A/RES/54/238 Page 2 I CONDITIONS OF SERVICE OF STAFF IN THE PROFESSIONAL AND HIGHER CATEGORIES A. Noblemaire principle and its application Recalling its resolution 44/198 of 21 December 1989 and other relevant resolutions, 1. Reaffirms the continued application of the Noblemaire principle; 2. Also reaffirms the need to continue to ensure the competitiveness of the conditions of service of the common system; B. Evolution of the margin Recalling section I.B of its resolution 52/216 of 22 December 1997 and the standing mandate from the General Assembly, in which the Commission is requested to continue its review of the relationship between the net remuneration of the United Nations staff in the Professional and higher categories in New York and that of the comparator civil service (the United States federal civil service) employees in comparable positions in Washington, D.C. (referred to as “the margin”), Recalling also section IX, paragraph 3, of its resolution 46/191 A of 20 December 1991, in which it requested the Commission to include in its work a review of the differences between the United Nations and the United States net remuneration at individual grade levels, Recalling further section II.B, paragraph 3, of its resolution 48/224 of 23 December 1993, wherein it considered that the Commission should address the imbalance in the United Nations/United States remuneration ratios in the context of overall margin considerations, 1. Notes the view of the Commission that, bearing in mind the imbalance in the margin levels, a recommendation for a differentiated salary increase by grades would need to be submitted to the General Assembly at the time of any future recommendation for a real salary increase; 2. Also notes that the margin between the net remuneration of United Nations staff in grades P-1 to D-2 in New York and that of officials in comparable positions in the United States federal civil service for 1999 is 114.1; C. Base/floor salary scale Recalling section I.H of its resolution 44/198, by which it established a floor net salary level for staff in the Professional and higher categories by reference to the corresponding base net salary levels of officials in comparable positions serving at the base city of the comparator civil service (the United States federal civil service), 1. Approves, with effect from 1 March 2000, the revised base scale of gross and net salaries for staff in the Professional and higher categories, contained in annex I to the present resolution, and the /...