1.
INFORMATION FOR COUPON USERS
2.
INFORMATION FOR SUPPLIERS
1.
INFORMATION FOR COUPON USERS
WHAT
IS THE PURPOSE OF UNESCO COUPONS?
In
many countries the shortage of foreign currency hinders the importation
of books, publications and scientific material.
In
some of these countries UNESCO Coupons, whose value is expressed in
United States dollars, are sold for national currency to educators,
research workers and students who use them to pay for their foreign
purchases
The
Coupons are issued in the following values: $1,000, $100, $30, $10,
$3 $1; 'blank' Coupons, which can be made out by the distributing
body for amounts from 1 to 99 U.S. cents, are also available.
Here
are some examples of material that can be purchased with UNESCO Coupons;
As
a general rule, all publications, films and material intended for
educational, scientific or cultural purposes can be purchased with
UNESCO Coupons.
PUBLICATIONS:
Books, school
textbooks, periodicals, medical or scientific journals, maps, copies
of courses, reproductions of works of art, sheet music.
MATERIALS:
- Audiovisual
material: Films and prints, filmstrips, colour slides, movie
projectors, raw film, screens, records, record-players, tape-recorders,
tapes, photographic material, developing material, film, radio and
television sets.
- Informatic
material: Hardware: microcomputers - drives - printers - scanners
modems - misc. accessories. Software: operating systems - programs
(word processing, data base, spread sheet, integrated software).
- School
material: Exercise books, paper, ink, pencils, india-rubbers,
rulers, paints, typewriters, demonstration apparatus, drawing tables,
musical instruments.
- Scientific
material: Optical instruments and equipment, laboratory equipment
and instruments, chemical products, electrical and acoustical measuring
instruments, analytical and clinical testing apparatus, electrical
and electrotechnical equipment, hand and machine tools, meteorological,
geodetical and topographical instruments.
UNESCO
Coupons can also be used to pay subscriptions to educational, scientific
or cultural institutions, and university registration fees and copyright
dues. (return)
WHERE
AND HOW CAN UNESCO COUPONS BE PURCHASED?
In
every user country there is a body responsible for the sale of the
Coupons; as a rule, this is the National Commission for UNESCO. This
agency supplies information on request, concerning the purchase of
the Coupons.
In
cases where it has only a limited allocation of Coupons, the agency
decides on an order of priority for the various requests received.
See
the list of distributing bodies for
UNESCO Coupons.
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HOW
DOES ONE USE UNESCO COUPONS?
Users
pay for the Coupons in national currency at the official United Nations
rate of exchange on the day of purchase. National distributing bodies
may add a surcharge to cover handling costs, but this may not exceed
5 per cent of the value of the Coupons.
Coupon
users should send the supplier their order with the Coupons corresponding
to the price of the material, including where necessary, the cost
of insurance and postage.
Many
publishers, booksellers and firms which produce educational, scientific
and cultural material will accept UNESCO Coupons in payment. The distributing
bodies can give users some explanations about this.
Coupon
users placing orders with firms unfamiliar with the UNESCO Coupons
Programme sometimes experience difficulty in getting them honoured.
When this happens, they can request assistance from the Coupons Office
in the UNESCO Secretariat; the Office will then inform the supplier
of the conditions governing the redemption of Coupons and will try
to facilitate settlement.
UNESCO
cannot intervene in the actual commercial transaction between user
and supplier. It is therefore up to the users themselves in their
correspondence with suppliers to explain exactly what they want in
the way of goods, date of delivery, packaging, insurance and method
of dispatch. It is likewise their responsibility to address any complaints
direct to suppliers or transporters.
UNESCO
Coupons are a means of payment and users should take all the usual
precautions to prevent their loss, theft or misuse. In case of loss
or theft, please inform the UNESCO Coupons Office immediately of the
serial numbers of the missing Coupons. If the missing Coupons have
not been presented for redemption within six months, the Coupons Office
will replace them.
(return)
2.
INFORMATION FOR SUPPLIERS
WHERE
SHOULD COUPONS BE SENT FOR REDEMPTION?
Suppliers
and institutions accepting UNESCO Coupons in payment should send them
for redemption directly to the UNESCO Coupons Office, 7, place de
Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, without passing them through any bank
or other intermediary.
(return)
WHAT
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED?
In
the case of orders for scientific material or audiovisual equipment,
a duplicate of the invoice should always be submitted with the Coupons
sent for redemption.
In
the case of purchases of books and minor school supplies, the invoice
is required only for amounts exceeding $1 ,000.
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WHAT
ARE THE CONDITIONS FOR THE REDEMPTION OF COUPONS?
The Coupons,
whose value is expressed in dollars, are redeemed in the supplier's
national currency at the official United Nations rate of exchange
on the day of presentation. UNESCO, however, deducts a handling fee
which is used to cover part of the overhead costs of the Coupons Office.
The fee charged is as follows:
for amounts
up to $100 5%
for amounts
from $100 to $1,000 4%
for amounts
over $1,000 3%
This
handling fee should be absorbed by the supplier and not charged back
to the purchaser.
(return)
IS
MATERIAL PURCHASED WITH UNESCO COUPONS EXEMPT FROM CUSTOMS DUTIES?
Some
countries exempt material acquired abroad with UNESCO Coupons from
customs duties.
Supplies
can obtain special labels from the Coupons Office which facilitate
customs clearance in receiving countries.
(return)
