Glossary

Administrative leave is an exceptional status provided for by Staff Rule 10.4 in which a staff member may be suspended from performing his or her functions. A staff member may be placed on administrative leave, subject to conditions specified by the Administrator, at any time from the receipt of an allegation of misconduct and prior to the initiation of an investigation, through the course of an investigation until the completion of disciplinary proceedings as appropriate. Administrative leave can be with pay (ALWP), with partial pay or without pay (ALWOP).

Source: UNDP Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance with UN Standards of Conduct

Unfair treatment or arbitrary distinction based on a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status. Discrimination may be an isolated event affecting one person or a group of persons similarly situated, or may manifest itself through harassment or abuse of authority.

Source: UNDP Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance with UN Standards of Conduct

The process of planning and conducting appropriate lines of inquiry to determine the factual basis of allegations, and, if substantiated, assembling a dossier of evidence to permit a decision at a later stage as to whether formal charges of misconduct should be made against a staff member, or, whether the case should be closed.

Source: UNDP Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance with UN Standards of Conduct
is any person who is not the investigation subject but who cooperates with an investigation, for instance by being interviewed or by providing information. Investigation participants may be staff members cooperating pursuant to Staff Regulation 1.2 (r) and Staff Rule 1.2 (c), or non-staff and third persons who provide relevant information.

Source: UNDP Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance with UN Standards of Conduct
A member of the Office of Audit and Investigations (OAI) or a person authorised by OAI to conduct an investigation related to cases of allegations of wrongdoing. An investigator may also be a person authorised directly by the Secretary-General or the Administrator in certain cases, to conduct an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing.

Source: UNDP Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance with UN Standards of Conduct

The failure by a staff member to comply with his or her obligations under the Charter of the United Nations, the Staff Regulations and the Staff Rules or other relevant administrative issuances, or to observe the standards of conduct expected of an international civil servant. Such a failure could be deliberate (intentional, or wilful act), or result from an extreme or aggravated failure to exercise the standard of care that a reasonable person would have exercised with respect to a reasonably foreseeable risk (gross negligence) or from a complete disregard of a risk which is likely to cause harm (recklessness).

Source: UNDP Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance with UN Standards of Conduct

Retaliation is any direct or indirect detrimental action recommended, threatened or taken against an individual because that individual engaged in a “Protected Activity” as defined in the UNDP Policy for Protection against Retaliation. Interim and permanent protective measures may also be implemented to ensure the victim of retaliation is shielded from current or future threats or acts of retribution. However, the legitimate application of regulations, rules or administrative policies, issuances or procedures, or the mere expression of disagreement, admonishment, criticism or a similar expression regarding work performance, conduct or related issues within a supervisory or similar relationship, do not constitute Retaliation. Retaliation is itself a separate act of misconduct and a violation of the UNDP Policy for Protection against Retaliation.

Source: Protection against Retaliation , UNDP Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance with UN Standards of Conduct

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.

Source: Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation (ST/SGB/2003/13 )