The purpose of family leave is to allow eligible staff members a period of time in the event of a family-related requirement. Family leave is a justification for leave, not an additional amount of leave. It expands the acceptable justification for taking uncertified leave without increasing the overall amount of leave.
Family visit travel provides periodic family visits for eligible staff residing alone at their duty station provided they meet the conditions set out in the Family Visit policy.
The purpose of the fellowship programme is to:(a) Provide students, recent graduates, mid-career professionals from diverse backgrounds, including those working in and affiliated to academic institutions, and other individuals forming part of talent groups, including under-represented groups, with exposure to development issues and first-hand experience of the day-to-day work of UNDP;(b) Provide UNDP with additional skills and expertise to support its activities and mandate; and(c) For fellowships sponsored by a Sponsoring Entity, provide Sponsoring Entities with insight into UNDP and its work. Fellowships can be classified in both Sponsoring Entity Fellowships (as defined below) and UNDP Corporate Fellowships and UNDP Corporate Fellowships. In the case of Sponsoring Entity Fellowships, Fellows will be identified through collaboration between UNDP and the Sponsoring Entity. In the case of UNDP Corporate Fellowships, the selection of the Fellow will be done by UNDP based on the eligibility criteria detailed in the Fellowship Project/Programme Document governing the specific fellowship initiative.
A fellowship is a specific training activity for a qualified individual, referred to as a fellow. The individual is entitled to payment of a stipend. .
Contain records originating from, or received by, the organization in written or printed form as well as documents generated by the computer and electronic forms.
The responsibility of anyone handling resources, public office or any other position of trust, to report on and be held responsible for the intended and actual use of the resources or of the designated office. This includes ensuring transparency in the process and procedures to achieve that obligation. Administrative accountability encompasses critical systems of internal control that complement and ensure the proper functioning of checks and balance, including financial ones. These include international civil service standards and incentives, ethics codes, criminal penalties, and administrative review.
The Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement (FAFA) governs our partnership with the European Commission (EC), for the implementation of the European Union (EU) budget. Each EU contribution comes with a contribution-specific agreement signed between UNDP and the EU representatives (in the Country or in Brussels). The agreement sets out the specific reporting requirements.
The purpose of this Policy and related guidance below is to assist UNDP personnel designated to file a Financial Disclosure statement in complying with their obligations to avoid personal interests and/or holdings that may, or may appear to, interfere with the performance of their official duties and responsibilities, or adversely influence the integrity, independence and impartiality required by their status as UNDP personnel.
A Finance Lease is a capital lease that transfers substantially all the risks and rewards incidental to ownership of an asset. Title may or may not eventually be transferred, even though UNDP does not hold legal title during the duration of the lease
A financial record is a document either physical or electronic, which creates either: a liability and its settlement; an asset and its liquidation; a receivable; a payment; a record of a deposit
For the purpose of this AML/CFT Policy, Financing of Terrorism or Terrorist Financing (“FT”) is defined as engaging with, contracting or providing support to individuals or entities that appear on the United Nations Security Council Consolidated Sanctions List.
For the purpose of this AML/CFT Policy, Financing of Terrorism or Terrorist Financing (“FT”) is defined as engaging with, contracting or providing support to individuals or entities that appear on the United Nations Security Council Consolidated Sanctions List.
Fixed Asset Management is the process of safeguarding, maintaining, managing and accounting for PP&E, Finance Leases and Intangibles used and controlled by UNDP. Property Plant and Equipment / Fixed Asset and Asset are used interchangeably to represent the same group of assets. Fixed Asset Management is the process of safeguarding, maintaining, managing and accounting for PP&E, Finance Leases and Intangibles used and controlled by UNDP.
Forced labour refers to all work or service which is exacted by a vendor from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered themself voluntarily
UNDP programming comprises the planning, implementation, reporting and evaluation of development results achieved with partners through UNDP support. A UNDP programme is a plan for effectively contributing to outcome level development results through UNDP’s project modalities: development projects, the engagement facility and development services.
Forwarding agents, known also as freight forwarders or freight brokers, act as international freight forwarders, clearing agents or custom brokers to carry out the formalities and operations of consignment. Generally employed to receive consigned goods where UNDP staff may not be physically present, forwarding agents engage in the prompt clearance and collection of goods vulnerable to loss and pilferage. Business Units should forward to the respective forwarding agent all necessary documents (i.e., bill of lading, shipping instructions) for the release of goods in transit.
Foundations include non-for-profit institutions with the stated purpose and delineated source of income that provide grants or run programs. Sources of foundations’ assets include endowments, earned income, combination of public and private fundraising, trusts, family donations, community donations, and religious, corporate and other emerging sources like crowdsourcing. Other avenues for philanthropic giving include: donor-advised funds, direct giving, high-net-worth individuals, giving circles and others.
The UNSMS Framework of Accountability (FoA) reflects the roles and responsibilities of all actors of the UNSMS for which they will be held accountable and provides clear guidance on how to ensure the goal of the UNSMS is met. . The UNDP Security Framework of Accountability documents individual roles, responsibilities and accountabilities related to the security of UNDP personnel, assets, premises and operations.
It is any act or omission, including a misrepresentation, whereby a vendor knowingly misrepresents or conceals a fact (a) in order to obtain an undue benefit or advantage (not limited to financial) or to avoid an obligation for itself, or a third party, and/or (b) in such a way as to cause an individual or entity to act, or fail to act, to his, her or its detriment.
This invoice is one that has been matched; has a valid budget status; and is posted. A voucher need only have valid budget status to be recorded in KK.
The definition of fund level co-financing is a donor contribution to a trust fund where the contribution is not tied to a project. Because the donor contribution is not tied to a project a trust fund manager must be designated, who is responsible for managing the fund resources including the allocation of resources to projects.
The language allowance (LA) is a monetary incentive meant to encourage staff members in the learning and use of the various official languages of the United Nations. The LA recognizes, through a cash payment, the proven ability to function, orally and in writing, in more than one official UN language.
In instances of collaborative procurement, or when more than one Agency is involved in a specific procurement action which results in allegations that the vendor has been involved in Proscribed Practices, the relevant Agencies will choose a “Lead Agency” to represent them all in data gathering and analysis, investigation, and the sanctions proceedings against the vendor. The Agencies involved shall decide amongst themselves which is to act as the Lead Agency for the particular case. The Lead Agency will normally be the Agency (a) most directly impacted by the vendor’s activities and the Proscribed Practice(s); and/or (b) with the most resources at its disposal. All involved Agencies will collaborate with the Lead Agency. The Lead Agency will apply its own regulations, rules, policies and procedures to its activities in this regard.
A Lease is “an agreement whereby the lessor (landlord) conveys to the lessee (UNDP) in return for a payment or series of payments the right to use an asset for an agreed period of time”.
Letter of transmittal contains payment instructions transcribed on UNDP letterhead; the letter is signed by two authorized signatories and delivered to the bank for execution.
The UNDP CO and/or the national government have adequate capacity to respond to the crisis but require only a one-time injection of additional support without any need for exceptional temporary measures at regional or corporate levels.
For situations that can be managed by the CO with some additional ad hoc support as needed from HQ. The CO manages all aspects of the response with the regular backstopping support arrangements from HQ.
The capacity of the UNDP CO and/or affected national government is inadequate without a significant scale-up of capacity to respond to the crisis. Any crisis that severely affects UNDP personnel or facilities will automatically be designated at least a Level 2 crisis.
For situations that require large-scale, day-to-day organizational support. The CO manages the response with expanded support from HQ in the form of a CB that directs the response, and the HQ SURGE Management Team that takes responsibility for day-to-day management of the support to the CO and reports to the CB.
The crisis significantly outstrips the capacity of the CO and/or the national government, requiring an exceptional level of corporate support, given the scale, complexity or urgency that may pose a serious reputational risk to the organization.
The difference between current assets and current liabilities. In the specific context of UNDP, this shall normally be taken to mean the sum of working capital and reserves.
The risk that an asset cannot be converted easily and rapidly into cash without a substantial loss of value. A security (i.e. investment) is deemed to be liquid if the spread between bid (buy side) and asked (sell side) prices is narrow and reasonable amounts of purchases and sales can occur at those prices.
Movement of a staff member from one organization to another for a limited period, normally not exceeding one year, during which the staff member will be subject to the administrative supervision of the receiving organization but will continue to be subject to the staff regulations and rules of the releasing organization. Depending on the agreement with the receiving organization, the receiving organization will either reimburse UNDP for all costs related to the loan or UNDP may agree to the loan being non-reimbursable, meaning that all costs related to the assignment are borne by UNDP. Loans for six months or will normally be granted with a specific lien to the position of the staff member. For longer periods approval is normally granted on a general lien basis
A.K.A. Non-standard ad-hoc services. Type of service for which cost recovery is required. Those services specific to a CO and requested by a UN Agency on an ad-hoc basis (not included in the UPL). Because the type and scope of service differ each time, these services cannot be standardized and need to be agreed on individually between the CO and the requesting UN Agency. The cost of these services is determined by the CO based on the True Hourly Cost Methodology. Costed locally based on local hour rates. The service fee for any non-standard services is be negotiated on an ad-hoc basis between each concerned UNDP country Office and the Agency receiving the service.
In addition to the standard services contained within the UPL, UNDP is often requested to provide additional services that are not standardized across different country offices or included in the UPL. As in the past the provision of ad hoc or non-standard services should be agreed upon locally, subject to capacity and pricing considerations in-country prior to the provision of services. To recover the full costs of these services, the UNDP Office can establish a Local Price List (LPL) for recurrent services, to be negotiated and agreed to locally by participating Agencies in advance of the service provision. A separate tool is available to facilitate local price formulation, the negotiation of which is the responsibility of the concerned UNDP office with the requesting agencies/UNCT. The cost drivers, as indicated under UPL above, should be reflected in the LPLs.
Low code is a software development method that allows colleagues to create fully featured applications with minimal coding. With low-code, non-technical users utilize visual point-and-click tools to build, modify and deploy custom software. At the same time, programmers and tech-savvy professionals can extend applications by injecting code. Microsoft PowerApps is an example of such Low Code development platform. Other low code platforms, namely Oracle VBCS, Salesforce APEX, and ServiceNow App Engine, which will be opened up to UNDP Business Units after Quantum implementation.
UNDP defines low-value grants (also known as micro-capital grants) as cash awards - selected via programmatic decisions - to civil society and non-governmental partners intended to generate and solicit development solutions for which no repayment is typically required.
The purpose of the safe driving bonus (SDB) is to financially compensate drivers with an additional one week’s net salary at the end of each year for performing accident-free and safe driving functions on a regular basis, subject to the following conditions: a) The driver has worked for the UNDP office since 1 January of that year; b) The driver has not been involved in any automobile accident considered to be his/her fault during the entire year; c) The driver has not been convicted of any traffic violation, such as reckless driving or going through a red traffic light, during the year. At the discretion of the Resident Representative, fines for improper parking need not be considered as a traffic violation for this purpose.
The purpose of a within-grade salary increment from one step to the next higher step within the established salary scale is to award a staff member an increase in salary for satisfactory performance and conduct during a qualifying period. The qualifying period is one year, except for movement to longevity steps as specified in the respective salary scale. For staff at or above P-2 step 12, P-3 step 14, P-4 step 13, P-5 step 11, D-1 step 5, and all steps at D-2, the qualifying period is two years. Award of the increment is subject to confirmation of the staff member’s satisfactory performance in his/ her assignments and conduct as evaluated by his/her supervisor(s) and documented in UNDP’s performance evaluation mechanism; and to the existence of a higher step within the staff member’s current grade in the respective salary scale.
An administrative determination, including any measures or rehabilitative requirements, as determined and applied by the CPO as a result of a Vendor being involved in Proscribed Practices. Potential sanctions include: censure, debarment, other possible sanctions.
The document included in this ITB which lists the goods required by UNDP, their specifications, the related services, activities, tasks to be performed, and other information pertinent to UNDP’s receipt and acceptance of the goods.
Scheduled audit: These refer to systematic and independent examination of data, statements, records, operations and performances of a partner. A scheduled audit is either an internal control audit which is conducted for Partners which are rated “Low” risk and “Medium” risk or a financial audit which should be conducted for all other Partners including non-assessed Partners.
Secondment: Movement of a staff member from one organization to another for a fixed period, normally not exceeding two years, during which the staff member will normally be paid by and be subject to the staff regulations and rules of the receiving organization, but will retain his or her rights of employment in the releasing organization. The period of secondment may be extended for a further fixed period by agreement among all the parties concerned. Secondments are generally granted with a general lien to the organization.
Refers to the financial contribution to a government budget, managed in a national account by a government entity for a specific set of sector or programme results.
It is mandatory for United Nations system personnel and eligible family members to obtain security clearance for all official travel, regardless of location, and they cannot commence official travel without obtaining it except in compelling cases, where insufficient time is available such as during periods requiring immediate medical evacuation or other life-threatening situation. For the purpose of this policy, official travel includes official home leave or other entitlement travel where the cost of travel is borne by organizations of the United Nations system. This applies regardless of whether official travel is undertaken by air, sea, land, or any combination thereof.
The senior most UNDP staff member at the country level (typically the RR) will represent UNDP at the Security Management Team (SMT). The next most senior UNDP staff member should be appointed as an alternate SMT member for periods when the RR is performing the functions of Designated Official (DO)6 ad interim or away on leave. Members of the SMT are responsible for supporting the DO in discharging their mandate related to the safety and security of all UN personnel, premises and assets.
Segregation of duties is anchored in UNDP financial regulation 20.02 and is a keystone control that helps UNDP safeguard its assets and mitigate the risk of fraud and error. Segregation of duties is based on ensuring that no one staff member can: (i) have custody of assets; (ii) authorize and approve the use of assets; and (iii) record and report assets.
UNDP selects one implementing partner for each project in consultation with the government coordinating agency. This is also the case for project portfolios; one implementing partner is selected for each project within the portfolio, while more than one implementing partner can be part of a portfolio (directly and nationally implemented projects may be part of the same portfolio). In multi-country and South-South projects, one implementing partner can be selected per country.
For UN Agencies who do not use Quantum (the “non-Quantum Agencies”), a dedicated Service Clearing Account (SCA) is established for each Agency. Through the SCA, all global prefunding received from UN Agencies are recorded, and all services provided by UNDP Offices to these UN Agencies are recorded. A dedicated Service Clearing Account is not applicable to Quantum Agencies (UNFPA, UN Women, UNU, UNCDF, UNV, UNITAR).
The service contract (SC) is a modality for hiring individuals under a non-staff contract. The SC is a decentralized contracting instrument, which is cost effective and flexible for use only by UNDP country offices and regional centres outside of Headquarters. The SC is not for use in HQ duty stations and Liaison Offices e.g. New York, Geneva, London, Madrid, Montreal, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Brussels, Copenhagen, Geneva, Tokyo and Washington. Payment under the SC is based on services satisfactorily provided in accordance with the terms of reference under the SC. The payment terms can be based on (i) all-inclusive lump-sum monthly payments, where cash payments are included for pre-existing social security as described in the Section on Social Security Arrangements below or (ii) monthly remuneration with provision of a local social security scheme where applicable and legally feasible.
The entire scope of tasks and deliverables requested by UNDP under an RFP, or the scope of tasks related or ancillary to the completion or delivery of the goods, as required by UNDP under the ITB or RFQ.
The purpose of the settling-in grant is to provide eligible staff members reasonable financial support for relocation on initial appointment or reassignment to a new duty station. It is the total compensation payable by the Organization towards costs incurred by the eligible staff member and his or her family members as a result of an appointment or reassignment involving relocation, as well as any pre-departure expenses that the staff member may incur as a result. The settling-in grant enters into force on 1 July 2016, and replaces the former Assignment Grant which is discontinued as of that date. 3. The grant consists of two elements: a) a Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) portion; b) a lump-sum portion
For the purposes of the present bulletin, the term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.
Refers to all forms of inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature committed by an employee, officer, adviser, or representative of a vendor, with the knowledge of that Vendor.
Sexual Harassment is a form of harassment and is any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favour, verbal or physical conduct or gesture of a sexual nature, or any other behaviour of a sexual nature that has or that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offense or humiliation. Sexual harassment may result in an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment or is made a condition of employment. Sexual harassment normally implies a series of incidents. However, a one-time incident could fall within the definition of sexual harassment if it has an unambiguously offensive sexual character. Staff members with any gender identity can be either the injured party or the offender.
Shortcuts limit time for bidding and inappropriate issue expressions of interest or requests to quote. Risks of fraud rise dramatically, as both suppliers and UNDP personnel act on insufficient information. This is a critical risk especially in emergency situations.
Staff members who are unable to perform their duties due to illness or injury, or whose attendance is prevented by public health requirements, may be granted sick leave under United Nations Staff Rule 6.2 and in accordance with the provisions of this policy document. For sick leave specifically related to injury or illness that is considered to be attributable to the performance of official duties on behalf of UNDP, in addition to the relevant provision of the Sick Leave policy document, Appendix D of the UN Staff Rules applies. Staff members are responsible for informing their supervisors and HR focal points/leave monitors promptly of absence due to injury or illness to enable timely entry into the UNALL HR e-Services module. Certified sick leave will be granted only on the basis of a medical certificate or report from a medical practitioner licensed to practice where the certificate or report is issued, except in cases of uncertified sick leave as detailed in paragraphs 6 and 7.
Signatories are staff who have been designated by the Treasurer to operate UNDP bank accounts. The Signatory Panel for any UNDP bank account is made up of those individuals designated by the Treasurer or under the delegated authority, by the Resident Representative to operate that UNDP bank account.
The signatory is a person who can be uniquely identified and linked to an electronic signature and who has the sole control over the password-authentication key related to the electronic signature. An electronic signature can only be attributed to the person that owns and places the electronic signature in a record and is not attached to the function occupied by the signatory at the time of the placing of the signature. Since the electronic signature is personal, it cannot be shared.
We can define significant purchases as those that are of high relative expenditure and/or for which supply is difficult to secure. The relative expenditure of goods and services is defined as their cost relative to the total purchasing expenditure of the business unit or agency. For UNDP, a transaction of 100,000 USD or more is considered a significant purchase.
UNDP programmes and projects adhere to the objectives and requirements of the Social and Environmental Standards (SES). The SES objectives are to: (a) strengthen the quality of programming by ensuring a principled approach; (b) maximize social and environmental opportunities and benefits; (c) avoid adverse impacts to people and the environment; (d) minimize, mitigate, and manage adverse impacts where avoidance is not possible; (e) strengthen UNDP and partner capacities for managing social and environmental risks; and (f) ensure full and effective stakeholder engagement, including through a mechanism to respond to complaints from project-affected people.
A staff member (other than a TA) who is temporarily (i.e. for a period not exceeding one year) assigned to a higher level post, or is temporarily required to perform higher level functions while remaining on his/her current post may be granted a non-pensionable Special Post Allowance (SPA) after completion of 3 months of continuous service at the higher level functions, subject to confirmation in writing by the supervisor that the staff member is indeed performing at the higher level. The reason for the three-month grace period is that, from time to time and as part of their normal duties, staff may be expected to temporarily assume higher level functions (during periods of absence, for instance). However, (i) when a staff member is temporarily assigned to a post more than one level above their personal grade or to a different category or (ii) when the temporary assignment is in a D or E hardship category, SPA may be granted by the supervisor with immediate effect and will not have to wait three months provided that the supervisor confirms that the staff member is performing all the responsibilities attached to the higher position.
Categories of costs of a cross-cutting nature that (a) involve material capital
investments, or (b) do not represent a cost related to the management activities of the organization.
Periodic on-site reviews (spot checks) are performed to assess the accuracy of the financial records for cash transfers to the IP and the status of programme implementation (through a review of financial information), and to determine whether there have been any significant changes to internal controls. The spot check is not an audit hence, the extent of expenditure testing is generally lower than what would be undertaken during an audit. Spot checks should be completed prior to the operational and financial closure of the project to ensure supporting documents are still available for review and any adjustments required in Quantum are made.
Spouse or partner: an individual whose personal status has been recognized as such for purposes of United Nations entitlements, or where that status is legally recognized as such under the laws where the marriage or partnership was formed.
In order to avoid inequalities in the level of taxation between staff members of different nationalities, a uniform amount of tax (i.e., staff assessment) is levied by the United Nations and only the resulting net amount is paid to the staff member. Like most national income tax scales, the scale of staff assessment is progressive, i.e., the higher the salary, the higher the percentage rate of assessment. The amount of the staff assessment is credited to the Tax Equalization Fund. 3. Those Member States that do not impose income tax on UN earnings receive a portion of the Tax Equalization Fund as an offset against their assessments for the UN regular budget, peacekeeping, and tribunal budgets. When staff members have to pay national income taxes on their UN earnings, they are reimbursed from the Tax Equalization Fund irrespective of the total amount of staff assessment deducted from their salaries.
Unified and approved approach to achieve highest integration with overall UNDP IT infrastructure and services. UNDP will consider standards as the most commonly used solution across the organization and therefore all future solutions will be aligned and based on standard configurations. It is strongly recommended that all offices use these standards as the base for their IT infrastructure and services.