UNCTAD Communication Strategy-Mission assists

UNCLAS GENEVA 000543

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR IO/T, IO/EDA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON UNCTAD
SUBJECT: UNCTAD Communication Strategy-Mission assists


1. SUMMARY: In order to help the UN Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) elaborate its first ever communications
strategy, on June 16, the Mission hosted a meeting between delegates
from 11 key missions, including regional coordinators, and UNCTAD
staff. After hearing a presentation on UNCTAD's draft communication
strategy and website plans, delegates completed a survey on their
website usage and provided feedback to the UNCTAD Communications
Director. Based on that feedback UNCTAD will revise its
communications strategy to make meeting delegates needs its top
communications priority. The luncheon was followed-up with a visit
by the US mission public affairs counselor to UNCTAD, at which
UNCTAD's lack of budget and staff to work on communications, and the
need to educate staff and management on communications venues was
highlighted. END SUMMARY.


2. Mission officer invited the United Nations Conference on Trade
and Development (UNCTAD) Secretariat, and delegates who serve as
UNCTAD regional coordinators, to a working luncheon at the Mission
on Tuesday, June 16, 2009. Recognizing that its website is used
differently by different users, UNCTAD has attempted to identify
different groups of users and how to best address their needs.

Website use by delegates
--------------

3. The regional coordinators indicated that mainly they use the
website for the calendar and background papers, and that an updated
calendar program and a bigger electronic archive of past resolutions
and papers would be useful. The coordinators confirmed that higher
levels of government usually do not visit the website, as UNCTAD is
usually not at the top of their priority list, but rather that the
website should cater more towards mid-level government officials,
experts and academics, particularly in developing nations where
many users lack access to high speed internet. Delegates suggested
policy makers in home countries and Geneva would also be interested
in knowing travel by UNCTAD staff so that Geneva delegates could
facilitate introductions to relevant offices and would know in
advance about UNCTAD travel to their countries.

Website Design
--------------

4. Most delegates found the website layout unsatisfactory. A
Mission officer presented the World Bank's website as a good example
UNCTAD could try to emulate, pointing out the utility of country and
regional profiles linked to a world map. The UNCTAD search engine,
a recognized weak spot, was also an issue for many countries, who
wanted to see links to relevant pages outside of UNCTAD. Delegates
recommended that the website more thoroughly reflect the three
pillars of UNCTAD's work program, and particularly asked for more
information about technical assistance projects in each country.


5. Delegates requested UNCTAD provide training on its programs to
new delegates and the public and NGOs who would like to learn more
about UNCTAD. One coordinator suggested a training session, similar
to the one held by the WTO during "Geneva Week," as a model.


6. Several new applications for the website were suggested to
supplement the current materials. Delegates favored establishment
of a delegate portal on the UNCTAD website. Podcasts and webcasts
were also suggested by UNCTAD, but delegates said they would not
have enough time to watch and listen to them.


7. The officials from the UNCTAD secretariat were very happy to have
the input from everyone who attended, and planned to include their
feedback in the design of the website as they continued to update
it.

COMMENT
--------------

8. The UNCTAD website (www.unctad.org) fails to live up to its
potential in its current state, and is lacking in utility for most
of its users, especially the delegates. The Accra Accord, UNCTAD's
governing mandate, calls for development of a communications
strategy and implementation of an updated publications policy in
paragraphs 186-188, but UNCTAD has no funding earmarked for
communications in the budget, and an extremely broad and
unprioritized mandate. UNCTAD's director of communications and two
staff are acutely aware of the challenges and lack of resources, so
particularly appreciated hearing delegates needs so the
communications office can better prioritize its work within very
limited resources. UNCTAD'S first priority should be to redesign
the website to be more useful to the delegates, reflecting the
suggestions given during the working lunch, and then to hold similar
focus groups with other targeted users, like academics or the media.
End Comment.

FOLLOW UP
--------------

9. The US Mission Public Affairs Counselor to UNCTAD met with UNCTAD
staff on June 24 to discuss the creation of a communications
strategy. During this meeting, UNCTAD made apparent the lack of
resources and staff UNCTAD has to create and execute a
communications strategy.


10. COMMENT: UNCTAD staff showed a great interest in improving
communications, and candidly admitted that they were lacking in that
department. Although the United States generally pushes for UNCTAD
to be more frugal in its spending, it is essential that UNCTAD stay
in contact with the populations the organization is trying to serve.
Public Affairs Counselor met with UNCTAD's new Deputy Secretary
General Draganov (Bulgaria)and emphasized the importance of an
effective and funded communications strategy to the organization's
ability to make an impact. END COMMENT

STORELLA