To be able to offer good-quality 'navigational' advice to our readers, we need 'knowledge collectors' in many places plus a culture of sharing. Hence, we invite every reader of this website to send to info@dundex.net any factual information or news they see as relevant to our network.
Staying up-to-date
Know-how acquired through many years of experience is only useful today if kept continuously up-to-date. This ‘UN Guide' is intended to help former UN employees stay in touch with reality, e.g. by offering them (a) details about changes in UN policies and regulations, (b) updates on developments of general interest in the UN, (c) 'intelligence' from other DUNDEX deployees in the field, and (d) links to a broad range of consultancy-relevant UN websites and tools.
UN insurance coverage
The UN provides insurance coverage for consultants on mission, but the details are not well known. A one-page overview of UN insurance for consultants shows that (a) insurance sums are modest; (b) there are too many exceptions (the term 'not insured' features 30 times!); (c) it discriminates between different groups (internationals vs. locals, retirees vs. non-retirees); and (d) there is no medical evacuation coverage. Our view : the UN insurance coverage is very inadequate.
Outsiders - or insiders?
How are ex-UN consultants treated by UN hiring agencies? In best case scenarios, they are 'welcomed home' and provided conveniences (such as agency ID cards, agency e-mail accounts, user-rights to IT platforms, office facilities) to make them optimally productive on the job. ◊◊ In less favourable settings, they are treated as 'outsiders' in some respects - with less overt recognition of their identity as ex-colleagues and as 'one of us'. Ask us for details on prevailing practices.
P11 : Best 'business card'
The Personal History Form (P11) is a very user-unfriendly tool. But it is the preferred format for many UN agencies, as it covers specific details about your UN career and asks questions rarely dealt with in normal free-style CVs. We urge everyone in our roster always to have a well-prepared & updated P11 ready. Even if cumbersome to draft or edit, a presentable P11 is a UN consultant's best 'business card'.
UN Security: FSL Reform
In January 2011, UN-DSS introduced a new Field Security Levels (FSL) system as part of a larger security management reform. The FSL replaced the previous decades-old classification based on five Security Phases (I, II, III, IV and V). Details on the FSL system and its risk-focused criteria for a differentiated classification of duty stations are found in this PowerPoint presentation from UN-DSS.
Information on DSA Rates
Details on Daily Subsistance Allowance rates are found in the ICSC website, but access is restricted to UN staff and paid subscribers. If you need historical DSA rates (e.g. for travel claims), please ask DUNDEX. However, current and most recent DSA figures can be viewed here :
Sep 2024 Oct 2024 Nov 2024
Malicious Acts Insurance
The Malicious Acts Insurance, previously known as 'War Risk' insurance, is provided by most UN agencies to staff, but what about consultants? It depends on the type of consultancy contract used - some agencies extend coverage also to consultants, while other agencies do not. For details, please consult us.
Private Vacancy Websites
◊◊ UN Job Finder refers to itself as 'a one-stop-shop' for international/local jobs and consultancies (located in Stockholm). ◊◊ UNjobs is published by ‘a Swiss association' (operating out of Geneva). ◊◊ UN Jobs List News is a non-profit website created by Sebastian Rottmair (currently based in Copenhagen).