Travel Arrangement

Flight quotation for initial travel to assignment duty station

1. Volunteer - Confirm travel date task - Complete travel date task to confirm tentative travel date.

2. OA/VM - Request airfare quote - Review travel date and Closest Airport of departure under the assignment detail page in Travel Quotation Section. Create a new Travel Quote case in Salesforce P2P and submit to UNV Travel.

3. OA-VM - Complete travel date task - Confirm via travel date task in UVP that quote has been entered in Salesforce.

4. UNV Travel - Provide quote - Enter travel quote into salesforce case. Task is created in UVP to notify that travel quotation is available under assignment detail page.

Avoid low-cost airlines.

VSC not to share the actual quoted itinerary with the UN volunteer.

Entitlement Travel Monetization Policy

5. UVP - Trigger entry lump sum payment request - Trigger entry lump sum payment request.

6. OA/VM - Process entry lump sum - Process either entry lump sum or both entry lump sum and travel quotation together. If travel quotation payment is needed, add the quotation amount manually to the entry allowance in the payment request.

Travel quotation information is found under assignment detail page.

To complete this task, information is needed from the voucher raised in Atlas Finance.

7. OA/VM - Prepare pre-departure entitlements- Raise voucher in Atlas Finance for payment of entry allowance together with the lump sum travel payment. Copy the voucher link. Return to the UVP task in step 19 and submit the UVP payment request.

OA-VM/Payroll Associate have the responsibility to ensure all clearance is obtained prior to releasing/payment of pre-departure entitlements.

8. OA/VM - Complete the task in UVP - Copy the payment voucher link from ATLAS Finance and total amount and complete the task

9. OA TL - Approval - Review payment request in UVP. Click link in request to go to Atlas Finance. Approve voucher in Atlas Finance and complete task in UVP.

10. System - Notify payment approved - Notify candidate that payment has been approved.

11. System - Trigger case creation in Salesforce P2P - Create Salesforce record of the voucher approval

12. System - Confirm voucher approved - Atlas triggers approval of case in salesforce and marks the case status as ‘pay cycle’.

13. System - Notify payment requester - Notify by email that voucher has been approved.

14. Candidate - Request Security Clearance - Enroll with UNDSS TRIP, request security clearance for travel to duty station using the instructions provided by UVP after acceptance of offer. Upload in UVP via task.

If travel itinerary changes, TRIP clearance to be updated.

In such cases, document should be uploaded to document library until additional functionality developed.

Sec clearance instructions to be updated for UVP

Candidates who are already living in the duty station should upload proof of TRIP registration. Candidates who are telecommuting should upload evidence that telecommuting was approved.

15. Candidate - Upload security clearance - Complete task in UVP to confirm security clearance and update proof is complete.

16. OA - Check security clearance - Check that candidate has uploaded the security clearance correctly. Follow up as required with the candidate.

17. Candidate - Purchase flight ticket and send details to UNV - Volunteer confirms arrival date with host entity and field unit (where available) or OA before purchasing their own ticket

Volunteer should buy the ticket as soon as possible to avoid price changes.

Reimbursement of travel (in all cases)

1. Scenario 1: Reimbursement of the actual cost of the ticket:

In case of missions/AFPs want UN Volunteers to travel to their home country due to COVID 19 situation or any other official travel and the price of the most economical and locally available commercial flight is higher than the quotation provided by UNV travel unit, UN Volunteer will be reimbursed for the actual cost of the ticket/cost difference upon submission of receipt and review and approval by Volunteer Service Centre. R&R, personal travel, etc. are not included.

This also applies to the mission volunteers who use UN/ UNHAS and commercial flights for home visit and repatriation travel.

Global COA of travel for volunteers based in Agency Funds and Programmes and mission COA for mission volunteers

COA for global charges are available here

The reimbursement can be done through payroll.

No DSA or terminals are to be paid with 120% lump sum. Please refer Interoffice memo

In case of actual ticket cost reimbursement to volunteer, terminal expenses need to be included.

OA -Team Leads approve cost difference up to 20% more than quotation provided by UNV travel Unit. If the cost difference is more than 20% than the quotation, VSC Chief approves the cost difference.

In case of mission volunteers, if the cost difference is within 20% more than the quotation provided by UNV travel unit, OA Team Leads approve. If case of more than 20%, VSC needs to get approval from mission.

1.1. Scenario 2 - Authorized travel changed due to COVID 19 (Assignment travel):

If authorized assignment travel changed due to COVID 19 restriction such as cancellation of flights and volunteer has to rebook, UNV travel monetization practice will follow. Addition cost of rebooking will be charged to HE’s COA. Please refer to section 3 of UNV Administrative Guidelines for more details.

The COA of the HE will be used for such reimbursement for volunteers based in Agency Funds and Programmes. Mission COA is used for mission-based volunteers.

The reimbursement will be done through voucher.

1.2. Scenario 3 – Authorized travel changed due to COVID19 (Home Visit):

If the volunteers have already purchased the ticket and airlines cancelled the flights due to COVID 19, the volunteer asks for the alternative travel arrangement from the airlines first.

If alternative option is not immediately available and the price of next available ticket is higher than the quotation provided by UNV travel, the difference amount will be reimbursed to UN Volunteers upon submission of supporting documents.

Volunteers share the proof email from the airlines about the cancellation, share new itinerary which includes new cost and get approval from VSC before purchase the new ticket.

The Global COA of travel will be used in such cases.

COA for global charges are available here.

OA -Team Lead approves cost difference up to 20% more than quotation provided by UNV travel Unit. If the cost difference is more than 20% than the quotation, VSC Chief approves the cost difference.

In case of mission volunteer, if the cost difference is within 20% more than the quotation from UNV travel unit, OA Team Leads approve. If case of more than 20%, VSC needs to get approval from mission.

All F10s with claims need to be certified from HE/Mission.

1.3. Scenario 4 – Reimbursement of cost difference in normal cases:

If UN volunteers cannot buy ticket within the quotation provided by UNV travel;

UN Volunteer writes to OA and inform about it, provide the quotation and request to review the quotation.
OA requests travel unit to send the revised quotation.
OA send new quotation to UN Volunteers which covers the cost of the ticket.

UN Volunteers inform OA about the cost difference between the quotation provided and actual cost of the ticket.
OA Team Leads/VSC Team Lead agree to reimburse the cost difference upon submission of all relevant documents.

Payment of the cost difference will be charged to Global COA of travel. The reimbursement will be done through payroll

COA for global charges are available here

OA -Team Lead approves cost difference up to 20% more than the quotation provided by UNV travel Unit. If the cost difference is more than 20% than the quotation, VSC Chief approves the cost difference.

All F10s with claims need to be certified from HE/Mission.

1.4. Scenario 5 – Reimbursement of ticket in absence of 120% quotation from UNV Travel Unit:

When UNV travel confirms that there is no availability of flight for a particular travel route, while the volunteers can purchase tickets for these itineraries;

OA asks volunteer to provide the itinerary of most direct and least economy class fare. (or available flight option. Due to COVID19, various options may not be available).
OA contacts travel unit and confirm if provided itinerary is most direct and least economy class or not or close to it.
Once Travel Unit confirm, OA advice volunteer to purchase the ticket.

Volunteer claim for reimbursement with all Supporting document.

COA for global charges are available here.

All F10s with claims need to be certified from HE/Mission

1.5 PA/OA/SO - Verifies the documents - PA/OA/So verifies the documents.

If supporting documents are missing, contact UN Volunteers (in case of scenario 1 & 3).

All F10s with claims need to be certified from HE/Mission

2. GP Admin - Process reimbursement - GP Admin process reimbursement through payroll using existing element of travel for authorized travel using global COA (excluding assignment travel changed due to COVID 19, Scenario 2).

3. OA - Process reimbursement - OA process the reimbursement through voucher for any cost difference which occurred following rebooking due to COVID 19. The HE COA will be used for this payment.

4. If the lump sum payment has already been paid to the volunteer and volunteer could not manage to book the flight, deduct the lump-sum amount that has been processed from the next payroll.

1. Volunteer / Host Entity

HE identifies the demand - Can be used in cases no commercial airlines are operating. Here is the link of United Nations Booking Service WFP Humanitarian Hub

UN domain email is required to register on the website. Candidates won`t be able to access it.

2. Host Entity (HE)

Request WFP booking - a). The host entities send requests to FU/RO/VSC at least 12 working days in advance. b). All travelers must hold UN ID card c). Travelers who do not have UN ID card, must submit a letter of introduction in the letterhead of respective organizations.

Here are the list of the required supporting documents - WFP Booking form for UN Volunteer; Official & Non Official Air Travel for UNDP Personnel, letter of introduction, Traveler passport copy

The traveler’s name should be in the subject line while submitting the request.

The form has to be signed by the traveler Official & Non Official Air Travel for UNDP Personnel. In case the travel has more than one leg –(for example, Addis- Accra- Brazzaville), only one form should be filled and submitted – for example- it should say Addis- Brazzaville and the details should be reflected in the comments box. Before filing the form, the requester must check if flights are available or not. This should be done on the humanitarian booking hub and the search result match the filled form which needs to be attached to the booking submission email.

For ‘Non-Critical Medical Evacuation Request / Authorization form should be added.

3. UNDP Travel/HE/OA

Creation of Travel request (T&E) - a) UNDP Travel/OAs in VSC creates travel request in Atlas Travel and Expense Module (T&E), b) Travel Request (TR) using the data and COA initially provided with the booking request. Selecting ‘WFP Aviation Global - COVID 19’ as the ticket expense line vendor, c) VSC Team Leads of relevant portfolio with T&E certification rights should be selected in Atlas T&E. Additionally approval request can be submitted manually as well to unv.voucherapprovals@unv.org. UNV HQ Finance Section should be selected as approvers.

The preferred option for WFP bookings submitted to and placed by the local UNDP office/Host Entities. In exceptional cases and where no UNDP administration is available and host entities cannot make booking, cases can be submitted to UNV HQ via Volunteer Services Centre (VSC) only.

UNV travel creates the profile of the traveler in T&E. Depending on the different scenarios, UNDP Travel Unit or OA creates the Travel request in T&E module

4. Operations Associate

Request booking - Submit a request to the travel unit with an approved ATLAS travel request.

(Assignment, repatriation, and Home visit should be charged from global COA for AFPs volunteers. Assignment, home visit and repatriation travel for mission-based volunteer should be charged from mission COA)

5. UNV Travel Unit/UNDP Travel

Booking process - Send a booking request to Travel Clearance travel.clearance@undp.org (12 days prior departure date)

6. Global Operations – NY

Approves travel request and submit to WFP - Approve travel request and submit to WFP (min. 72 hours prior departure time)

7. World Food Programme (WFP)

Confirmation of Booking - Issue booking confirmation 48 hours in advance of travel and send it to UNV travel

Tickets are relatively nominal in cost; WFP does not allow exchanges or trades. The full fee is charged by WFP for a ‘no show’.

WFP allows passenger cancelations at least 24 hours prior to the departure (10:00 hours on the last working day preceding the day of the booked flight). Requests for cancelation should be submitted to travel.clearance@undp.org. Cancelations must be submitted through Global Operations (GO).

In the event of a flight cancelation, WFP will make the refund to the user account. There is no cash refund.

For approved cancelations, the funds will be returned to the same COA used in the travel request after the ticket reconciliation is performed monthly.

8. UNV Travel Unit and OA

Sending ticket to travelers - UNV travel shares ticket with OA. OA shares ticket with travelers along with a self-declaration form (Self-declaration form)

8.1. Operations Associate

Authorization process - a). Prepare authorization with valid COA for UNHAS flights with 120% flight quotation from transit to the home country. b) Pay terminal allowance for UNHAS leg if applicable

UNHAS Flight authorization

To avoid an unplanned stay in the transit area, volunteers to confirm that the onwards booking from transit to home country is confirmed. In case of no direct flight available from the transit, it is the responsibility of the volunteers and the host entity to make sure that the transit visa is in place.

In some cases, volunteers pay directly to WFP and WFP manages booking for volunteers within 3 working days. Depending on a particular case, UNV may not be involved in the booking process, and UN Volunteer may reimburse the booking HE from received travel lumpsum.

If during authorized travel local authorities, UN guidelines, or airlines create an unavoidable stopover for a UN Volunteer, then DSA payments will follow applicable UN rules and remain payable in the stopover location until new departure travel is authorized and until the first available flight to the authorized final destination. The cost associated with DSA payment will be borne by the Host Entity. Please refer to Section 3,b of UNV Administrative Guidelines for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID 19) Outbreak.

Volunteers travelling through UNHAS flights contains transit procedures when traveling to/through select countries that should be reviewed in advance of initiating travel to ensure the traveler can meet the requirements for travel

8.2 Operations Associate (OA)-TL

Authorization approval - OA-TL approves authorization

9. OA – TL

Travel Request Certification -Review and certify T&E request in ATLAS Finance

10. UNV Finance Section

Travel Request approval - Applicable UNV Finance section staff at UNV HQ approves the TR

11. UNV Travel/UNDP Travel

Notify General Operations (NY) - UNV Travel to provide TR number to travel.clearance@undp.org

12. General Operations (UNDP NY)

Ticket payment/reconciliation - TKT Payment / reconciliation: will be done General Operations (GO - UNDP NY).

13. Travel Unit/VSC

Add a new travel claim/Closure of the travel request - Once the volunteer reaches the destination, the requestor of travel will create the travel claim and close the travel request.

Travel Arrangement Overview.pdf

Flight quotation for initial travel to assignment duty station

Flight quotation for dependent arrival

Flight Quotation for Home Visit

Flight Quotation for Repatriation Travel/Resignation (End of Assignment SOP)

Direct Flight Ticket Booking

Reimbursement of travel (in all cases)

General WFP booking process

WFP Aviation Global Passenger Services during COVID 19 (Alternative scenario: combination with commercial flight )