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

international civil servants. The library, located in the AFICS-New York offices in the DC-1 building and
managed by a librarian is open each first Wednesday of the month. Members of the library pay a deposit of
$10 each time a book is borrowed.
A Fall Luncheon
A crowd of some 125 AFICS members turned up for the Association’s fall luncheon on 13 November 2007. It
was held at the “Byblos Restaurant” a few streets down from the UN on Manhattan’s East side. The menu
was Middle Eastern cuisine and the participants were entertained by a most gracious belly dancer. AFICS-
New York President Andrés Castellanos paid tribute to the United Nations Federal Credit Union, which was
celebrating its 60 th anniversary. The UNFCU was represented by its Chairman of its Credit Board, Thomas
Bieler. A. Castellanos stressed the major significance of the Credit Union and the excellent relations that
AFICS and the UNFCU had enjoyed over the years. Another guest at this luncheon was Mrs. Dulcie Bull,
Director of Operations of the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund, who has become a member of AFICS-NY in
anticipation of her retirement from service on 30 April 2008 (AFICS-NY-Bulletin-January 2008).
AFICS-LEBANON
The security situation in Lebanon is affecting the functioning of AFICS in Beirut. The Association has been
granted office facilities in a building in the Southern part of Beirut known as “UN House”. But most offices
located in that building have been moved to different locations in Beirut. Therefore the AFICS Office was
forced to reduce its activities, as tight security measures around “UN House” made it nearly inaccessible to
most members. The Association’s annual dinner which usually takes place during the summer or early
autumn had to be postponed indefinitely. (AFICS-Lebanon-Newsletter-February 2008)
UNPA-NEW DELHI CELEBRATES ITS 30 YEARS
An Association created initially to contest – successfully – income tax on pensions
The United Nations Pensioners’ Association (UNPA) celebrates its 30 th anniversary in 2008. UNPA came
into being in 1978. In an informal note, its founder President, Dr. P.M. Kaul had recorded: “I recall that we
started off in 1978 with a small group of 14 members. This first informal meeting was held in the Board Room
of “Messrs Walker, Chandiok & Co”, Chartered Accountants, located at Connaught Circus, New Delhi.” A
couple of the then recently retired UN pensioners were clients of this firm. They used to meet there for filing
their tax returns. They used to discuss making a joint representation for obtaining exemption from income
tax.
Dr. Kaul said: “It was at one of these meetings we decided to formalize the establishment of UNPA”. He
added: “Our immediate objective was to organize ourselves in order to contest the pension taxation cases
pending in various High Courts.”
Finally, thanks to the follow up the Government of India’s Central Board of Direct Taxes in a Circular No. 293
dated 10 February 1981 agreed that “apart from salary received by employees of the United Nations
Organization or any person covered under the UN privileges and Immunity Act of 1947, pension received by
them from the UN will also be exempt from income tax”. Later, in December 1985 the Government of India
agreed that UN pensions to widows/children of former UN employees would, as well, be exempted from tax.
There were 14 founding members, eight of whom were from the WHO, two from the FAO and one each from
the UN, UNICEF, UNESCO and UNIDO. (UNPA-Bulletin-January 2008)
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