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Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

waiver authorities

English answer:

certificates granting waivers

Added to glossary by Nadia Ayoub
Apr 26, 2017 12:47
7 yrs ago
3 viewers *
English term

waiver authorities

English Social Sciences International Org/Dev/Coop
It is clear that standard WHO administrative systems—for finance, budget, procurement, recruitment and IT—are inhibiting effective crisis response. While *waiver authorities* exist in theory, these are rarely used in emergency settings. Staff cited pervasive concerns that issuance of waivers would lead to negative audit findings, given the perception that WHO auditors would not accept emergency conditions as a defensible basis for waivers.

http://www.who.int/about/who_reform/emergency-capacities/ove...

Thank you for your help!
Responses
4 certificates granting waivers
4 +2 permission to depart from procedures
2 +2 WHO power to issue a provisional or temporary waiver in an emergency situation
3 precedents regarding waiver

Discussion

B D Finch May 3, 2017:
@JackMark No room to add to my comment on your answer. You can't extrapolate from the use of the uncountable and plural usage of one word to another. It may seem logical that the phrase "police powers" should indicate that the WHO would have "authorities", but it just doesn't work like that. "Authorities" is used to mean a number of official bodies having authority, not a number of types of authority possessed by an official body. However it can also be used as an alternative to "authorisations", which is the case here.

"Police powers" is actually an interesting example of specific usage, because it is used for legitimate powers granted to the police. On the other hand "police power", uncountable, is often used to mean illegitimate or oppressive use of power by the police.

Responses

40 mins
Selected

certificates granting waivers

While I agree with philgoddard's explanation, I think it is important to note that these "authorities" are documents.

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Note added at 43 mins (2017-04-26 13:31:30 GMT)
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In fact, I do differ with phil's point about "red tape". The problem is not so much red tape as a culture of fear, in particular a fear of being blamed by the auditors.
Note from asker:
Thank you! It was the "document" part that I was wondering about, and it became obvious in the following paragraphs :)
Peer comment(s):
neutral philgoddard : They're obviously documented, because organisations have written procedures. But why "certificate"?
57 mins
How else account for the fact they are "authorities" (i.e. things that authorise)?
neutral Yvonne Gallagher : yes, why "certificates"?//They are not bodies that give ...but rather permissions themselves https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/authority 1.2 Official permission; sanction.
5 days
How else account for the fact they are "authorities" (i.e. things that authorise)?// Pieces of paper that authorise are commonly known as "certificates".
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you!"
+2
18 mins

permission to depart from procedures

It means that people are allowed to break the rules in certain circumstances. The document is about the WHO's failure to take rapid action because of red tape.
Note from asker:
Thank you!
Peer comment(s):
agree Yvonne Gallagher : yes, I agree with first part (the question asked). But 2nd part of your explanation is wrong. It's not because of "red tape" that these permissions/waivers are rarely granted but rather because of fears of being blamed for malpractice in audit procedures
7 hrs
I don't see the relevance of your comment. That's what the rest of the text says, but Nadia is asking what "waiver authorities" means.
agree acetran
14 hrs
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+2
1 hr

WHO power to issue a provisional or temporary waiver in an emergency situation

the word "authorities" in a given context means ability, power or right for WHO to issue a waiver in certain situations. However, the article suggests that while WHO is is a position to issue such waivers, it rarely does so for a number of reasons.
Note from asker:
Thank you!
Peer comment(s):
agree acetran
13 hrs
Thank you.
agree Yasutomo Kanazawa
14 hrs
Thank you.
neutral B D Finch : The "ability, power or right for WHO to issue a waiver" would be "authority" in the singular. These "waiver authorities" are in the plural because they are permissions/certificates that the WHO has the authority to issue, even if it rarely does so.
5 days
Not necessarily. Good example is the word "power" sometimes used in singular or plural form, for example: "police powers": https://municipal.uslegal.com/police-powers/
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2 hrs

precedents regarding waiver

I think this is referring to previous cases creating precedents

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Note added at 3 hrs (2017-04-26 16:05:48 GMT)
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Precedent Decisions | USCIS
https://www.uscis.gov/laws/precedent-decisions
10 Sep 2013 - "Precedent decisions" are administrative decisions of the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO), the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), and the Attorney General, which are selected and designated as precedent by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the BIA, and the Attorney General, respectively.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2017-04-26 16:07:58 GMT)
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]minutes of the - Town of Salem, NH
www.townofsalemnh.org/sites/salemnh/files/minutes/minutes-f...
30 Jul 2012 - the other precedents for granting waivers. 9. 10. Selectman Lyons stated that he asked the Town Manager and the Community Development.
Note from asker:
Thank you!
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