nouvelles de notre association - AAFI-AFICS, Geneva - UNOG

SOCIAL ISSUES
AAFI-AFICS HAS A NEW SOCIAL WELFARE OFFICER
As announced at the General Assembly, we have been able to fill the position of Social Welfare Officer,
which became vacant following Chantal Mannaert’s resignation.
Mrs. Nana Leigh’s appointment has now started. She is available, preferably on appointment, in the
AAFI-AFICS Social Welfare Officer’s office, room C.500, on the 5 th floor of the C-wing (over door No. 6) at
the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Her office hours are Monday through Thursday 9.00 to 12.00. The office telephone number is +41 (0) 22
917 35 19, fax +41 (0) 22 917 00 75, mobile telephone (Natel) +076 397 50 89, e-mail aficssocial@unog.ch
The postal address is c/o AAFI-AFICS, Room C.544-1, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10.
TAXATION
UNESCO LOSES UN PENSION TAX CASE WITH THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT
For many years staff, who retired in France on retirement from UNESCO did not pay income tax on
pension benefits paid by the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund. The organization was installed in its
Headquarters in Paris in 1946. It concluded an agreement with the French Government on its
Headquarters and privileges and immunities in 1954. This agreement recognized that staff members of
UNESCO were exempt from all income tax on the salaries and emoluments paid by the organization.
But it was only during the late 1980s that the French tax authorities decided to begin collecting income
taxes from UNESCO pensioners. Our sister association AFUS asked the Director-General UNESCO to
take this matter up with the French authorities. The French authorities and UNESCO decided that case
should be submitted to arbitration. A special arbitration Tribunal was created by the two parties. The
Tribunal rendered its judgement on 14 January 2003, by stating that the exemption from income tax on
salaries and emoluments paid to active staff did not extend to retirement pensions paid to former
UNESCO staff retired in France.
We have received a detailed analysis from the President of AFUS on this case. Members, who are
interested in reading it, may request a copy from the Secretariat by writing to us at room C-544-1, Palais
des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, or by e-mail to aafi-afics@unog.ch.
AFICS THAILAND
NEWS OF OTHER ASSOCIATIONS
Our sister association in Thailand, which was admitted as a member of FAFICS in July 2001, has been
going through a troubled period due to an initiative by a splinter group of a three-member self-appointed
caretaker Board which sought to take over the running of the Association in November 2001.
37