BENEFITS FOR SAME SEX PARTNERS IN THE UN COMMUNITY

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000287 SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO/UNP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OFDP PREL UN SUBJECT: BENEFITS FOR SAME SEX PARTNERS IN THE UN COMMUNITY ¶1. This is an action request for the Department. Please see paragraph 2 below. ¶2. Ambassador Rice has received a March 9 letter from the Chief of the UN's Human Resources Service requesting whether the UN should grant the male spouse of a male United States citizen staff member entitlements (presumably family allowances) based on an October 2008 California marriage certificate. USUN is receiving increasing numbers of inquiries regarding status, visa, and entitlement issues involving same sex spouses or partners at the UN or the missions accredited to it, and seeks the Department's current thinking on the text for a reply to the UN. ¶3. Begin text of letter from UN Human Resources Chief Netta Avedon: Dear Madam Ambassador, I wish to refer to the long-established practice that personal status for the purposes of entitlements under the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules should be determined in all cases by reference to the law of nationality of the staff member concerned. The Office of Human Resources Management has received from Mr. Henry Sadof, a staff member of the United Nations and a national of the United States of America, a request to be granted United Nations entitlements on the basis of the attached documentation. (Los Angeles County License and Certificate of Marriage scanned and emailed to IO/UNP (Edmondson) on March 13). We would be grateful if the United States Mission to the United Nations could advise us as to whether the status claimed by Mr. Sadof is legally recognized under the laws of the United States for granting of benefits, and whether the attached documentation would be sufficient to establish such a status. Thank you for your cooperation. End Text. Rice