A/RES/56/244 B. Introduction of the euro 1. Approves the recommendation of the Commission that: (a) Effective 1 January 2002, the euro should be used as the official currency for those emoluments which are currently set in the national currencies of the twelve eurozone countries, and that the national currency amounts would be converted by applying the respective fixed conversion rates and then rounded up or down to the nearest euro; (b) The converted values of the education grant for nine currency areas, and of the children’s and secondary dependant’s allowances for nine locations, will change over to the euro effective 1 January 2002, as reflected in annexes I and II to the present resolution; 2. Invites organizations to convert officially into euros, where applicable, their respective General Service salary scales and allowances effective 1 January 2002, on the basis of the approach referred to in paragraph 1 (a) above; II Conditions of service of staff in the Professional and higher categories A. 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 programme a review of the differences between the United Nations and the United States net remuneration at individual grade levels, 1. 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 2001 is 111.0, as reflected in annex III to the present resolution; 2. Also notes that the United Nations/United States net remuneration ratios range from 117.1 at the P-2 level to 104.4 at the D-2 level, and considers that this imbalance should be addressed in the context of the overall margin considerations established by the General Assembly; B. Base/floor salary scale Recalling section I.H of its resolution 44/198 of 21 December 1989, 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. Notes the increasing number of duty stations where the post adjustment classification is equal or close to zero, and requests the Commission to review the methodology to ensure that purchasing power equivalence is appropriately reflected; 2