Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08USUNNEWYORK913
2008-10-07 21:57:00
UNCLASSIFIED
USUN New York
Cable title:  

SUBJECT: BAN PROPOSES NEW ICT STRATEGY AND

Tags:  AORC KUNR PREL 
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VZCZCXYZ0013
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0913/01 2812157
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 072157Z OCT 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5070
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

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fragmented, out-of-date, Integrated Management Information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