Case Digest of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF)

The UNJSPF Case Digest is a database of judgments of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal and its successor the United Nations Appeals Tribunal in relation to cases brought against the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board (UNJSPB), and decisions of the UNJSPB Standing Committee. In addition, the database contains a summary of each Tribunal judgment and of decisions of the Standing Committee that were not further appealed to either Tribunal, as well as other relevant documents pertaining to the cases.

The database can be searched by keyword/subject from a given list, or the search can be narrowed further by additional criteria provided.

Administration of the UNJSPF

The UNJSPF is administrated by the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board (UNJSPB), a Staff Pension Committee (SPC) for each employing organization, and a Secretariat to the UNJSPB and to each SPC. The UNJSPB appoints a Standing Committee that has the power to act on behalf of the UNJSPB when the latter is not in session and which further delegates its powers to staff pension committees of member organizations. Under Article 7 of the Fund’s Regulations, the Chief Executive of Pension Administration of the Fund performs that function under the authority of the Board and is responsible for certifying payment of benefits properly payable under the Fund’s Regulations.

Review and Appeals Procedure

Requests for review and applications alleging non-observance of the UNJSPF Regulations may be filed by any current or former staff member of a member organization which has accepted the jurisdiction of the Tribunal in UNJSPF cases and who is a participant in the Fund under Article 21 of the UNJSPF Regulations, and any person who has succeeded to such staff member's rights upon his or her death; and any other person who can show that he or she is entitled to rights under the UNJSPF Regulations by virtue of the participation in the Fund of a staff member of such member organization.

The review and appeals procedure in relation to decisions of staff pension committees, the Chief Executive of Pension Administration of the Fund and the Standing Committee is set out in Section K of the Administrative Rules of the Fund, Article 48 of the Fund’s Regulations and the Statute of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal.

Decisions taken by a staff pension committee or its secretary in respect of an active participant in the Fund are reviewed at first instance by the staff pension committee. The request for review must be made by submitting a request to the secretary of the staff pension committee within ninety (90) days of notification of the disputed decision. The Standing Committee considers appeals of decisions made by staff pension committees or the Chief Executive of Pension Administration in respect of benefits payable to retirees and beneficiaries. Beneficiaries are entitled to rights under the UNJSPF Regulations by virtue of participation in the Fund of a staff member of a member organization. The review by the Standing Committee is initiated by delivery to the secretary of the Board of a request within sixty (60) days of the disputed decision of a notice in writing stating the points of fact or of law contained in the decision that are disputed and the grounds upon which the appeal is founded.

As of 1 July 2009, applications alleging non-observance of the UNJSPF Regulations arising out of decisions of the Standing Committee acting on behalf of the UNJSPB can be submitted to the United Nations Appeals Tribunal under Article 48 of the Fund’s Regulations and the Statute of the Tribunal. The appeal must be submitted to the Registrar of the Tribunal in the required form within ninety (90) days of the date of the communication of the contested decision of the Standing Committee. The decisions of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal are final and without appeal.

Prior to 1 July 2009, decisions of the Standing Committee could be appealed before the UN Administrative Tribunal, which ceased to accept new cases as of 1 July 2009, and was abolished as of 31 December 2009.

(15 June 2021)