The Tribunal accepts the motion to withdraw the application on the terms requested. The parties are to be praised for the approach taken in this matter. The Tribunal, on its own motion, decided to anonymize this judgment considering that since the matter was amicably resolved, it was not appropriate for the Applicant’s name to be disclosed in a public document. The Applicant’s motion to withdraw the application is granted and this case is hereby closed, with, as requested, no right of reinstatement.

Receivability; The application is receivable ratione personae. After accepting the offer of employment, the Applicant effectively started to perform the functions of Senior Economic Affairs; Officer, ECE, on 1 May 2017. The Organization thus treated him like a staff member, although he was not eligible to apply and be selected for the position and no letter of appointment was signed. As a result, the Applicant is legitimately entitled to rights similar to those afforded to staff members, for the purpose of being granted access to the internal justice system of the United Nations.; Merits; The...

The Applicant stated in his application that he had not requested management evaluation of the impugned decision. The Applicant cannot now make such request, as it was required to be made 60 days after he was notified of the contested administrative decision (see staff rule 11.2 (c)). That is, 60 days after 18 April 2017, which was the date of the impugned decision. The time to request management review thus expired on 17 June 2017, over a year before the application was made (19 June 2018); Given the Applicant did not seek management evaluation of the contested decision, the Tribunal had no...

Was the Applicant’s candidature given full and fair consideration?; As an international multilateral organization with Member States having different descriptions in respect of academic qualifications, the Organization has a contractual obligation and a duty of care and due diligence towards its staff members to ensure that their candidatures are fairly and properly considered. The use of Anglo-Saxon terms to the apparent exclusion of the terminology used by other educational systems is not consistent with the proper exercise of that duty of care, or of the fair consideration of the Applicant...

Was the Applicant’s candidature given full and fair consideration?; As an international multilateral organization with Member States having different descriptions in respect of academic qualifications, the Organization has a contractual obligation and a duty of care and due diligence towards its staff members to ensure that their candidatures are fairly and properly considered. The use of Anglo-Saxon terms to the apparent exclusion of the terminology used by other educational systems is not consistent with the proper exercise of that duty of care, or of the fair consideration of the Applicant...

The decision the Applicant seeks to impugn cannot be challenged directly before the Tribunal because the Applicant did not yet request management evaluation. Without considering whether the impugned decision is an administrative decision within the definition of art. 2 of the Tribunal’s Statute, the Tribunal finds that it has no jurisdiction to entertain the application. The application is thus not receivable ratione materiae. Further, if the Applicant is seeking an extension of time, by waiver or suspension, to file a request for management evaluation of the decision in respect of her...

The main issue for determination in this matter is whether the advertised job opening was a “recruitment from roster” position, thus barring the Applicant from competing for it. If it was not, a resulting issue to examine would be what remedies, if any, the Applicant is entitled to. The Tribunal noted that in the case at hand, nothing in the vacancy announcement indicated that only candidates from the language or any other roster for that matter were eligible to apply. The Tribunal found that the Organization cannot be permitted to post vacancy announcements and use eligibility requirements...

It was not disputed that the procedural flaws identified by Judgment Rodriguez-Viquez UNDT/2016/030 in respect of the Second Round of the 2013 Promotions Session for candidates for promotion to the P-5 level also vitiated the consideration of candidates to the D-1 level and thus impacted on the Applicant’s chances to be promoted. The Tribunal noted that it was difficult to ascertain the chances that the Applicant had to be promoted but it was uncontested that they were significant. The Tribunal thus rescinded the contested decision. The Tribunal referred to Rodriguez-Viquez whereby the...

The decision did not adversely affect the Applicant The Tribunal referred to its judgment Featherstone UNDT/2015/117 whereby, inter alia, the decision denying the Applicant a conversion of her fixed-term appointment to a permanent appointment was rescinded and the case was remanded to the ASG/OHRM for retroactive individualized consideration of the Applicant’s suitability for conversion of her appointment to a permanent one as mandated by ST/SGB/2009/10. The Tribunal was satisfied that by the decision of 17 November 2016 (the contested decision), the Organization complied with the terms of...

The Tribunal noted that art. 12.3 of its Statute and art. 30 of its Rules of Procedure limit the scope of applications for interpretation to judgments. Neither the Tribunal’s Statute nor its Rules of Procedure contemplate applications for interpretation with respect to orders. The Tribunal therefore found that the present application was not receivable ratione materiae.

The decision not to renew the Applicant’s fixed-term appointment

The Tribunal found that there were no good reasons to depart from the principle of renewal pending completion of a rebuttal process. The Tribunal found that the Applicant’s performance was not fairly evaluated, notably during the third and fourth evaluation cycles. Thus, these performance appraisals could not be relied upon to justify a decision not to renew the Applicant’s fixed-term appointment. As a consequence, the Tribunal found that the third reason for not renewing the Applicant’s fixed-term appointment, namely that she...

If all candidates are treated in the same manner, there is no discrimination. The candidates for the job opening were treated equally with regard to the notice given to scheduling of interviews and taking of the written assessment. This may not have been ideal and represents poor managerial practice, but without evidence in support of any ulterior motive or how the failure to give the five working days’ notice prejudiced the Applicant, the Tribunal does not find that this failure amounted to discrimination per se (see Lennard UNDT/2014/044, at paras. 34 to 37). The definition of an “assessment...

The Tribunal stressed that the Applicant, contrary to his assertion, was not awarded compensation for loss of earnings. He was awarded material damages for his loss of opportunity.; The Tribunal reviewed the paragraph sought to be interpreted and was of the view that the Judgment was comprehensible and clear. The expression “net base salary” was found to be clear and unambiguous and to refer to gross salary minus staff assessment. It does; not include a post adjustment component. The Tribunal also clearly did not provide for the taking into consideration of a possible step increment in the...

The Tribunal noted that the provisions of both the former Staff Rules and the former mobility Administrative Instruction were very clear in that staff members holding temporary appointments are not eligible to receive mobility allowance.; The Tribunal found that the period when the Applicant held temporary appointments could not count towards the requirement of five years’ prior consecutive service.; The Tribunal noted that the Applicant resigned in 2014 from his appointment in the General Service category, which he had held since 1993, and later received successive temporary appointments for...

In circumstances where an applicant is not provided with the whole of the documentation involved in a matter sought to be brought before the Tribunal, it is essential that as material is provided to an applicant there be a right to amend an application. To not allow the amendment of the application would not “do justice to the parties” or “lead to the fair disposal of the case”. Clearly, not permitting an amendment of the application when the true state of affairs is revealed for the first time by the Respondent would offend the inherent obligations of the Tribunal consistent with the...

The Tribunal examined the alleged procedural errors in the appointment of the investigation panel and the conduct of its investigation, before turning to examine the alleged errors in the making of the contested decision itself. Appointment of the panel The Tribunal found that the panel, appointed by a responsible official (the then Executive Director OAJ) who had a conflict of interest, was not constituted in accordance with sec. 5.14 of ST/SGB/2008/5. It was illegal and void ab initio. A decision maker cannot, knowing the basis of a request for recusal, take important steps in a process such...

With respect to the content of judgment Lloret Alcañiz et al., the applicants raised the following question to the Tribunal: Is it the intention of the Tribunal in this Judgment for the Applicants to continue to receive a “dependency rate of salary” after their first dependent child ceases to be dependent and up until their youngest dependent child is no longer recognized as a dependent?; The Tribunal found that the Applicants asked it to go beyond the conclusions of its Judgment in raising ex post facto a question about the interpretation of the former regime, which was not raised nor...

The Tribunal examined the alleged procedural errors in the appointment of the investigation panel and the conduct of its investigation, before turning to examine the alleged errors in the making of the contested decision itself.; Appointment of the panel; The Tribunal found that the panel, appointed by a responsible official (the then Executive Director OAJ) who had a conflict of interest, was not constituted in accordance with sec. 5.14 of ST/SGB/2008/5. It was illegal and void ab initio. A decision maker cannot, knowing the basis of a request for recusal, take important steps in a process...

Administrative leave; The Tribunal noted that the decision letter of 27 July 2017 conveyed that the decision was based on the reputational risk to the Organization in light of the allegations against the Applicant, relating to sexual abuse and exploitation of an underage girl, and on the basis of the available evidence and findings of the investigation report.; The Tribunal was satisfied that the sensitive nature of the allegations, which were sustained by some evidence, justified the Administration’s decision, in its exercise of discretion, to put the Applicant on administrative leave, in...

The Tribunal found that the contested decision in the present case was the High Commissioner’s decision of 17 October 2014, which considered the Applicant’s candidacy for promotion at the P-5 level, notified to the Applicant on 20 October 2014. This decision was not subject to any further review or superseded by a new one.; The Tribunal noted that the decision of 2 March 2015 did not consider the Applicant’s recourse application on the merits as it was filed out of time, which left the original decision of 17 October 2014 undisturbed. The Tribunal therefore found that the decision of 2 March...