A. International Travel
(i) General
18. (a) The official travel of fellows begins and ends in the capital of the home country or the city nearest the fellow’s home where there is an international airport. The fellows or their Governments must bear the cost of travel between their home and the capital or the nearest international airport.
(b) The travel arrangements should be undertaken in consultation with the responsible official acting on behalf of the fellow’s Government in all matters connected with the award; the official’s name is given in the travel and payment instructions (TPI).
(c) Tickets for travel to the reporting office will be provided by the fellow’s Government or by UN/DESA, as indicated in the travel and payment instructions (TPI).
(d) If the Government is to provide tickets, this will be arranged through the official designated in the TPI.
(e) If the tickets are to be provided by UN/DESA, fellows will be informed by a travel agency or airline in their country, through the office of the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme, where they are to be collected. Fellows should never purchase their own tickets for international travel, unless specifically instructed to do so by UN/DESA.
(f) Travel reservations should be made, in consultation with the designated official of the fellow’s Government, for departure on the date indicated as the first day of the award, so that the fellows may
arrive at their reporting office on the date entered under “date of arrival” in the travel and payment
instructions (TPI).
(g) If a programme involves visits to more than one host country, fellows should not, for the initial travel, make reservations beyond the first host country. Reservations for subsequent travel can be made in due course, after the fellows’ arrival in the first host country, and when the date of departure for the subsequent host country is known. The same rule applies if there are more than two host countries.
In cases where fellows are instructed to report first to the UN/DESA Headquarters in New York, they
should make travel reservations only as far as New York.
(h) Well in advance of leaving one host country for another, fellows must ensure that the supervising agency of the next host country is informed, by cable, of their date and mode of travel and if they require accommodation. The name and address of the person to whom fellows are required to report to in each host country will be included in the travel and payment instructions (TPI).
(i) Travel arrangements other than those specified by UN/DESA will not be accepted unless agreed to in advance by UN/DESA. Travel at UN/DESA expense must be arranged by the most direct and economic route. Fellows are required to travel by air, tourist or economy class.
(j) In cases where air travel is impractical or not available, fellows will be authorized to travel by rail or by ship. In this event, the following modes of travel apply:
– Train (international travel) — first class, with double-type sleeper for night journeys of more than six hours;
– Ship — the standard immediately below first class on the ship selected.
(k) At the end of their fellowship, fellows may return home by sea under the following conditions:
(i) The unused air ticket must be endorsable to a shipping company. If the ticket is not so endorsable, fellows must surrender the unused ticket for reimbursement to the UN/DESA and pay the entire cost of the sea travel themselves. They can then claim reimbursement, but only up to the amount recovered by UN/DESA for the return portion of their tickets;
(ii) The passage must be booked through the official U.N. Travel Agency or its representatives;
(iii) Any savings resulting from a change in the mode of travel or in the itinerary must accrue to UN/DESA and cannot be applied to offset other expenses;
(iv) Fellows agree to pay all costs in excess of the value of their unused return tickets.
(l) If the return voyage is not made by air, stipend is not payable for the extra time spent in sea or surface travel. Stipend is paid only from the first to the last day of the award, and these dates are established to include travel time from, and to, the home country by the most direct air route. Travel time cannot exceed two days each way.
(m) Whenever possible, the return ticket will be held by the United Nations in New or by the supervising authority. Fellows are requested to inform UN/DESA, well ahead of time, of the date of their return travel, in order that their final entitlements may be established prior to their departure for the home country.
(ii) Visas
19. (a) Fellows are responsible for obtaining their own passports and visas, including transit visas which may be necessary to permit travel from the home country to the country or countries of study and return. A visa for the United States covering several days stay in New York for briefing purposes may also be needed.
(b) Fellows must ensure that their passports and/or re-entry permits will remain valid for at least
one month beyond the end of the planned period of study.
(c) Applications for entry visas to the country or countries of study should contain the following
information:
(i) Duration of the award;
(ii) A statement to the effect that the applicant was officially nominated by his/her Government, and has been awarded a UN/DESA fellowship;
(iii) A statement to the effect that in the host country, the fellow will be under the supervision of a governmental or para-governmental agency, or of a university or other academic institution.
(d) If required, the travel and payment instructions (TPI) may be accompanied by letters of introduction to the relevant consulates and embassies or by the necessary visa forms. The fellow’s Government is, however, responsible for assistance in securing in advance the necessary passports and visas for all travel connected with the fellowship.
(e) The fellow’s Government is also responsible for any expenses involved in obtaining passports and visas before the fellow’s departure. If visas are required during the course of a fellowship, UN/DESA will reimburse the cost of such visas.
(iii) Pocket money for outward journey; currency regulations
20. (a) Fellows will need some pocket money in convertible currency for use on the outward journey, and on arrival at their first destination, to cover minor expenses at the airport, bus or taxi fare into town, telegrams, telephone calls, etc. Fellows are urged to obtain before departure a small amount of convertible currency to meet such expenditures; these expenses are not reimbursable by the United
Nations.
(b) Before departure, fellows should make inquiries regarding the currency regulations of the country or countries of study, particularly concerning the amount of currency allowed to be carried. National authorities can be strict in this matter, and UN/DESA cannot be held responsible for any loss fellows may incur through disregard of currency regulations.
(iv) Baggage
21. (a) No excess baggage allowance is provided by the United Nations;
(b) All excess baggage must be shipped at the fellows’ expense, whether sent by air or by surface;
(c) In lieu of an excess baggage allowance, fellows will be provided with a termination allowance (see “Termination Allowance,” para. 35).
(d) Fellows are urged to insure their baggage for the duration of their absence from the home
country. The necessary arrangements can be made through any worldwide travel agency. The cost of
such insurance — which is not expensive — is not reimbursable by UN/DESA.
(v) Accommodation
22. (a) Accommodation can be arranged by the reporting office, if requested, and fellows will be advised of the action taken prior to their departure from their home countries.
B. Local Travel
23. If it is necessary to make any journeys in connection with the fellowship programme, such journeys must be approved in writing by the fellows’ supervising authority before any reimbursement of the costs can be made by UN/DESA. Whenever possible, arrangements are made by UN/DESA to provide fellows beforehand with the necessary tickets. Travel by private car is subject to prior authorization by UN/DESA, and reimbursement for such travel is made in accordance with United Nations financial rules. Detailed information on the subject of travel in the country or countries of study will be given to fellows during their briefing in New York or by the supervising authority.