Resources for United Nations Secretariat JPOs and SARCs on board

General

• JPO Handbook Version 2024
• JPO Conditions of Service (information on salary, benefits & entitlements)

Duty Travel and Training Allowance (DTTA)

• JPO Training budget (DTTA) guidelines (please review before applying for DTTA)!
• DTTA application form P138 Part 1
• DTTA application form P138 Part 2
• F.10 Voucher for reimbursement of expenses
• Read our DTTA FAQ
• Course recommendations (list from UNDP JPOs)
• UMOJA Job Aid -Create Official Travel
• Umoja Job Aid ESS – Create a Travel Expense Report

Applying in the UN System/ Career Development

• Temporary Appointments – Handout for JPOs
• Tips for completing your UN Personal History Profile (PHP)
• Effective Job Interviewing for Applicants (Participant Guide)
• An integrated approach to career development for JPOs

Performance Management for JPOs/SARCs (in Inspira)

• Inspira e-performance quick guide
• JPO performance management – quick view

Administrative Guidance (UMOJA)

• Step by step – how to enrol for medical and life insurance
• How to change the insurance scheme-adding a dependent
• How to modify dependency status – step-by-step
• Information on Home Leave for JPOs in the third year
• Home leave HR Portal Information sheet
• How to select lump sum for home leave or RnR AFTER calculation of lump sum

 

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DTTA/ Training Budget FAQ

What is the Duty Travel and Training Allowance (DTTA)?

The DTTA is an amount which is provided to all JPOs in order to strengthen and further develop the JPO’s knowledge and skills relevant to the JPO assignment, and thus to enhance JPOs’ performance during their assignment. The amount varies by donor country.

What can the DTTA be used for?

The DTTA can be used for external training courses at different institutions or universities, whether those have to be attended in person or on-line, as well as to participate in official missions related to the tasks performed by JPO during his/her assignment. The JPO Programme Office will not entertain requests for courses that are unrelated to the tasks performed by the JPO.

As a general rule, the DTTA should not be used for language and computer training in view of the fact that these types of training are a prerequisite for selection prior to the JPO assignment. However in specific circumstances where the use of the language is required by the Terms of Reference, and with approval of their supervisor, the use of DTTA for language and computer courses can be exceptionally authorized if deemed necessary for the performance of their duties and if language training cannot otherwise be provided free of charge.

When can JPOs use the DTTA?

The DTTA is to be utilized throughout the assignment and no later than 1 month before the end of the contract (COB). Applications have to be submitted to the JPO Programme at least 21 days before the date of the travel and in any case no later than 3 months before the end of the JPO’s contract.

The unspent amount from each year of contract can be carried over to the following year.

JPOs cannot use in advance the DTTA funds that they are expected to receive the following year.

How to request to avail of the DTTA?

The use of the DTTA funds must be requested each time for each training course or mission through the submission of the P.138 form in consultation with the JPO’s direct supervisor and the director of the Division or the Head of the Office where the JPO is serving. The form will have to be signed by both the JPO supervisor and the director of the division, and forwarded to our office for review and approval. 
JPOs are required to indicate in the P.138 form the specific amounts that are requested. The DSA 
rates are available on the ICSC website http://icsc.un.org/rootindex.asp.

Note that you are not entitled to DSA for a night that is spent on board of a plane!!

What do the DTTA funds cover?

The DTTA can be used to cover, when applicable

1) Training fees 
2) Transportation expenses (air/rail/bus tickets) 
3) Daily subsistence allowance (DSA) 
4) Terminal Expenses 
5) Other miscellaneous expenses (visa/training material).

What happens if the training course is more expensive than the available budget?

If your training budget does not allow the payments in full the expenses related to the training, and you still want to attend the course, you will bear the difference at your own expenses.

At the end of a travel request and an expense report UMOJA will display the total amount required for the trip. The amount will have to be within your available training budget.

Do I need a Laissez-Passer?

Every UN staff member travelling on official business to a country different then the staff member’s duty station, therefore including travels for training purposes, regardless the destination and the nationality, requires a UN Laissez-Passer. You can apply to obtain one by filling the necessary form

https://iseek-newyork.un.org/webpgdept593_52

TTS requires 5 business days from the date a duly completed and certified application form is submitted to process the issuance of a UN travel document.

For express processing of Laissez-Passer in less than five business days a fee of US$30 will be charged to the traveller’s department.

In case this is applicable, the amount will also be deducted from your training budget.

How do I proceed?

Once the approval for a specific training course with the relevant signed P.138 form is received, JPOs are authorized to use the DTTA amount as indicated in the form.

1) If attending the training course does not require travelling, JPOs can proceed with the payment of the training fees, if applicable, and attend the training.

2) If the training course requires travel, JPOs can contact the UN authorized travel agencies (AMEX or OTHERS) to pre-book a travel.

Once the UN provider indicates an estimate of the travel, an official business travel request has to be raised in Umoja.

THE TRAVEL REQUEST IN UMOJA HAS TO BE APPROVED BEFORE TRAVELLING, REGARDLESS WHO PURCHASES THE TICKET

Please note that even if the training course takes place in the same city but at a different institution, a Travel request will have to be raised for insurance purposes.

The only time when the travel authorization is not needed is for online courses.

Can I purchase my own ticket on-line and ask for a reimbursement later?

Only tickets for which the total cost is less than 500 USD (including the return!!) can be authorized by our office and directly purchased by staff members.

IN ALL OTHER CASES, SELF TICKETS ARE NOT ALLOWED

Note that train tickets from New York to Washington DC cannot be purchased directly by any staff members, regardless the price.

Where can I find the Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) rates?

DSA rates are public and can be viewed on the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) website

http://icsc.un.org/

Note that the UN does not reimburse hotels based on receipts. DSA are supposed to cover for any expense which you will undertake for official business

What are terminal expenses?

Terminal expenditures are all expenditures for transportation between the closest airport or other point of arrival or departure and the hotel or other place of dwelling, including transfer of accompanied baggage and other incidental charges. For New York, the amounts to be reimbursed for each such trip are $63. For all other duty stations, the amounts to be reimbursed for each trip are $38 unless transportation is provided for free.

What about training fees?

TRAINING FEES WILL ONLY BE REIMBURSED AFTER THE TRAINING IS COMPLETED.

If the training requires travelling, indicate in the travel costs the total amount of the training fees under “other costs” in the actual currency.

If the training does not require travelling, you will be required to pay in advance the training and submit, together with the rest of the documents, an F10 with the actual receipts of the payments.

Few tips

1) Work start date/time

• Indicate the date and time when the course or the mission is officially starting and ending.
• If there is a difference between these dates and the travelling dates, the system will give you an 
  error message.

2) Itinerary details

a) Make sure you indicate specific time of departure and arrival and do not keep a generic 00.00. You are in general supposed to arrive the day before the beginning of the course or of the mission. 
b) Make sure you indicate both legs of the travel (e.g. Geneva-Florence and Florence-Geneva) 
c) If you are claiming DSA, make sure you indicate it in the first leg of the itinerary in the drop-down menu under Applicable Subsistence. In the second leg you will have to select “DSA not payable” 
d) Note that in this part you only have to indicate the OFFICIAL ITINERARY. Later on in the request, you will be requested to indicate the personal deviation and what the details of the deviation are going to be.

3) Entering Deductions 
Make sure you double check the deductions in DSA that are applicable to this specific trip. You will have to option to select No DSA only clicking on “Allow the system in calculate the Subsistence Allowance”. If accommodation or meals are provided, make sure you enter the applicable deductions. Make sure the total amount remains within your available budget.

4) Advance payment mode 
MAKE SURE YOU CLICK ON TRAVEL ADVANCE REQUESTED

SELECT “EFT” FOR ALL TRAVEL!!!!!

5) Ticket to be provided by

Indicate commercial provider!!! Self-tickets are only authorized when the amount of the ticket is below 500 USD.

6) Estimated costs

Make sure you click on the estimated cost and indicate the price of the ticket!!!!!

Also have the system calculating the Terminal expenses for you.

TRAINING FEES WILL HAVE TO BE INDICATED AS “OTHER COSTS”.

In case any of the elements are not applicable, just do not indicate it.

All expenses will have to be reflected in the currency used for the actual payment. 
7) Cost Assignment

By default, the cost assignment for the training will be your training budget. If your office decides to sponsor the training, you will have to request the finance section of your department to provide you with their own cost centre and manually change it in the travel request. If your office decides to sponsor the training, you will have to request the finance section of your department to provide you with their own cost centre and manually change it in the travel request.

Verify clicking on the cost assignment part that the Fund used is 32JPO.

If you submit your request with a different cost centre, our office will not be able to see or approve the TA.

8) Final Action

Make sure you click on Save and Send for Approval!!!!! Otherwise the submit button will not pop up.

9) Expense report 
Once the travel has been completed, an expense report will have to be created in UMOJA within 14 days from the day of the return to reflect the expenses related to your travel (e.g. ticket, DSA, terminal expenses).

THE EXPENSE REPORT HAS TO BE CREATED FROM THE SAME TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION WHICH 
ORIGINATED THE EXPENSE REPORT ITSELF

If you do not do that, the system will automatically recover what was advanced to you.

Make sure to attach, if applicable:

1) Boarding passes or train ticket (not the itinerary!!!) 
2) Training completion certificate 
3) Receipts of training fees payment and related F.10 
4) Duly signed P.138 in all parts!!! 
5) If you were authorized to purchase your own ticket, the receipt of the payment 
All documents will also have to be electronically forwarded to our office.