Travel Service Line: A Winner in Number of Transactions

Photo: Carolina Lessa

4th July 2023

The RSCE’s Travel Service Line is the largest in terms of the number of transactions compared to other regional service centers within the United Nations system.

In 2022, the RSCE processed over 31,000 travel requests, including Individual Uniformed Personnel rotation, official business, and entitlement travels, representing 15% of the total transactions.

The RSCE is followed by the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG)which accounts for 11% of transactions and the UN Headquarters with 8%.

For that, the Travel Service Line counts on the dedication of 27 staff, of whom 16 are women. Jana Warming, Service Delivery Manager in charge of Education Grant, Travel, and Claims Service Lines, explained that staff are often required to work extra hours and even over the weekends.

“It is a very fast-paced service, as we aim to have a turnaround of one day after receiving the travel request. In November, we received more than 200 requests daily, which is unusually high. Sometimes, we also face complex cases such as the medical evacuation of uniformed personnel and repatriation of human remains”.

According to Jana, who joined the RSCE in July 2022 and has worked for the UN Secretariat for over 17 years, the improvement of the Covid-19 pandemic situation has contributed to the spike in travel demand. “We feel that people have come out of the pandemic, and they cannot wait to travel”, she said.

The largest Service Line in the Travel, Claims, and Education Grant Pillar is always looking to improve the services provided to its clients. After receiving a visit from police officers from UNHQ, Jana and her team came up with an idea: Develop a checklist for new staff to ensure that key deadlines and procedures are not missed.

“If you put yourself in the shoes of a police officer maybe it is their first time at the UN and, as we know, the UN is very complex with its processes. Upon receiving the special group’s suggestions, all staff members received a big thank you. This was very touching and emotional, and I was very happy to see it”, said Jana.

Access on issuu.com/regionalservicecentreentebbe/docs/rsce_newsletter_edition_09_edited/s/17774922