Administrative Circular No. 21 (I) (Rev. 2) entitled “Special leave” and Administrative Circular No. 21 (II) (Rev. 2) entitled “Special leave for professional reasons and personal convenience”, approved by the Director-General following recommendation by the Standing Concertation Committee after its meeting on 16 November 2017 and finalized by written procedure on 29 November 2017, are available via the following links:
These circulars cancel and replace Administrative Circular No. 21 (Rev. 1) entitled "Special leave” (“AC 21”) as from 1 January 2018.
The sole substantive modification reflected in AC 21 (I) (Rev. 2) is the removal of Section VII on “Special leave for professional reasons and personal convenience”, from the previous AC 21, and to exclusively treat the subject under a new Administrative Circular: AC 21 (II) on “Special leave for professional reasons and personal convenience”.
AC 21 (II) details the procedure as well as the terms and conditions under which special leave for professional reasons and personal convenience may take place. Of particular note is the introduction of a Review Committee, appointed by the Head of Human Resources Department, to ensure special leave requests are treated consistently and to recommend to the Director-General whether to grant the request. The terms of reference of the Review Committee will be established under a separate document and will include whether there is an interest to the Organization in the proposed activity and whether the special leave may be remunerated or unremunerated. Under the new circular, the initial duration of special leave may henceforth be granted for up to three years, renewable for up to another three years. AC 21 (II) also requires that requests be submitted six months prior to their proposed commencement.
Human Resources Department