conditions of secondment. The Tribunal notes that no details are given concerning the Applicants' posts in their own country nor of the conditions governing their reintegration into those posts. It also notes that if such an agreement did exist, it was not brought to the Applicants, for their consent. IX.The Applicants have duly taken and signed the oath required of every United Nations staff member: "... to exercise in all loyalty, discretion and conscience the functions entrusted to me as an international civil servant of the United Nations, to discharge these functions and regulate my conduct with the interests of the United Nations only in view, and not to seek or accept instructions in regard to the performance of my duties from any Government or other authority external to the Organization." X.On 1 May 1989, the Administrative Officer, DCS, wrote to the competent Personnel Officer, OHRM, concerning the Applicants Qiu and Yao, and on 26 June 1989, concerning the Applicant Zhou, whose appointments would expire in September 1989, requesting that they be granted probationary appointments. She noted that the Applicants held core posts for the 1990-1991 Biennium against which career appointments could be granted. A handwritten annotation entered by the Personnel Officer on 10 August 1989, on the memorandum of 1 May 1989, stated, however, that: "DCS has informed me on 10.8.89 (10 August 1989) to request from the Government of China an extension of appointment for 2 years." XI.The annotation does not explain the underlying motivation for it. The explanations offered by the Respondent in his communication dated 8 May 1990, addressed to the Tribunal, are neither- 17 - satisfactory nor supported by documents. In the opinion of the Tribunal, these explanations are not borne out by the various documents produced by the Respondent at the request of the Tribunal.
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a legal document related to the employment of international civil servants at the United Nations. The language used is formal and technical, indicating a focus on administrative and bureaucratic procedures. The discussion centers on the conditions of secondment, appointments, and probationary periods, which suggests that employment is the primary concern.

**Category**
Employment