UN OVERSIGHT: OIOS EVALUATION CONCLUDES DPA NEEDS

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001263

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC KUNR UNGA
SUBJECT: UN OVERSIGHT: OIOS EVALUATION CONCLUDES DPA NEEDS
MORE RESOURCES, BETTER COORDINATION MECHANISMS TO IMPROVE
ITS CONFLICT PREVENTION ROLE



1. This is an action request. Mission seeks guidance on the
subject evaluation report in time for the next session of
CPC, beginning August 14.


2. Summary: In its report on the UN's Department of
Political Affairs (DPA),issued as E/AC.51/2006/4, the Office
of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) concluded that regional
divisions needed substantial additional resources as well as
management, organizational and procedural changes. In short,
the DPA currently has too few resources from which it can
draw upon to meet its complex and expanding work obligations.
In order to maintain its objectives - to assist in the
prevention, control and resolution of conflict through
peaceful means - the OIOS evaluators provide ten
recommendations. They call for the review and restructuring
of management within various areas ranging from protocols on
information collection and gender recognition to
strengthening institutional mechanisms for greater
system-wide cooperation. The report, which covers
Subprogramme 1, Prevention, control and resolution of
conflicts, of program 1 (Political Affairs) of the medium
term plan for the period 2002-2005, is expected to be
considered by the Committee for Program and Coordination
(CPC) during its session beginning August 14. END SUMMARY.


3. Although the findings present a positive trend in
conflict and prevention and peacemaking, pointing to a
substantial reduction in the number of armed conflicts over
the past decade, the OIOS report reaffirms the ongoing and
future difficulties posed to the UN by intrastate and
transnational conflicts. The report also specifies a host of
system-wide problems within the DPA, including: limited
success in structural prevention and peacebuilding; lack of
clarity and coordination among UN agencies over strategy
response to conflict; poor relationships between regional
divisions within the DPA and their partners; and asymmetries
in information among regional divisions. The lack of fully
institutionalized relationships is noted as a catalyst to
these deficiencies.


4. In addition, the OIOS report describes the Center for
International Development and Conflict Management as all too
broad of an entity. Currently, the structure is divided into
two "mega-divisions" (paragraph 36) that place highly diverse
regions under the same management structure. The reports
states that the all-inclusive groupings of disparate regions
undermine focus on emerging conflict situations and thereby
inhibits the mission of the DPA.


5. OIOS categorizes other deficiencies in managing and
quality issues, including: improper and unstructured
methodology; insufficient tools of analysis; and uneven
information availability. As a result, the quality of work
ranges from "very good to very poor" (paragraph 51).


6. Furthermore, gender issues are raised by the report as
not being "fully mainstreamed," citing frustration among
women professional staff that are not given high profile
assignments (paragraph 64).


7. OIOS found morale to be low in three of four divisions
and "many of the worthwhile recommendations (of recent years)
were either neglected or the change process foundered,
lacking the required champions at the appropriate management
level.

OIOS RECOMMENDATIONS (10 Total)
--------------


8. The OIOS report presents a number of concrete
recommendations, including:

-- DPA and regional divisions should take initiatives in
working with relevant UN partners to develop and propose a
system-wide strategy to better address intra-state and
transnational conflict;

-- DPA, with consultation of the Secretary-General and
relevant UN forums and partners, should seek clarification of
its role and vision as the focal point for conflict
prevention, peacekeeping and post-conflict peacebuilding;

-- DPA's regional divisions should strengthen institutional
mechanisms for inter-agency relations across the board and
should include:

- communication protocols
- well-defined concept of collaboration
- guidelines for collaboration;

-- DPA's regional divisions should seek to implement fully



all the agreed-upon modalities for cooperation with regional
organizations;

-- DPA's regional divisions should undergo intensive,
time-bound and results-oriented change management process;

-- An independent, external evaluation should be conducted of
both the Trust Fund and Preventative Action and the Trust
Fund for Special Political Missions and Other Activities, to
assess their effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and impact
as well as their management and operations;

-- A protocol for information collection and a framework for
conflict analysis should be established to ensure relevance
to local and regional concerns;

-- DPA's regional divisions should develop a knowledge of
management strategy for developing, organizing, storing,
sharing and using their knowledge assets;

-- DPA's regional divisions should establish division-level
gender-mainstreaming goals and actions plans;

-- DPA shouls use e-PAS (individual performance plans) to
gauge performance; and,
-- DPA's regional divisions should strengthen their
results-based management system.

Conclusion:


9. "However, their (DPA) evolving mandates imply a set of
expectations and requirements that the divisions may not be
in a position to meet. Change initiatives attempted in the
past failed because they lacked adequate leadership and
resources. Unless provisions are made to support the
required changes, including efforts to clarify mandates and
establish organization-wide working processes with clear
division of labor, neither the regional divisions nor the
system at large will be in a good position to effectively
meet future challenges" (Paragraph 72).


10. Comment. Despite a pointed analysis by OIOS, the
overall conclusions of the report fall short in assertiveness
as they fail to specify in clear and concise ways the proper
initiatives for reducing the inefficiencies and deficiencies
within the DPA. The cost to future progress is the result of
the short falls of normative recommendations. End Comment.

BOLTON