|
|
From
the Staff Committee 2015-2016 |
(202) 370-4645 |
April 19th, 2016 |
FYI #
7 /15-16 Original: English/Spanish |
Did you know that
there are restrictions on certain activities and Public Statements applicable
to General Secretariat personnel? As
established by the OAS Charter in article 118 y 119, Secretariat personnel
shall not seek or receive instructions from any Government or from any
authority outside the Organization, and shall refrain from any action that
may be incompatible with their position as international civil servants. Moreover,
Member States pledge themselves to respect the exclusively international
character of the responsibilities of the personnel of the General
Secretariat, and not to seek to influence them in the discharge of their
duties. In
addition, the General Standards to Govern the Operations of the General
Secretariat establish in Article 30 that Personnel shall refrain from any
action that may be incompatible with their position as staff members of the
Organization. In this regard, they may not conduct any activity that the
Secretary General considers undesirable from the standpoint of the efficient
performance of their duties or the prestige of the Organization. In addition,
Staff members shall not act or express themselves publicly in any way that
might damage or adversely affect the Member States. The
Code of Ethics for the GS/OAS also establishes that “Unless
otherwise provided in their job descriptions or contracts, or otherwise
authorized by the Secretary General, Staff Members and Other Service
Providers must not act or express themselves publicly in any way that would
with reasonable certainty adversely affect the OAS, GS/OAS, Member States, or
the independence of the OAS. Public expression would include for
example, speaking to media outlets, delivering speeches, taking part in
productions, or writing articles, books or on blogs or other internet
postings.” Finally,
regarding social and political activities, the Code of Ethics states that
“Staff Members may exercise their right to contribute to political
parties and a particular candidate, vote and join and participate in
political parties. Staff Members and Other Service Providers must refrain
from any activity that is reasonably certain to compromise the prestige or
independence of the OAS or that is detrimental to the independence and
impartiality necessary for them to undertake their services with GS/OAS.” |