octobre 2009 - aafi-afics - UNOG

EDITORIAL
"LIES, DAMN LIES AND STATISTICS"
I am sorry to disappoint all those who exclaimed "Ah, Disraeli" when they read the heading of this editorial.
The oft quoted phrase: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." was attributed to
Benjamin Disraeli by Mark Twain in his "Chapters from my Autobiography" published in 1907.
However, the phrase is not found in Disraeli's works, nor was it known within his lifetime.
The latest research gives evidence that the most plausible coiner of the phrase was Charles Wentworth Dilke
(1843-1911). And - how appropriate for AAFI-AFICS members - the earliest instance of the phrase found in print
dates to a letter published on June 13, 1891 in the National Observer (UK) on pensions:
"Sir,--It has been wittily remarked that there are three kinds of falsehood: the first is a 'fib,' the second
is a downright lie, and the third and most aggravated is statistics. It is on statistics and on the absence of
statistics that the advocate of national pensions relies..."
Well, enough historical guff. Why the reference to statistics?
The answer is because this October edition of the Bulletin has taken on a highly statistical flavour. Adorning
the inside front and back covers are data from the secretariat of the Chief Executives Board (CEB) 12 on the state
of financial and human resources in the Organizations of the United Nations family. They are interesting in
many respects; in particular:
(i) the growth in extra-budgetary funding across the UN system over the period 2002 - 2007. In the same
period, the size of regular budgets has remained fairly constant. This is disconcerting for a number of
reasons not least the extent to which the influx of significant extra budgetary funds puts a strain on the
Organizations’ regular budgets in terms of administrative and other support for the programmes
funded exclusively from non-regular sources. There is also a question about the extent to which such
funding moves the Organization away from its original mandate towards priorities set by others;
(ii) that nearly 50% of the UN family workforce has less than 5 years service and nearly 70% has less
than 10 years service;
(iii) the evidence that the critical mass of staff - and notably staff in the professional category - will
retire from the Organizations over the next few years. This underscores the need for succession
planning and other efforts to manage knowledge; and maybe for an increase in the mandatory age of
separation.
In this connection, we have included some data about the latest trends in the age of retirement
outside the UN system from a document prepared for a recent session of the International Civil
Service Commission (ICSC). There seems to be some reluctance on the part of UN system policy
makers to take action to adjust the mandatory age of retirement in the Organizations. But - as you
will see from the Report of the July 2009 session of the Pension Board - FAFICS (of which AAFI-
AFICS is a founding member) support an extension of the age of retirement to 65 - appropriately
introduced of course.
And - having the bit between our teeth - we then investigated the AAFI-AFICS data base and put
together an analysis of the age of our members to the extent that these are available in our records.
In fact we do have birthdates of over 2,200 of our near 4,000 members and I guess you could say that
a sample of over 50% is statistically acceptable. The evidence is that WE are living longer......
Or is at all "lies, damn lies"?
12 formerly the Administrative Committee on Coordination ( ACC).
Roger Eggleston
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