Categories of personnel

United Nations missions employ individuals under different categories of personnel to perform different tasks. These categories differ based their legal status, protections and financing modalities. The main categories of personnel deployed to peacekeeping operations are outlined below, along with key characteristics.

United Nations Officials
United Nations Officials consist of United Nations staff and Officials other than Secretariat Officials. The protections afforded to United Nations Officials are specified in Article V of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.

United Nations Staff
United Nations staff are subject to the Staff Regulations and Rules. They can either be internationally-recruited or locally-recruited and perform either professional or service tasks. In peacekeeping missions, all staff are budgeted as part of group 2 (civilian personnel).

Internationally-recruited staff are paid on the basis of salary scales established by the International Civil Service Commission. The salaries and conditions of service for internationally-recruited staff are based on those of the highest-paid national civil service (i.e. the Noblemaire principle). International professional staff include those at the professional (P), director (D), Assistant Secretary-General and Under-Secretary-General levels. Field service staff perform administrative, technical and logistical functions in peace operations.

Locally-recruited staff are paid on the basis of best prevailing local conditions (i.e. the Flemming principle) and consist of national professional staff and staff of the general service and related categories.

Officials other than Secretariat Officials
Officials such as the members of the International Court of Justice, the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, the Chair and Vice-chair of the International Civil Service Commission and judges of the United Nations Dispute Tribunal have the status of Officials other than Secretariat Officials. The rights and responsibilities of these officials are contained in the Regulations Governing Officials other than Secretariat Officials.

Other personnel
Many, but not all, personnel who are not United Nations officials have the status of expert on mission. The protections afforded to experts are specified in Article V of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.

Gratis personnel
Gratis personnel are personnel provided by Governments and other entities. Those with well-established legal status and functions are designated "type I gratis personnel" and all others are considered "type II gratis personnel". Type-I gratis personnel consist of:


 * Associate experts/junior professional officers (have the status of United Nations staff)
 * Technical cooperation experts on non-reimbursable loans (have the status of expert on mission)
 * Interns

United Nations Volunteers
United Nations Volunteers perform many tasks within peace operations. They do not receive a salary but are provided a stipend from the UN and are budgeted under group 2 (civilian personnel) of peacekeeping budgets.

Seconded military and police personnel

 * General Assembly resolution 52/248 of 26 June 1998 authorized the conversion of posts in the support account to be used for seconded active-duty military and police officers which had previously been engaged as type-II gratis personnel. Seconded officers are considered internationally-recruited staff members and generally serve on two-year contracts that are renewable to four years.

Members of military contingents

 * Members of military contingents are deployed under a memorandum of understanding signed between a troop-contributing country and the United Nations and remain under the jurisdiction of the national government. They receive salaries and benefits from their respective governments, which receive personnel reimbursement and reimbursement for self-sustainment (if applicable) from the United Nations. Associated costs are budgeted as part of group 1 (military and police) of peacekeeping budgets.

Military staff officers

 * Staff officers in missions are members of military contingents but—unlike other members of military contingents—they receive mission subsistence allowance under resolution 61/276 of 29 June 2007.

Military observers and liaison officers

 * Military observers and liaison officers are individually-deployed military personnel with the status of expert on mission. They receive salaries and benefits from their respective governments as well as mission subsistence allowance from the United Nations. Associated costs are budgeted as part of group 1 (military and police) of peacekeeping budgets.

Members of formed police units

 * Members of formed police units are deployed under a memorandum of understanding signed between a police-contributing country and the United Nations but, unlike members of military contingents, have the status of expert on mission. They receive salaries and benefits from their respective governments, which receive personnel reimbursement and reimbursement for self-sustainment (if applicable) from the United Nations. Associated costs are budgeted as part of group 1 (military and police) of peacekeeping budgets.

Civilian police

 * Civilian police officers are individually-deployed police personnel with the status of expert on mission. They receive salaries and benefits from their respective governments as well as mission subsistence allowance from the United Nations. Associated costs are budgeted as part of group 1 (military and police) of peacekeeping budgets.

Other government-provided personnel
Government-provided personnel other than military and police personnel (e.g. justice and corrections experts) have the status of expert on mission. They receive salaries and benefits from their respective governments as well as mission subsistence allowance from the United Nations. Associated costs are budgeted as part of group 3 (operational requirements) of peacekeeping budgets.

Consultants and individual contractors
Consultants and individual contractors have the status of expert on mission. Members of Security Council sanctions committees and expert panels are generally deployed as consultants and individual contractors.


 * A consultant is a recognized authority or specialist in a specific field, engaged by the Organization in an advisory or consultative capacity. The functions of a consultant are results-oriented and normally involve analysing problems, directing seminars or training courses, preparing documents for conferences and meetings, or writing reports on matters within their area of expertise.


 * An individual contractor is engaged by the Organization to provide expertise, skills or knowledge for the performance of a specific task or piece of work, which would be short-term by nature. The assignment may involve full-time or part-time functions similar to those of staff members.

Relevant documents

 * Gratis personnel provided by Governments and other entities (A/61/688)
 * Administration of justice (A/65/373), Annex IV: Contracts and rules governing relationships between the United Nations and the various categories of non-staff personnel
 * Seconded active-duty military and police personnel (A/68/495, A/70/229 and A/71/257)
 * Use of non-staff personnel and related contractual modalities in the UN System organizations (JIU/REP/2014/8)
 * Review of internship programmes in the United Nations system (JIU/REP/2018/1)
 * Administrative instruction: United Nations internship programme (ST/AI/2014/1)
 * Administrative instruction: Consultants and individual contractors (ST/AI/2013/4)