documentary evidence that his consent to a secondment had bee n obtained or sought with regard to his initial appointment. XXI.From the foregoing analysis, the Tribunal finds that, at th e time of his initial appointmen t, the Applicant was not on secondment, due to the non-existence of an agreement between the three partie s concerned, which is an essential requirement for a secondment. XXII.The question still remains whether the Applicant, in this ca se, was entitled to a probationary appointment, and whether the Respondent had a corresponding obligation to grant him such an appointmen t according to the pertinent regulations and rules. According to staff regulation 4.5(b): "The Secretary-General shall prescribe which staff member s are eligible for permanent appointments. The probationar y period for granting or confirming a permanent appointment sh all normally not exceed two years, provided that in individua l cases the Secretary-General ma y extend the probationary period for not more than one additional year." Regulation 4.5(a) provides that: "... Other staff members [than Under-Secretaries-General and Assistant Secretaries-General] shall be granted eithe r permanent or temporary appointments under such terms an d conditions consistent with these regulations as th e Secretary-General may prescribe." Staff rule 104.12(a) provides that probationary appointments: "... may be granted to persons under the age of 50 years who are recruited for career service ... At the end of the probationary service the holder of a probationary appointment shall be granted either a permanent or a regular appointment or be separated from the service."- 18 - XXIII.From these provisions, the Tribunal concludes that: 1.The granting of probationary appointments is left to the discretionary authority of the Secretary-General in the absence o f prejudice,improper motivation or any other extraneous reason. In this connection, the Tribunal recalls paragraph IV of it s
**Analysis**
The text appears to be related to the employment and management of staff members within an international organization, specifically the United Nations. It discusses the rules and regulations governing the appointment and secondment of staff, including the granting of probationary appointments. The language used is formal and technical, suggesting that the text is part of a legal or administrative context.

**Category**
Employment, Humanitarian aid and relief