VOL. 67, NO. 3 - AAFI-AFICS, Geneva - UNOG

Committee, which had in effect been made two years' earlier, had not been acted upon. He took
responsibility for this oversight. A budget would henceforward be presented to the General Assembly each
year. He nevertheless expressed his surprise that Mr Hanus had criticized this omission at the General
Assembly while not having raised the matter at the Committee's monthly meetings including the most recent
session at which the Committee had approved the statement of accounts for 2007. Mr Hanus was shocked
by the Chairman's intervention; he assured the Assembly that he raised many questions in the Committee in
his area of competence, and that up until that point, he had avoided individual attacks. Moreover, had there
been a budget to discuss, the General Assembly would have been able to cut the contribution to FAFICS ...
Mr Hanus was interrupted on a point of order from Mr John Fraser who called on the President to put an end
to the debate. It was so decided.
5.4 Mr Anthony Ingram expressed the auditors’ appreciation of Mr Narasimhan’s continued willingness
to answer numerous questions with good grace. There were no qualifications to the accounts and he
proposed that the General Assembly approve the Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2007 and the Income
and Expenditure Account for the Year ended on 31 December 2007. This was carried by acclamation.
6. Election of two auditors for 2008
The Assembly was informed that Mr Anthony Ingram was willing to continue, while Mr Robert Yazgi wished
to step down. Mr. André Weber, former Chief of the WMO Finance and Budget Division, had indicated his
willingness to serve as auditor. The Assembly appointed Mr. Anthony Ingram and Mr. André Weber as
auditors for 2008.
7. Any other business
Access by car to UNOG premises
7.1 Mr Anvar raised the question of access to UNOG premises -it was impossible for retirees to enter by
car. It was not a question of ego, but one of dignity. He did not consider this an appropriate way to treat
people who had served devotedly for many years. Retirees, he reflected, did have business at UNOG –to
visit the Staff Mutual Insurance Society, the MEC, GPAFI, the AAFI-AFICS Social Welfare Officer, the bank
and restaurant. He requested AAFI-AFICS to take up the matter with the UNOG management, adopting a
respectful and cooperative approach to ensure that a few parking places be reserved for retirees. Two other
speakers supported Mr Anvar’s views and concerns, mentioning difficulties for the handicapped and
stressing that very few retirees entered UNOG premises on any one day.
7.2 The Chairman of AAFI-AFICS assured the Assembly that this matter remained a serious
preoccupation for the Committee and that continued efforts were made by AAFI-AFICS to obtain car-parking
access of retirees to UNOG premises. As he had already indicated at the 2007 General Assembly, the
situation was becoming worse as 400 of the existing 2000 parking places were being suppressed as they
were considered by UN security specialists at Headquarters in New York to be too close to the walls of the
building and hence a security risk. He confirmed that retirees experiencing difficulty with mobility were
allowed to enter the UNOG premises by car provided they gave sufficient advance warning to Security
service. On the positive side, there were no problems for persons entering on foot.
7.3 Mr Anders Tholle indicated that the forthcoming updated edition of the ‘Guide to Retirement’
contained a new chapter dealing with ‘Access to Premises of International Organizations in Geneva’, 95% of
which was devoted to security at UNOG. Access could be available if not during a major meeting, in the
absence of any threat of violent action against UNOG premises. Practical advice would be to go before 9
a.m. or during lunchtime. Klaus Netter, who shared a previous speaker’s concern about the dignity of
retirees, informed the Assembly that he had obtained that a notice be posted outside the Prégny Gate to
indicate when access by car was not possible. Mr Anvar felt that UNOG should allocate parking places as a
gesture of respect for retirees.
Memorial service for Sergio Vieira de Mello
7.4 The Chairman of the Committee informed the Assembly that a memorial service for Sergio Vieira de
Mello would take place on 17 March 2008 –all serving staff and retirees were invited to attend.
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