Rest and recuperation travel

(1)     From 1968 to 1981, provisions existed whereby staff members in certain field duty stations where conditions were such that action to obtain relief was warranted, were entitled to rest and recuperation travel to designated leave centres, in years during which they were not entitled to home leave. These provisions were defined by CCAQ until ICSC introduced a scheme for the classification of duty stations according to conditions of life and work in 1980 (see section 10.2). Rest and recuperation leave and travel was accordingly abolished by the Commission with effect from 1 January 1981 (sixth annual report A/35/30, para. 223).

(2)     While this entitlement existed, CCAQ discussed its provisions as follows:

(3) At the eleventh meeting of the HR Network (CEB/2006/HLCM/12, para.59), the inter agency committee that maintained the Inter Agency Framework for Rest and Recuperation proposed a number of small adjustments to entitlements (CEB/2006/HR/11/CRP.2).  These recommendations were endorsed by the HR Network, which requested the CEB Secretariat inform the ICSC accordingly.

(4) At its twentieth session (CEB/2010/HLCM/HR/35, paras.53-54), the HR Network supported the proposed common system framework for rest and recuperation. The Commission decided to recommend to the General Assembly the proposed harmonized Rest and Recuperation Framework (annex VIII) and to encourage organizations to the extent possible to absorb additional costs imposed by the framework within existing resources.

(5) At its 21st session in Paris (CEB/2011/3, paras. 72-86), the Committee thanked the ICSC Vice Chairman for the information provided and expressed its full commitment to work closely together on the transitional arrangements for the harmonization of conditions of service in non-family duty stations and on the framework for Rest and Recuperation (R&R).
At its 21st session (CEB/2011/HLCM/HR/9, paras.44-45), the HR Network agreed to hold a separate discussion to update/revise the current R&R Framework before forwarding to ICSC.

Note: During the separate discussion, it was agreed to make the following revisions:  introducing some flexibility in the 4-6 weeks cycle for the discretion of the Resident Coordinators; discontinuing the 6 month cycle; including health (pandemic) situations; include all capital cities with hardship classification D; introduce the rationale for the use of R&R.  The CEB secretariat would finalize the proposed framework and forward to the ICSC secretariat.

(6) At its twenty second session in Geneva (CEB/2011/HLCM/HR/19, paras. 57-59), the HR Network urged the endorsement of the Rest and Recuperation framework as proposed, knowing that all organizations strongly support it as a critical management tool. The issues of calendar versus working days and more than one R&R destination per duty station will be clarified. To that effect, a corrigendum on calendar/working days, R&R destinations and frequency tables will be provided once agreed with the Network. The Commission decided:
(a)    To promulgate a revised set of criteria for the granting of rest and recuperation travel, and the corresponding frequencies of travel, as shown in annex VIII, with an effective date of 1 January 2012;
(b) To recommend to the General Assembly that the period of authorized absence on rest and recuperation as stipulated in the approved framework (A/65/30, annex XI, para. 2) be amended from five consecutive working days to five consecutive calendar days, plus approved travel time.