Most people learn about the work of the United Nations from journalists, so the UN is most often associated with diplomatic fights in the Security Council, speeches by world leaders at meetings of the General Assembly, assistance to victims of natural disasters, and, of course, activities (most often not very successful) of UN peacekeepers. When the UN set up a peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, only 19 secretariat staff went to work there in New York. Of course, they pay extra for work in hot spots.
UN salary calculator: the real amount
Almost 9 thousand people work at the UN headquarters in New York. All of them are very busy people – mainly due to hundreds of resolutions that the General Assembly annually adopts. For their work, UN officials receive a decent reward. True, without special knowledge, it is possible to determine its size only approximately. The organization’s official website only states that wage issues at the UN and its agencies are decided based on the Noblemair principle, named after one of the leaders of the pre-war League of Nations. Under principle, an international organization should be able to invite even the highest-paid officials of its member countries. Therefore, salaries must be competitive.
This means that the annual base salaries of the lowest ($ 32 thousand) and highest ($ 116 thousand) levels do not reflect the real incomes of the UN functionaries. After all, they do not take into account that UN officials have the right to various allowances, have tax and diplomatic immunity, and do not pay for housing and travel. In many cases, bonuses and allowances make up 100% of the salary. If a person, for example, receives $ 50 thousand of salary, we can say with a high degree of probability that in reality, his salary is approximately $ 100 thousand.
The Noblemair principle applies only to employees working in the UN apparatus and its special agencies. In countries where the UN has offices or peacekeeping and humanitarian missions, local employees are paid at local rates. Because of this, with the fantastically inflated state of officials in New York, “field missions” – from Bosnia and Kosovo to Pakistan and East Timor – are sorely lacking. Many of those who agreed to work with UN missions refused to find out how different salaries are. While peacekeepers and staff of the UN mission received an average of $ 9,000 per month, the salary of local workers was only $ 149.
Those who are part of the staff and have work experience of more than 5 years earn more. To get a leadership position, you need to have a higher education with a master’s degree in business, procurement, or commerce. Permanent employees sign a new contract every year. Professional consultants on international issues sign a contract for several days and receive high pay for their work. The minimum salary for a beginner is $ 4.5 thousand per month. Besides, he is provided with compensation for rental housing, car rental, partial payment of medical insurance for the employee and his family members.