CACTUS

Saviez-vous que:

• le 1er mai 2004 est un samedi.
• le 1er août 2004 est un dimanche.
• le 25 et 26 décembre 2004 sont un samedi/dimanche.
• le 1er et 2 janvier 2005 sont un samedi/dimanche.

Pas de jour de congé supplémentaire l’année prochaine ! SUPER !

ROSES

To JW Lee, Director-General of WHO for your letter to a retiring staff member thanking her for her 33 years of service. Your letter brought absolute delight to her. It made her feel appreciated and instead of leaving, as many others have had, without even a polite good-bye from the top, she was able to go through those doors thinking that it was all worthwhile. Your personal words made all the difference to her.

ROSES

To the General Assembly and its Sixth Committee (Legal) You’ve come a long way!

Administration of Justice

At its 57 session (2002), in its Resolution 57/307 the members of the General Assembly agreed that the United Nations Administrative Tribunal (UNAT) should be strengthened through an amendment of its Statute, Article 3.

The amendment would require that the candidates for the Tribunal possess judicial experience in the field of administrative law or its equivalent within the candidate’s national jurisdiction. [what a novel idea!]

United Nations Administrative Tribunal – Article 3 

Provisions in force with effect from 1 January 1998

1. The Tribunal shall be composed of seven members, no two of whom may be nationals of the same State. Only three shall sit in any particular case. (No requirements for experience, legal qualifications or competence)

Provisions in force as of 1 January 2001
1. The Tribunal shall be composed of seven members, no two of whom may be nationals of the same State. Members shall possess the requisite qualifications and experience, including, as appropriate, legal qualifications and experience. Only three members shall sit on any particular case” (As appropriate? What possible condition would require appropriate legal qualifications and experience pray tell?*)

By draft resolution, 2003 on the administration of justice at the UN (document A/C.6/58/l.7) the paragraph would be amended to read:
1. The Tribunal should be composed of seven members, no two of whom may be nationals of the same State. Members shall possess judicial experience in the field of administrative law or its equivalent within the member’s national jurisdiction. Only three members shall sit in any particular case” (better, much better)

* …we have not insisted upon some of our proposals on transforming the members of the Tribunal into judges on a court, nor have we have laid down precise qualifications for their appointment; we have instead simply included reference to the need for them to have the requisite qualifications and experience, including legal qualifications and experience as appropriate. This leaves room for the possibility that appointees with no legal experience, but who have wide experience of the operation of the United Nations system, would not be excluded from membership of the work of the Tribunal. Statement by Ms Alice Burnett, Deputy Legal Adviser, 16 October 2000.