Officials (Article VI Sections 18–23 Specialized Agencies Convention)

Abstract This chapter discusses Article VI Sections 18–23 of the Specialized Agencies Convention, which grants privileges and immunities to the officials of the Specialized Agencies in accordance with specified categories, to be determined by each agency. The criteria used to define who is encompassed by the general category of ‘officials’ are devised in quite general terms: except for individuals who are both recruited locally and assigned to hourly rates, the privileges and immunities provided for in Art. VI and VIII are in principle granted to all members of the staff of the Specialized Agencies. This holds true regardless of whether the staff was hired on a continuing, fixed-term, or temporary appointment. Practice among Specialized Agencies varies considerably when it comes to devising the various categories falling under the notion of official. This is demonstrated by the Annexes to the Specialized Agencies Convention and the institutions' constituent instruments, particularly as far as the definition of senior officials (or executive heads) is concerned.