Fellowship stipends

(1) At the 15th session (1954: CO-ORDINATION/R.162, para. 44) CCAQ, with UNESCO reserving its position, decided to recommend that TAB should establish stipend rates in local currency amounts and not in United States dollar equivalents. It also agreed to advise TAB that the same stipend rates should apply for fellows and scholars, whether paid from the regular funds of the organization or from funds provided under the Expanded Programme.

(2) At the first part of the 16th session (April 1955: CO-ORDINATION/R.193/Rev.1, paras. 16-40) CCAQ discussed a proposal from TAB for a new stipend rate system drawn up by the Technical Fellowship Working Group which met in Geneva in February 1955. The Committee approved the principles for rate-setting proposed by the Working Group, subject to certain changes concerning the definition of travel, which are set out in para. 29 of the above document.

(3) At the 18th session (March 1957: CO-ORDINATION/R/245, paras. 47-48) the Committee approved the report of the inter-agency meeting on fellowship stipends held on 4-8 March 1957 and decided to transmit it to TAB. The report of the inter-agency meeting and the revised schedule of stipend rates were reproduced as Annex III to CCAQ's report.

(4) At the 19th session (1958: CO-ORDINATION/R.264, para. 78) the Committee noted that no difficulties were reported under the new system for the establishment and revision of stipend rates for fellows and scholars through the CCAQ machinery.

(5) At the 20th session (1959: CO-ORDINATION/R.295, para. 82) the Committee approved the inclusion, in the inter-agency stipend system, of "combination" stipend rates in accordance with restrictions recommended in 1958 by the Fellowship Working Group (CO-ORDINATION/R.266). It authorized UN to institute an inter-agency study of small payments outside the standard stipend rate.

(6) At the first part of the 22nd session (January and March 1961: CO-ORDINATION/R.351, para. 40) the Committee, on the basis of an ILO proposal transmitted by TAB, considered the question of uniform calculation of a daily stipend rate for fellows. It decided that such a rate should always be one-thirtieth of the monthly rate regardless of the number of days in the month.

(7) At the 24th session (1963: CO-ORDINATION/R.430, para. 36) CCAQ concurred with a proposal by TAB that when an organization or TAB so requested, the United Nations Office of the Controller should seek the view of the host government concerning the rates of stipend payment which would be appropriate in that country.

(8) At its 25th session (1964: CO-ORDINATION/R.451, paras. 56-60) CCAQ reviewed the stipend system. It agreed that no basic changes were needed. Where, however, fellows obtained free or cheap accommodation at institutions organizations should, wherever possible, after consultation with the governmental or other authorities at the institutions, fix a stipend lower than the normal published rate, though they might well differentiate between the initial thirty days and the subsequent period. Any "institutional rates" established by any organization should be reported to UN Controller, who would circulate the information to other organizations. It was agreed also that participants in short-term training courses, study tours or seminars should not receive stipends but an appropriate subsistence allowance not to exceed the published UN daily rates of such allowances.

(9) At its 27th session (1966) CCAQ agreed (CO-ORDINATION/R.532, para. 46) on certain arrangements regarding Senegalese fellows and other fellows studying in Senegal.

(10) The fixing of subsistence rates for official travel became, in 1975, a function of the International Civil Service Commission by virtue of Article 11(b) of its statute. Since the same basic data serve for the fixing of such rates and stipend rates, and since the staff who dealt with both passed to the ICSC secretariat, CCAQ decided at its Special Session in August 1975 to request the Commission secretariat to assume, in an advisory capacity, the function of establishing stipend rates. The ICSC recommendations would be made to UN which would promulgate them to all organizations (CO-ORDINATION/R.1113, paras. 7 to 9).

(11) At its 53rd session (July 1980: ACC/1980/17, paras. 61-65) CCAQ agreed on new procedures for establishing and reviewing fellowship stipend rates, as recommended by a meeting of fellowship officers held in March 1980. These procedures were as follows: - Reimbursement of cost of minor equipment Taking into account the recent experience of several organizations, the meeting recommended that fellows may be reimbursed up to a maximum of $100 to cover the purchase of minor equipment necessary for their programme of studies. This reimbursement would be made upon the submission of supporting evidence and on the written recommendation of the supervisor. - Study tours Taking into account the increasing number and variety of requests for study tours, and further to the recommendation contained in paragraph 9(e) of document CO-ORDINATION/R.1190 of 11 October 1976, the meeting recommended that UNDP be invited to formulate a definition of study tours for inclusion in the guidelines being prepared for resident representatives. - Review of stipend rates The meeting once again emphasized the need for adequate annual review of stipend rates. In this respect, it recommended that UNDP should ensure that Resident Representatives carry out such reviews in countries where this responsibility is delegated to them (see paragraph 5 of document CO-ORDINATION/R.1025).

(12) On the basis of a report of a meeting of fellowship officers (September 1983) CCAQ agreed at its 60th session (March 1984: ACC/1984/9, paras. 97-100): to increase the thesis allowance to a maximum, as a rule, of $500; to increase the flat rate book allowance to $40 per month effective 1 April 1984. It also agreed to reiterate its position that terminal expenses should be paid to fellows, and organizations which did not already make such payments should review their policy.

(13) The Secretary submitted to both CCAQ(PER) and CCAQ(FB) at their 64th sessions (February-March and March 1986 respectively) a record of the discussion of administrative practices relating to fellowships at a November 1985 meeting of senior fellowship officers. CCAQ(PER) noted that the development of a new methodology for determining stipend rates would require the close involvement of the organizations concerned (UN and UNDP). The request for an increase in the book allowance would need further examination on the basis of additional data (ACC/1986/3, para. 109).

(14) CCAQ(FB) agreed to accept an increase in the book allowance from US$ 40 to US$ 50 per month with effect from 1 April 1986. It requested IAPSU to urge organizations which did not yet do so to participate in the global group policy for the insurance of fellows, in view of the relationship between the number of fellowships insured and the level of the premium. It encouraged the fellowship officers to come forward with concrete proposals concerning the procedures followed for the establishment and review of stipend rates. Different options might be put forward in the proposals, which should include estimates of the potential impact of the changes recommended and information on the rates paid by major donors of trust funds (ACC/1986/4, para. 66).

(15) At its 68th session (February-March 1988: ACC/1988/4, paras. 152, 153) CCAQ(PER) concurred in a revised methodology for fellowship stipend rates, proposed by a meeting of senior fellowship officers; it would link the rates to the daily subsistence allowance through a series of bands of 5 per cent increments. However, foreseeing some difficulties implementing this change, it decided that UN and UNDP should consult further to set a time-frame for implementing the new rates world-wide. (It was later agreed that they would take effect from 1 March 1989.) At the same time CCAQ(PER) agreed that the normal maximum reimbursement for costs related to doctoral dissertations (thesis allowance) be increased from $500 to $750. CCAQ(FB) endorsed the above conclusions (ACC/1988/5, paras. 58-61).

(16) At its 72nd session (February-March 1990) CCAQ(PER) agreed that the monthly book allowance for fellows should be increased from $50 to $60, as recommended by a meeting of senior fellowship officers. The change would take effect on 1 June 1990 (ACC/1990/4, paras, 146, 147). CCAQ(FB) concurred (ACC/1990/5, para. 75).

(17) At its 77th session (July 1992: ACC/1992/23, para. 120-121) the Committee was requested to take note of administrative issues raised in the report of a Senior Fellowship Officers meeting held in March 1992 and to approve an increase in the monthly book allowance from US$60 to US$70, effective September 1992. Since the report also mentioned other entitlements, such as home leave, which required further investigation, CCAQ decided to resolve the matter by correspondence.

(18) At its 82nd session (April 1995: ACC/1995/5, paras. 140-141) CCAQ endorsed recommendations made by the Senior Fellowship Officers meeting in September 1994 to refine the methodology for establishing stipend rates and to revise the payment of termination allowances to provide for a lump sum payment of US$100 for fellowships of up to six months, of US$200 for fellowships up to one year and up to a maximum of US$400 for long-term fellowships, at the discretion of the agency, if warranted by the circumstances of the fellowship, from 1 May 1995.