Chapter 5: Support Services

(All amounts in US$ 000)

Major Programme 5.1: Information and Publications Support

(All amounts in US$ 000)

111. The substantial reduction in resources implies that it will not be possible to complete the reorganization of the Information Division (GII), as originally planned. The loss of posts will need to be matched by reduction in output and there will need to be greater reliance on resources provided by technical departments to carry out publishing management functions and implement outreach and communication campaigns. Non-staff resources will also be reduced to critical levels. In particular, resource constraints will entail less translation of titles into non-official languages.

Major Programme 5.2: Administration

(All amounts in US$ 000)

112. In seeking to achieve reduced budget targets, due attention was given to preserving staff resources, but given the limited non-staff resources available to the divisions under this Major Programme, the cuts inevitably impacted on staffing levels, with a total reduction of 21 posts.

113. Despite the reductions, maximum efforts will be made to retain core services, although the timeliness and high standards of these services may be difficult to maintain. The greatest impact will be felt in terms of new initiatives which will be severely restricted. More detailed assessment of the impact by programme is given below.

Programme 5.2.1: Financial Services

114. It is recalled that the primary functions of the Finance Division (AFF) are to: manage a flow of receipts and payments of over US$ 1 billion each year in accordance with the Organization’s rules and regulations and in conformity with requisite internal controls, maintain systems to record over three million entries in the accounts of the Organization each year, report operating and financial results and provide timely financial information to all levels within the Organization and to the Governing Bodies. The Finance Division prepares the financial statements of the Organization in accordance with international standards and accounting principles for audit and certification by the External Auditor. The division also covers the Organization’s worldwide investment, cash management and currency exchange needs.

115. AFF has very limited discretionary non-staff resources and the original ZRG scenario had added three posts to reach the minimum staffing level recommended by independent management consultants and to meet the concerns expressed by the External Auditor. Current overall budgetary constraints make it necessary to impose the abolition of five GS posts. It is clear that this reduced staffing will not only cause delays in response times and generate backlogs, but the increased work volumes for the remaining staff may heighten the risk of errors and could weaken internal control and impact financial management.

Programme 5.2.2: Information Systems and Technology Services

116. The provision under this programme covers only the direct managerial costs of the Information Systems and Technology Division (AFI), with the exception of the Director and one Secretary who are included under Programme Management. The remaining costs of information technology (IT) services are distributed to the various programmes making use of the information technology infrastructure, network and telecommunications services, and computerized applications. Both the External Auditor and the same reputed management consultants have called for adequate staff for AFI. It is not possible in the circumstances to meet these recommendations and regrettably, some post abolitions need to be effected. The reduced overall budget under the Computer Pool Account will impact on all Information Systems, Communications and Technology activities as AFI Division will need to operate with insufficient staffing and non-staff resources to effectively maintain IT operations and core projects. The resources foreseen in the original ZRG scenario to address increased systems security threats and the enhanced focus on governance, will need to be curtailed.

117. Whilst major efforts will be made to guarantee ongoing availability of network services, e-mail, Internet/Intranet and computerized application systems, reductions in technical support to users will be unavoidable, and problem resolution will necessarily take longer, possibly resulting in more frequent and longer periods of system outages. Maintenance coverage by suppliers for the computer equipment upon which the FAO systems, including Oracle Financials and WAICENT, operate will also need to be reduced.

118. In the telecommunications area, resource constraints would have a number of negative consequences: e.g. poorer Internet access performance for FAO users and for external users in accessing FAO’s website; reduced connectivity to FAOR offices; lower capability to support concurrent use of video, audio and simultaneous interpretation services in FAO meeting rooms.

119. As regards computer systems development and maintenance, there will be a major reduction in the funding available for consultants and contractors who support the development, enhancement and maintenance of FAO systems, hence seriously lowering AFI’s ability to respond to system problems and change requests.

Programme 5.2.3: Human Resources Management Services

120. The reduced budget level will affect both current service delivery and AFH’s ability to deliver what has been forecast in the MTP 2004-09. The lower provision has been achieved through a combination of increases in income, elimination of posts and reductions in non-staff resources. AFH will be obliged to focus on core legal and policy advice, monitoring, staffing and recruitment, staff development and social security services, while only limited resources would remain to pursue new initiatives.

121. Some areas of priority that may be affected include: the new performance management programme; staff development activities, particularly the introduction of competency-based management and support to inter-disciplinarity; the implementation of the Oracle Human Resources Management Information package; restructuring of the GS category; organizational classification studies; legal advice on employment law to managers; participation in inter-agency fora and inter-departmental working groups; and the sensitization of managers to preventive approaches as an alternative to formal recourse procedures in the area of staff grievances.

122. Services will also be curtailed in other areas, such as management of the volunteers programme, acknowledgements to unsolicited applications, and maintenance of the Corporate Roster. Considerable reduction in services may occur, in support of staff selection panels, in the monitoring and reporting on vacancies, and towards rationalization of the FAO Administrative Manual. AFH will also consider a wider use of fee for services policy, in areas such as recruitment missions and project cycle training for decentralized offices. Within the Medical Service, reductions in non-staff resources will mean that no additional major preventative or curative activities can be undertaken, nor can any new equipment be acquired.

Programme 5.2.9: Programme Management

(All amounts in US$ 000)

123. The elimination of five GS posts and one Professional post is necessary in the MSS (not apparent from the table). These abolitions will impact on the delivery of financial support services to user divisions. Help desk and training support will have to be curtailed. The review and monitoring of letters of agreement will be transferred to departments that will be required to ensure their own monitoring and control arrangements.