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External sources (not reviewed)

[...] speculation that the staff member had a “high” chance of being appointed, a 50 per cent chance of being appointed or even a 10 per cent chance of being appointed; (b) for a procedural error even when the staff member did not suffer any injury as a result of such error; and (c) for violating obligations of courtesy, even though the Dispute Tribunal found that the contested administrative decision was lawful.

[...] [...] victims granted reparations and that women [...]

In accordance with article 11 of the Rules and Regulations, claims are eligible for inclusion in the Register if: (a) the claimant is a natural or legal person; (b) the claimant has substantially met the technical requirements for submitting a claim; (c) the claim is within the jurisdiction of the Register of Damage; (d) the claimant has established a legal interest in the claimed damage; (e) the claimed damage is material; (f) the claimant has established a causal link between the claimed damage and the construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; (g) the claimed damage was in fact sustained; (h) the documents and assertions in support of the claim are substantially consistent; and (i) the claim has been established prima facie, based on the information and documents submitted by the claimant, giving the claimant the benefit of the doubt in appropriate cases and bearing in mind the varying circumstances with regard to title and residency status of claimants.

The additional requirements resulted primarily from: (a) the acquisition of prefabricated facilities, water purification and air conditioning equipment, miscellaneous office equipment, and spare parts and supplies for the new offices and accommodation as a result of the earthquake; (b) the acquisition of additional generators to support power supply in internally displaced persons camps as well as for new contingents deployed immediately following the adoption of Security Council resolution 1908 (2010); (c) the acquisition of additional sea containers for the shipment of the additional equipment to Haiti; (d) the increase in the average cost of diesel fuel to $0.60 per litre compared to the budgeted cost of $0.47 per litre; (e) projected requirements for the settlement of past claims by the Mission fuel supplier, pending the outcome of the Mission legal review; and (f) requirements to provide staff accommodation on a naval vessel following the earthquake.

Despite such challenges, there were many important accomplishments, including: (a) responding to the majority of the claims brought to the Office, including the provision of summary advice (206 instances), to clients in more than 80 countries; (b) closure or resolution of 54 per cent of the 938 cases filed with the Office of Staff Legal Assistance during the year; (c) a high success rate before the Dispute Tribunal; (d) undertaking outreach to staff in the field; and (e) the development of relationships with internal and external partners, including United Nations staff unions and associations, staff-at-large, the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services, the legal offices of the Secretariat and United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, law offices providing pro bono legal counsel, schools and universities.

At Headquarters, various steps have been/are being taken to: (i) strengthen the role of BFC, as the voice of the field at Headquarters, in staffing and resourcing terms; (ii) introduce the functions of regional field office focal points at mid- to senior-GS level, under the authority of the EOs of each sector as primary focal and entry points for the field in each sector; and (iii) enhance cooperation between BFC and ERC in terms of both the political and protocol backstopping of ERC staff for relevant situations encountered in the field and also of the all-important cooperation with National Commissions.