SUBJECT: BAN PROPOSES NEW ICT STRATEGY AND

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000913 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC KUNR PREL SUBJECT: SUBJECT: BAN PROPOSES NEW ICT STRATEGY AND REQUESTS FUNDS TO IMPLEMENT IT ¶1. This is an action request. Please see paragraph 8. ¶2. Summary: SYG Ban has circulated several proposals on the Secretariat,s information and communications technology (ICT) activities and capabilities that if adopted in full would result in increased expenditures through 2012, under the UN regular and peacekeeping support account budgets, of over $370 million. The major component of the proposals calls for implementing the GA,s decision to replace the fragmented, out-of-date, Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) - the backbone information system for managing the financial, human and physical resources of the Secretariat including at Headquarters, agencies, funds and programs, regional offices and peacekeeping missions - with an integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) system - an industry-standard information system widely deployed worldwide. ¶3. Ban also calls on the GA to: establish two data backup centers to ensure disaster recovery and business continuity for Secretariat IT systems in the event of a catastrophic event; transfer the current Headquarters data centers to other facilities during the capital master plan (CMP) construction period; and to adopt a comprehensive ICT strategy for the Secretariat and the governance structure needed to implement the strategy. (See the paragraphs below for facts and figures on: the ERP proposal (para 4) and its linkage with implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) (para 5),disaster recovery and business continuity (para 6),and the Secretariat,s ICT strategy and governance structure (para 7). End Summary. ¶4. Enterprise systems for the UN Secretariat worldwide: In his report (A/62/510/Rev.1),the SYG proposes that the GA should proceed with implementation of its decision in resolution 60/283 to replace IMIS. Arguing that IMIS has reached the end of its useful life, Ban proposes to replace it with an integrated ERP system that would more effectively support the Organization,s core activities, including financial and human resources management. Ban argues further that access to accurate and timely data would result in more informed decision-making and improved transparency and accountability. The SYG also calls for continued funding of two other enterprise systems: the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system. It is estimated that $309 million will be required over a five-year period - $286 million for the ERP project, $8 million for the CRM project and $15 million for the ECM project. $49 million would be provided under the regular budget, $194 million under the peacekeeping support account, and $66 million from extrabudgetary resources. ¶5. International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS): Adoption of the Standards, which incorporate international best practices for public sector and not-for-profit organizations accounting, is a key UN management reform initiative that would improve UN governance, accountability and transparency. As noted in the SYG,s progress report (A/62/806),its implementation requires certain information system requirements that would be provided by the ERP system. ¶6. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity: In his report (A/62/477),the SYG calls on the GA to establish two centralized data backup centers, at the UN Logistics Base (UNLB) at Brindisi, Italy and at a new secondary site in Valencia, Spain, to ensure disaster recovery and business continuity for Secretariat IT systems, including at Headquarters and peacekeeping missions, in the event of a catastrophic event. Ban also proposes to transfer the five current Headquarters data centers to two new facilities during the capital master plan (CMP) construction period. The primary data center would be situated in the North Lawn area at Headquarters. A secondary data center would be established in Long Island City in the borough of Queens in New York City. An estimated $64 million would be required to implement the proposals through June 2010 - $21 million for the UNLB primary backup facility and the new secondary backup facility in Valencia, $9 million for the North Lawn data center, and $34 million for the secondary data center in Long Island City. $47 million would be provided under the regular budget and $17 million would be provided under the peacekeeping support account. ¶7. ICT Governance Structure: Ban, in the addendum (Add.1) to his initial governance report (A/62/793),calls on the GA to approve a comprehensive ICT strategy and a governance structure which strikes a balance between the need for the Secretariat to adopt a centralized strategy for ICT management and the importance of day-to-day management of critical communication systems in peacekeeping missions being retained by the Department of Field Support (DFS). ¶8. The Secretary-General,s proposals are scheduled to be introduced, along with the related reports of the ACABQ, in the Fifth Committee on October 16th. Mission requests the Department,s guidance by October 13th or as soon thereafter as possible, keeping in mind the schedule for the introduction of these reports. Mission also requests elements to be included in a statement to be delivered under the item. Wolff