Page 43 - Bulletin, Vol.80 No.2, September 2021

INTERVIEW WITH ODETTE FOUDRAL,

PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF FORMER

INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVANTS (AAFI/AFICS)

Retired people: Living in a virtual world

Over its seven decades of existence, AAFI/AFICS has made itself useful and even
indispensable to all retired or soon-to-be-retired international civil servants. Its
integration into a worldwide federation (www.fafics.org) further strengthens this
presence.

In these difficult times, getting a 'real date' face to face is becoming is becoming rare.
The interview took place at the Palais des Nations in an office on the first floor of the
“new” building. I met Odette Foudral, the Association's seasoned president. The
environment and habits of retired civil servants have been particularly affected by this
pandemic and it was appropriate to hear the voice of their representative.

How do you work in the AAFI office?

It's a team effort above all. We share the tasks between us. I take care of the
monthly newsletter and the relations with colleagues, the Administration, the city of
Geneva and the Federation. The committee is composed of 18 members, plus the
representatives of the sister associations ILO, WHO, ITU, WMO, ITC and WTO,
therefore 24 a total of 24.

Our President keeps in close contact with the Federation, especially to prevent
any attempt to deregister retirees from the health insurance scheme. We have two
colleagues who know the ins and outs of this area, one of whom has been the
Executive Secretary of the health insurance UNSMIS. Tax issues is also a
recurrent question.

(list and contacts on the website)

Each of us tries to solve our members' problems as best as we can and we often
consult each other to share our knowledge and answer their questions. In addition,
our networks allow us to find the appropriate answer to more specific questions.

Finally, we organise information seminars which are essential for good follow-up
and topicality.

42 AAFI-AFICS BULLETIN, Vol. 80 No. 2, 2021-09