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PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE OEA/Ser.G

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES CAAP/GT/RVPP-139/12 add. 1

12 March 2012

COMMITTEE ON ADMINISTRATIVE Original: English

AND BUDGETARY AFFAIRS

Working Group on the Review

of OAS Programs

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NOTE FOR THE INFORMATION OF THE CAAP

ANSWERS BY THE SECRETARIAT FOR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE (SAF)

TO QUESTIONS OF THE MEMBER STATES

REGARDING DOCUMENT CP/CAAP/RVPP-139/12

“PROGRESS REPORT: ELIMINATION OF BACKLOG IN SELECTION COMPETITIONS”


I. Trust Positions

1.  Reduction of Number and Regularization of Levels of Trust Positions

As informed in the CP/CAAP-3096/11 add. 4 rev. 1 “Progress Report on the Comprehensive Human Resource Management Strategy. Phase One” and following the document presented by the Secretary General to the Chair of the Permanent Council “CP/doc.4673/11 Note of the Secretary General to the Chair of the Permanent Council “A strategic Vision of the OAS” the Secretary General shall give priority in assigning trust positions to Secretaries, the Chiefs of Staff of the Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General, the Legal Advisor to the Secretary General, and a small number of Advisors to the Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General.

Additionally the Secretary General will, at his discretion, appoint to trust positions those Directors that, due to the nature of their functions, warrant this type of contract. A competitive recruitment process will be used, when the Secretary General deems it appropriate, to identify candidates for trust positions.

2.  Regulatory Framework to Convert Trust Positions

In regard to the staff members that held a continuing contract prior to being appointed to a trust position, and that were returned to their previous contract on February 1, 2012, Article 21. Trust Personnel. b. Description and Special Provisions. iv. states “a staff member under a continuing contract and who is appointed to a position of trust shall maintain his/her continuing contract status while in the position of trust and, subject to agreement with the Secretary General, may, upon the termination of the trust appointment, be placed under a continuing contract in a non-trust position at the grade he/she had immediately prior to accepting the trust appointment”.

In converting the above mentioned contracts to the contracts previously held by the staff members, the same grade-level of classification has been maintained. Nonetheless, in the event that a staff member sees a reduction in grade, the corresponding post audit will be conducted and a grade-level of classification level will be granted.

With regard to the staff members whose contracts were converted to fixed-term, Series A contracts, Article 40. Selection to Fill Vacant Posts b.i.ii. states: “..The Secretary General may fill the following vacant posts without competition: .. ii.Posts to be filled by staff members under a Series A contract, regardless of the source of funding” . The conversion of the above-mentioned contracts responds to the interest of the GS/OAS to count with the functions and responsibilities that such positions entail.

These positions have been scheduled to be opened to competition once the calendar of competitions in the Regular Fund is finalized in accordance with the competition working plan published by the GS/OAS.

3.  Legal justification for not complying with Staff Rule 104.5

Staff Rule 104.5 a. provides that the post of Directors of the Offices of the General Secretariat shall not be trust positions. However, appointments of trust have been made in few positions. Such appointments respond to the GS/OAS best interest, and have been made based on the authority that the Secretary General has been given to make exceptions to the Staff Rules when he deems it necessary.

4.  Updated Personnel Register

In accordance with Article 47 of the General Standards of the GS/OAS, the General Secretariat currently distributes each quarter to the Member States an electronic copy of the GS/OAS Personnel Register.

As mentioned in the CAAP meeting of February 27th, 2012, the General Secretariat will provide, in the second week of April, an electronic copy of the Personnel Register as of March 31 2012, including information of grade and step.

II. Process of Selection by Competition

1.  Information regarding competitions of positions that have been audited and reclassified and staff members that are eligible for the Continuing Contracts

According to the Staff Rules 102.3 and 103.7, when a position has been reclassified to a higher level, a Special Duties Allowance (SDA) needs to be paid to the staff member occupying that position until such position is opened to competition. Positions that have been audited and reclassified are currently being opened to competition on a first-in first-out basis according to the date the staff member occupying the position reaches 18 months receiving (SDA) as a result of the reclassification.

The reclassified positions have been included in the working plan developed by DHR which estimates to open 160 positions pending to go through competition with regulatory deadline up to April 2014. The implementation of this plan started back in June 2011, it is projected to be completed by the second quarter of 2014, and aims to publish sixteen (16) cases every three months.

In order allow the launching of the next Continuing Contract competition, it has been estimated to take place in the last quarter of 2012. The timing of both competitions has been projected in a way that both can be accomplished effectively and efficiently.

2.  Are there any limitations on the total number of Series B contracts within the General Secretariat?

No, the General Standards do not establish a limit on the total number of Series B contracts within the General Secretariat.

3.  Criteria for appointing an individual to a Series B contract

The criterion is a competitive selection process in accordance to the GS/OAS General Standards which establishes that the following provisions shall govern the selection of staff members to fill vacant posts:

(General Standards) (i) Article 44. Selection to Fill Vacant Posts

c. Any person who has served under Series A contracts financed by the Regular Fund for a total of three years is ineligible to continue serving in the General Secretariat under such contracts, unless that person is selected through competition;

d. All appointments to Series B contracts financed by the Regular Fund shall be made by way of competition in accordance with the external recruitment process, which shall include advertisement of the post on the Internet and a personal interview, either in person or via teleconference, by a panel to the top three candidates applying to a professional post.

4.  Assuming acceptable job performance, is conversion pretty much assured?

No, the selection of personnel of the GS/OAS takes into account a variety of factors in order to recommend one candidate to be appointed to a vacant post. These factors are efficiency, level of education, commitment with continuing education, relevant experience, personal competencies, integrity and professional references of a candidate. Satisfactory job performance is taken into account when assessing the efficiency of a candidate.

5.  Bearing in mind that some job functions are shorter term in nature (e.g., 1-3 years), how does the General Secretariat take this into account when opening up a position for competition?

It does not. According to Article 44 of the General Standards a staff member who has served under Series A contracts financed by the Regular Fund for a total of three years is ineligible to continue serving in the General Secretariat under such contracts, unless he or she is selected through competition. The policy of the GS/OAS is to schedule competitions to coincide with the expiration of the three-year period of service.

6.  Has the General Secretariat ever let go a staff member at the end of his/her Series A contract without being given the opportunity to compete for a Series B contract?

Yes. Due to restructuring in some units of the GS/OAS, lack of funding to finance some contracts and/or unsatisfactory performance of the staff member, some contracts of staff members have not been renewed after their expiration date and, as a result, some staff members have had to leave the organization before competing for a Series B Contract.