term appointment, posterior to the period on temporary appointment.