Retirement Sessions Help UN Staff Plan for Life After Work

By Carolina Lessa C. de Souza, Communications Officer, RSCE

The Regional Service Centre Entebbe (RSCE) organizes quarterly outreach sessions to guide UN staff from 17 UN missions through the administrative formalities related to separation and retirement. The initial sessions were conducted on April 19th for national and April 20th for international staff.

“We want to ensure that your separation from the UN will be smooth and that all entitlements, final payments, and other benefits will be processed efficiently and as quickly as possible”, said the Director of the RSCE, Paulin Djomo in a video addressed to RSCE client missions.

Rita Bantu, a Human Resources Officer at the RSCE, highlighted the importance of staff members planning their retirement transition at least 10 years in advance of their intended retirement date.

“Offering pre-retirement sessions for staff members at 55 and above helps them make proper decisions regarding their remaining work time and how much more money they need to save. RSCE supports staff not just in work but also in their personal life after retirement, which makes them feel valued”, said Rita.

Staff can opt for early retirement, at a minimum of 55 years, and mandatory retirement, between the ages of 60 and 65. The exact age staff is entitled to early or mandatory retirement will depend on the date they joined the organization. See the graphic below:

To ensure the accurate processing of final payments and benefits, future retirees are advised to upload precise and updated information related to their civil status and beneficiaries on Umoja. This step is crucial for meeting their expectations upon retirement. It is also essential to provide the Pens.A/2 form that transfers staff entitlements for their dependents in case of unfortunate events.

There was a staff member who did not update his marriage certificate. He passed away and his first wife received the pension, although they were not together for 8 years before his passing. The last spouse and stepchildren are not entitled to anything”, warned Peace Rachel Katimbo, Liaison officer at the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund.

“It was very enriching to understand how important it is to have updated the information in Umoja on staff’s life events, such as marriage, divorce, and children’s certificates”, said Sumaira, Human Resources Officer at the RSCE.

The UN Joint Staff Pension Fund

Every month, 23.7% of a staff’s salary is contributed to the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund. From this amount, 7.9% is automatically deducted from their salaries, and 15.8% is paid by the employer. It is worth noting that only those who have contributed a minimum of 5 years to the fund are entitled to retirement benefits.

In 2021, the UN Pension Fund received USD 2.960 billion in contributions and benefited over 82,000 UN staff members. As the fund comprises 25 Member Organizations, staff contributions are still valid if they move between different organizations.