Now that R&R for peacekeeping and special political missions are harmonized with the rest of the UN common system, how is it decided which duty stations will have R&R (and what the cycle will be)? Will missions still be able to send in their recommendation?
Administrative instruction ST/AI/2011/7 on “Rest and recuperation” details the rules on R&R.
It is possible that a family duty stations could be designated for rest and recuperation purposes. However, only the staff member would be entitled to rest and recuperation travel. There is no entitlement for R&R travel for family members.
While travel will be provided to the R & R destination, staff members may choose to travel to any other location, however any additional costs of the deviation would be at the staff member’s expense. Where UN transportation is provided to the designated R & R location, any travel to another location would be entirely at the staff member’s own expense.
The harmonized rest and recuperation scheme for international staff as well as international UN Volunteers includes:
Paid travel by the least expensive and most direct route to a designated R & R location. Where UN transportation is available, it will be provided to staff free of charge and no payment for travel costs will apply.
Five consecutive calendar days not charged to annual leave and an appropriate number of calendar days for travel time to the designated R & R location.
R & R cycles and designations are harmonized within the UN common system.
The official R & R destination is normally a location nearby the duty station that is suitable for R & R purposes in terms of cost and convenience of transportation. The Organization’s designation of rest and recuperation destinations takes into consideration the availability of United Nations transportation.
The R & R destinations, as well as the R & R designations and cycles, will be determined by an interagency group comprised of representatives from the UN and the UN agencies, funds and programmes with a field presence.
Where the UN provides free transportation from the duty station approved for rest and recuperation purposes to the designated rest and recuperation destination and the staff member decides to travel to an alternative destination, there will be no payment expenses by the Organization.
Where UN transportation does not exist and the staff member chooses to travel to a location other than the official R&R destination, the staff member may still receive the air ticket to the designated destination.
The Organization will pay for travel on R & R by the least expensive and most direct route from the duty station to the designated place of rest and recuperation. The Organization may purchase a ticket or provide a lump sum equivalent to the air ticket price. Where a staff member chooses to go to a destination different to the designated location for R & R, the financial liability of the Organization will be equal to the cost of the air ticket to the designated location.
As of 1 July 2011, the rest and recuperation scheme includes five consecutive calendar days not charged to annual leave and an appropriate number of calendar days for travel time to the R & R destination. Travel days are counted as calendar days.
