PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION REPORT 2006-07 WEBANNEX

Programme 5A: Oversight

Regular Programme		(USD 000)
	Net Appropriation	10,806
	Actual Income	1,066
	Adjusted Programme of Work	11,872
	Expenditure at budget rate	12,243
	Variance of expenditure (Over)/Under	(371)
Extra budgetary Support to the Regular Programme		5,065
Field Programme
	Extra budgetary Support to Field Programme/Assistance to Member Countries	0
	Extra budgetary funded Emergencies	0
	TCP and SPFS delivery	0
	Total Field Programme delivery	0
Total Expenditure		17,308

Type of Output	Approved in PWB	Unplanned Delivered	Total Delivered	Delivered Unmodified	Percent Delivered
Information products, systems, databases	2	0	2	2	100%
Provision of services to staff, departments and members	13	1	14	14	108%
Total	15	1	16	16	107%

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5AP02	Internal Audit, Inspection and Monitoring of the Organization's System of Internal Control and Financial Management	Continuing Service	AUD

Expected Benefits

Improved internal control, financial management and use of assets.

Indicators

Defined planned internal audit reviews as per the biennial work programme
- Follow-up to audit reports
- Periodic reporting to Audit Committee and Director-General
Unplanned internal audit reviews and investigations in response to management requests and changing priorities
- Responsiveness to special requests
Provision of independent advice to senior management at headquarters and decentralized locations and participation in various committees and working groups
- Satisfaction of users of contributions
- Quarterly reporting to the Director-General and review by Audit Committee

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

During the 2006-2007 period, the Office issued 781 recommendations under 104 internal audit reports. The audits were conducted in more than 40 countries and at headquarters using a risk-based audit approach covering a wide range of areas, with primary emphasis on assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Organization's system of internal controls. The recommendations were made to improve aspects of financial management, budgeting and procurement; establish and enhance certain policies and guidelines in the areas of human resources, information technology and security; improve accountability; and strengthen and enforce internal controls. Seventy-seven percent of the 2006 recommendations, and 48 percent of the 2007 recommendations had been implemented by the end of December 2007. In addition, the Office issued 22 investigation reports, 12 of which covered cases of abuse of the lump-sum option for entitlement travel. The others addressed issues of fraud and misconduct involving either staff members or suppliers.

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5AP03	Independent Evaluation	Continuing Service	PBE

Expected Benefits

Effective evaluation will lead to: (i) increased confidence of member countries in FAO's substantive accountability; (ii) strengthened decision-making by the Governing Bodies and managers for all aspects of FAO's work; (iii) informed decisions by managers and by donors and developing countries cooperating with FAO in extra-budgetary projects and programmes; and (iv) lesson learning internally and externally on the factors for success in all areas of FAO's work.

Indicators

Evaluations for Governing Bodies (Programmes and Strategies)
- Governing Bodies' satisfaction with the evaluation reports
- Follow-up to the evaluation
Field Programme Evaluation
- Evaluation user survey
- Follow-up reports on use of evaluation recommendations
Evaluation Follow-up, Organizational Learning and Internal Studies
- Evaluation user survey

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

The main areas of work for the Evaluation Service in 2006-07 were: a) provision of the Secretariat for the Council Committee for the lEE (CC-lEE) and facilitation services for the lEE, including budget holder responsibility; b) completion of corporate evaluations and their presentation to the Programme Committee (Evaluation of Strategy D2 - Conservation, Rehabilitation and Development of Environments at the Greatest Risk, Multilateral Evaluation of the 2003-2005 Desert Locust Control Campaign, Evaluation of TeleFood, Evaluation of FAO's Work in Commodities and Trade, Real-Time Evaluation of the FAO Emergency and Rehabilitation Operations in Response to the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami, and Independent Evaluation of the Workings of the International Plant Protection Convention and its Institutional Arrangements; c) conduct of corporate evaluations (on Emergency Operations on Avian Influenza and FAO's Emergency and Rehabilitation Work in the Horn of Africa); d) development projects and partnership programme evaluations (Improving Support for Livelihoods of the Rural Poor - FAO/DFID Livelihood Support Programme GCP/INT/803/UK and The Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme (SFLP) GCP/INT/735/UK); e) evaluation of FAO's effectiveness in individual countries (FAO Cooperation in Mozambique, in Sierra Leone, and in Cambodia); and f.) oversight and technical support of 40 project evaluations. The trend towards more programmatic evaluation continued, and the Evaluation Service is increasingly taking on the role of evaluation manager and provider of quality assurance. The emphasis is now moving to the evaluation of projects within thematic clusters and country evaluations with separate annexes on major individual projects. New procedures were put in place for evaluation follow-up: a Management Response is now mandatory for all types of evaluation, and follow-up to evaluations is monitored at prescribed intervals.

Programme 5B: Programme and budget services

Regular Programme		(USD 000)
	Net Appropriation	6,191
	Actual Income	1,050
	Adjusted Programme of Work	7,241
	Expenditure at budget rate	8,200
	Variance of expenditure (Over)/Under	(959)
Extra budgetary Support to the Regular Programme		0
Field Programme
	Extra budgetary Support to Field Programme/Assistance to Member Countries	0
	Extra budgetary funded Emergencies	0
	TCP and SPFS delivery	0
	Total Field Programme delivery	0
Total Expenditure		8,200

Type of Output	Approved in PWB	Cancelled/ Postponed	Total Delivered	Delivered Unmodified	Percent Delivered
Information products, systems, databases	5	(1)	4	4	80%
Other	2	0	2	2	100%
Provision of services to staff, departments and members	22	(6)	16	16	73%
Total	29	(7)	22	22	76%

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5BP01	Support to results-based programme planning, budgeting, implementation monitoring and reporting	Continuing Service	PBE

Expected Benefits

A coherent set of planning documents covering long-, medium-, and short-term periods, which permits management to monitor progress towards the achievement of programme priorities and objectives, and provides Members with the opportunity to furnish guidance at various points during the planning, implementation and reporting cycles. Tools for effective programme formulation and management, producing comprehensive programme-related data to help meet reporting and analytical requirements at all levels.

Indicators

Programme planning and budgeting
- Usefulness of MTP, PWB and implementation reports and other information to Members and FAO managers in programme prioritization and planning
- Closeness of correlation between MTP and PWB proposals
- Number of staff trained in RBB
- Overhead cost of producing governing body documents
Implementation monitoring and reporting
- Correspondence of programme implementation to approved programme of work
Methodological and financial support to individual auto-evaluations
- Number of auto-evaluations carried out to a good standard and number of programme areas covered
- Evidence of use made of auto-evaluation results by managers
Information Systems for Planning, Programming and Budgeting (PIRES)
- Efficiency: total effort required to prepare major planning, programming and planning documents
- User satisfaction: feedback from Members on documents produced
- Integration: functional linkages with other corporate systems
- Department Programme Management Toolkit: DPMT uptake and usage by working-level programme managers
JIU Liaison
- Number of JIU reports handled
- ACABQ meetings attended

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

The 2006-07 biennium presented significant challenges for programme planning, implementation monitoring and budget control. The Revised Programme of Work and Budget (PWB) 2006-07, which implemented approved elements of the Director-General's reform proposals, was prepared. Despite postponement of the Medium-Term Plan (MTP), the Revised PWB combined all key elements found in both an MTP and a PWB, introducing a reformulated, consolidated (by 29 percent) set of programme entities. Significant efforts were required in elaborating the reformed decentralized model. Members appreciated the leaner Revised PWB document and Web annexes. A key lesson learned in the process was that significant synergies are gained in unifying the MTP and PWB processes. An additional budgetary exercise involved the further proposals for reform submitted by the Director-General to the 2006 Council. The SPWB 2008-09 and PWB 2008-09 were prepared, with focus on restoring the financial health of the Organization. Both documents were streamlined versus the past, as were the internal processes. In 2006-07, careful budget management permitted FAO to meet significant unforeseen costs. The budgetary monitoring and review functionality of the corporate programme planning system (PIRES) was further enhanced to offer additional management views and reports. Guidance and oversight was provided to auto-evaluations (AEs), including in selection of evaluators, formulation of terms of reference and approach. Limited financial support (US$0.7 million) was also provided. Compared with 2004-05, the number of AEs dropped (16 vs. 36), showing a rising trend in 2007. The IEE found AEs helpful as a tool for learning, but considered the link to management decision-making weak. Based on this and experience to date, the AE Guidelines were revised to emphasize staff involvement and interactive processes, and a more systematic follow-up to recommendations.

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5BS02	Support to multi-disciplinary action	Technical Service Agreement	PBE

Objective

For FAO programmes as a whole to reflect a synergistic and better coordinated approach to development assistance, in particular in the Priority Areas for Interdisciplinary Action (PAIAs).

Indicators

Extent to which FAO development work reflects a more coordinated interdisciplinary approach

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

The central provision of US$1.2 million was used to provide catalytic support to important multidisciplinary areas. Allocations were used, inter alia, for an inventory of activities of relevance to the HIV/AIDS problem and the preparation of a multidisciplinary workplan; technical workshops and a study on how ecosystem approaches can increase benefits from biodiversity; the development of a tool to prepare national biosecurity frameworks; the electronic publication of an agricultural biotechnology policy compendium; a seminal publication on "climate change and food security"; analytical work on various components of bioenergy systems, coupled with an expert consultation and a technical publication; the development of more robust multidisciplinary indicators in connection with the Gender and Development Plan of Action (GAD-PoA); support to the organization of the International Mountain Day in 2006 and 2007 (complementing other resources); additional databases linked to spatially referenced information; support to specialized capacity-building programmes and the establishment of a series of Technical Knowledge Networks. Further, an additional US$433 000 in funding was provided through the innovation fund specified in the PWB documentation for catalytic support to the themes of FAO as a knowledge organization and capacity building, given the significance of these areas in the context of Organizational reforms. A major effort was made to increase this type of central funding in the proposals for the PWB 2008-09, eventually approved by the FAO Conference in November 2007.

Programme 5C: Financial services

Regular Programme		(USD 000)
	Net Appropriation	10,984
	Actual Income	7,258
	Adjusted Programme of Work	18,242
	Expenditure at budget rate	17,682
	Variance of expenditure (Over)/Under	560
Extra budgetary Support to the Regular Programme		0
Field Programme
	Extra budgetary Support to Field Programme/Assistance to Member Countries	0
	Extra budgetary funded Emergencies	0
	TCP and SPFS delivery	0
	Total Field Programme delivery	0
Total Expenditure		17,682

Type of Output	Approved in PWB	Cancelled/ Postponed	Total Delivered	Delivered Unmodified	Percent Delivered
Information products, systems, databases	2	(1)	1	1	50%
Other	1	(1)	0	0	0%
Provision of services to staff, departments and members	36	(1)	35	35	97%
Total	39	(3)	36	36	92%

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5CP01	Central Accounting and Financial Reporting	Continuing Service	AFF

Expected Benefits

These would include: i) accounts are timely, complete, accurate and in compliance with the Organization's financial regulations and rules; ii) statutory requirement to produce biennial accounts for External Audit and FAO membership met; iii) complete financial results available to extra-budgetary sources; iv) field offices receive the necessary support to prepare accounts in an accurate manner; v) project accounts of the Organization are prepared to the highest standards, facilitating development of the field programme and ensuring due compliance with donor agreements.

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

In light of the service nature of AFF's responsibilities, the Division continuously strives to improve its operations in an effort to become a more efficient and effective provider. This programme entity relates primarily to financial accounting and reporting activities. A significant goal within this area is to create accounts that reflect greater transparency and are more meaningful to the users of the Organization's financial reporting. To this end, several measures were introduced in 2006-07 to enhance financial reporting in the audited accounts. The most notable were the adoption of two new accounting principles: i) the provision for Member Nation contributions is no longer assumed to be 100 percent until the funds are received, but is now only recorded in exceptional circumstances, as all assessments are expected to be collected; ii) the full value of the actuarially calculated After Service Staff Liabilities are now recorded on the Organization's Statement II. All the accounting changes serve to reflect more accurately the economic reality of FAO's financial position and results and also constitute an important step towards aligning FAO's financial accounting policies with International Public Sector Accounting Standards, which the UN System agreed to adopt by January 2010 (see also PWB 2008/09 PE 8AA08 - IPSAS).

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5CP02	Financial Operations and Systems	Continuing Service	AFF

Expected Benefits

These will include: i) effective use of technology to increase productivity and reduce turn around time for transaction processing; ii) simplification and improvements of business processes to achieve efficiencies; and iii) satisfactory institutional financial polices and procedures.

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

The AFF Division continuously strives to improve its operations in an effort to become a more efficient and effective provider. This programme entity relates primarily to the operations that are responsible for the transactions underlying the financial reporting process, as well as financial policy/procedure, liaison with audit functions and management of financial systems. Notable activities and achievements in this area include: i) implementation and roll-out of a new electronic payment request form to improve the efficiency of consultants' payments; ii) significant support to the successful implementation and integration of the existing Oracle Financials Applications as part of the HRMS project; iii) testing, planning, implementation and post-implementation activities related to new payroll system (HRMS); iv) significant improvements in the quality of payroll masterfile data to support the streamlining and improved efficiency of the payroll disbursement process (contributing to the best-ever straight-through processing (STP) rates for electronic bank transfers, resulting in significant savings on bank fees; v) full review of all advances to consultants and staff members arising up to 2004 to assess recoverability, as well as implementation of new procedures to ensure their timely recovery; and vi) publication of comprehensive policy and procedural guidance on the AFF Intranet.

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5CP03	Treasury Operations	Continuing Service	AFF

Expected Benefits

Efficient use of FAO financial resources.

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

The AFF Division continuously strives to improve its operations in an effort to become a more efficient and effective provider. This programme entity relates primarily to Treasury operations. During the past biennium the Treasury function implemented significant efficiency measures in the field office replenishment process, reducing overall replenishment time from one week to one day. Such change resulted in improved cash management and contributed directly to combined savings/maximized investment returns of an approximately USD$300 000 per year. In 2007, to further improve efficiencies and reduce costs, a new corporate bank was selected, which will become fully operational in the 2008-09 biennium.

Programme 5D: Human resources management and staff welfare

Regular Programme		(USD 000)
	Net Appropriation	14,386
	Actual Income	2,723
	Adjusted Programme of Work	17,109
	Expenditure at budget rate	18,548
	Variance of expenditure (Over)/Under	(1,439)
Extra budgetary Support to the Regular Programme		234
Field Programme
	Extra budgetary Support to Field Programme/Assistance to Member Countries	0
	Extra budgetary funded Emergencies	0
	TCP and SPFS delivery	0
	Total Field Programme delivery	0
Total Expenditure		18,782

Type of Output	Approved in PWB	Cancelled/ Postponed	Unplanned Delivered	Total Delivered	Delivered Unmodified	Delivered Modified	Percent Delivered
Other	2	0	2	4	4	0	200%
Provision of services to staff, departments and members	18	(4)	4	18	15	3	100%
Total	20	(4)	6	22	19	3	110%

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5DP01	Health and Medical Services	Continuing Service	AFD

Expected Benefits

Comprehensive medical guidance for staff to contribute to healthy lifestyles and work environment on a worldwide basis. Reduced number of days lost from work.

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

The Medical Service maintained its regular activities providing services to FAO, WFP and IFAD. Preventive programmes such as the cardiovascular risk programme and others were conducted to improve the general health of the staff. An in-house pharmacy was opened to reduce the costs of prescriptions to staff and provide additional convenience in the purchase of medicines. The Medical Service also participated in the procurement and distribution of emergency medical supplies as a preventive measure in the event of an Avian Influenza outbreak.

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5DP02	Human Resources Legal Services	Continuing Service	AFH

Expected Benefits

Fair treatment of staff contributes to effective human resources management, good staff morale and dedication to the mandate of the Organization.

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

AFH continued to review and respond to staff grievances and monitor disciplinary cases. The Division also provided timely advice to line managers regarding work-related disputes, with a view to resolving such disputes at an early stage and keeping the number of administrative appeals and grievances as low as possible. Efforts to identify a harmonious dispute resolution process and incorporate consensual dispute resolution avenues into the Organization's internal recourse procedure led to the introduction of a mediation procedure. The Organization's Policy on Prevention of Harassment also continued to be implemented.

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5DP03	Human Resources Policy, Planning and Inter-Agency Activities	Continuing Service	AFH

Expected Benefits

The effective implementation of a human resources management framework founded on the concepts of improved HR services delivery (both in qualitative and efficiency terms) and in which HR strategies and planning activities are fully aligned with corporate goals (including the medium and long-term requirement for an appropriate workforce skill-mix). The entity will further ensure an integration of HR policy, planning and advisory services based on a more effective and enabling information management system. Delivery of these outputs will also ensure that salary administration activities are compatible with the Common System and maintain the Organization's competitive position in the international labour market.

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

Under this programme entity, AFH was actively involved in promoting innovative human resources policies through UN inter-agency bodies, including the International Civil Service Commission, the Human Resources Network and the High-Level Committee on Management of the Chief Executives Board for Coordination. The policies reviewed under such bodies included inter-organization mobility; mobility, hardship, non-removal and assignment grant schemes; criteria for the payment of hazard pay; and a framework for contractual arrangements within the organizations of the United Nations common system.

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5DP04	Organizational Development and Staffing	Continuing Service	AFH

Expected Benefits

FAO managers will be provided with qualified and professional advice on the interviewing and selection of staff. FAO units will spend less time on the recruitment process and recruit qualified candidates taking into account objectives of geographical distribution and gender balance. The introduction of HRMS will improve the quality of service provided to the Organization in the recruitment area by fully automating the capture of applications and introducing an element of automatic screening, interview planning and selection. Through better job design and utilization of modern classification tools, units can organize work around teams, facilitating good performance and staff mobility.

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

Under this programme entity, a number of steps were implemented to address the issue of limited applicant fields from under- and non-represented countries. Efforts continue to be made to target Web sites in those countries for posting of FAO Vacancy Announcements. Other longer-term steps included improving networks within and outside the Organization. Following the FAO Conference in November 2005, AFH has been coordinating the work of the Redeployment Task Forces and supporting the implementation of the Revised PWB and Phase II staffing proposals.

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5DP05	Staff Development and Learning Services	Continuing Service	AFH

Expected Benefits

To continually align staff development and learning programmes closely to programme priorities and further develop and enhance the required competencies of staff, ensuring excellence. To empower managers to be more effective and proactive in the development of staff, by establishing linkages to personal development plans emanating from performance management.

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

AFH continued to provide staff development and learning opportunities for improving the skills of FAO staff based on a number of key cross-organizational strategies. Training has been delivered through three types of staff development and learning services: the In-house Learning Programme, External Training Programme and Divisional Learning and Development Programme. The In-house Learning Programme comprises a variety of programmes delivered in the workplace, including language, communication and information technology skills, as well as the FAO staff orientation and retirement programmes. New programmes for the biennium included management development and coaching, dealing with diversity, negotiation and conflict management and logical framework analysis. The External Training Programme, aimed at maintaining the professional skills of staff members through access to developmental activities outside the Organization, increased its activities during the biennium. The Divisional Learning and Development Service accounted for the largest percentage of divisions' staff development allocation and serves to develop the competencies of staff members in areas such as strategic planning, team-building and technical training in the context of their annual work programmes.

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5DP06	Provision of Social Security Services	Continuing Service	AFH

Expected Benefits

A competitive benefit package would directly contribute to attracting and retaining the high-quality staff necessary to carry out FAO's programmes.

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

During 2006, following a thorough review of the staff insurance plans, AFH embarked on an international tendering process for the staff medical insurance plans, securing better terms and conditions to mitigate the effect of escalating medical costs on the Organization's budget. In the meantime, an inter-organizational consultation process was initiated among the Rome-based UN Agencies to study the feasibility of other contractual mechanisms for their common medical insurance as well as staff compensation plans.

Programme 5E: Procurement

Regular Programme		(USD 000)
	Net Appropriation	5,661
	Actual Income	5,245
	Adjusted Programme of Work	10,906
	Expenditure at budget rate	10,442
	Variance of expenditure (Over)/Under	464
Extra budgetary Support to the Regular Programme		0
Field Programme
	Extra budgetary Support to Field Programme/Assistance to Member Countries	0
	Extra budgetary funded Emergencies	0
	TCP and SPFS delivery	0
	Total Field Programme delivery	0
Total Expenditure		10,442

Type of Output	Approved in PWB	Cancelled/ Postponed	Unplanned Delivered	Total Delivered	Delivered Unmodified	Delivered Modified	Percent Delivered
Provision of services to staff, departments and members	3	0	0	3	3	0	100%
Total	3	0	0	3	3	0	100%

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5EP01	Procurement	Continuing Service	AFS

Expected Benefits

Facilitation of the procurement of services and goods leading to selection of the most cost-effective options, at the desired quality standard.

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

The total procurement volume for the biennium amounted to US$180 million. This amount does not encompass procurement undertaken for concessionaire services at headquarters such as travel, various catering facilities, banking services, medical plans, the pharmaceutical distribution point and insurance services, which are paid for by staff members directly, by the concerned units within the Organization and/or through separate schemes. It is noted that the volume represented by these activities, although not captured in Oracle, has increased substantially. Forty-six percent of procurement in value in 2007 was emergency procurement, with the usual peaks and lows. During 2007, field purchase orders were also processed with a total value of US$ 5.5 million (-20 percent vs. 2006). Procurement missions in support of field operations were conducted in Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jordan, Mali, the Niger and Somalia. The Director, AFS, has granted increased delegation of authority up to US$50 000 to 43 FAO Representatives and Emergency Coordinators. In the area of capacity building, training material and curriculum were standardized and a training component was introduced as a standard component of the terms of reference for procurement missions. In the area of information management, a business intelligence tool has been implemented, providing management information extracted from several internal reporting systems - whether Oracle-based or Excel-based, - enabling the monitoring of response rates with regard to tenders, payment monitoring, vendor performance, workload distribution and order/contract follow-up.

Programme 5F: Management of premises

Regular Programme		(USD 000)
	Net Appropriation	32,295
	Actual Income	2,881
	Adjusted Programme of Work	35,176
	Expenditure at budget rate	32,575
	Variance of expenditure (Over)/Under	2,601
Extra budgetary Support to the Regular Programme		484
Field Programme
	Extra budgetary Support to Field Programme/Assistance to Member Countries	0
	Extra budgetary funded Emergencies	0
	TCP and SPFS delivery	0
	Total Field Programme delivery	0
Total Expenditure		33,059

Type of Output	Approved in PWB	Cancelled/ Postponed	Unplanned Delivered	Total Delivered	Delivered Unmodified	Delivered Modified	Percent Delivered
Provision of services to staff, departments and members	7	0	0	7	7	0	100%
Total	7	0	0	7	7	0	100%

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5FP01	Provision of Central Records Services	Continuing Service	AFS

Expected Benefits

These include: i) ensuring that accountability standards are met through proper record keeping and preservation of institutional memory; ii) reliable and efficient delivery of FAO documents and publications through mail, pouch and document distribution; iii) a Digital Records Management System that will improve internal knowledge management through enhanced record keeping and information retrieval technologies.

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

During 2006-07, new inputs for the DRMS (Digital Records and Management System) and DAMS (Digital Archives Management System) implementation and follow-up phases were provided. The DRMS II project will be implemented in 2008. The Shipments Backcharging and tracking System (SBS) - introduced to keep track of requests to the Mail and Distribution Unit for pouch, re-mailing and franking services - was continuously improved to help internal operators produce standard statistics and detailed reports for users/divisions requiring verification information. With regard to ongoing system hardware and software upgrade, during 2007, efforts were made to reinforce the hardware infrastructure underlying the mail and distribution Web site together and the back-office applications used by internal operators. Improvements were made to the Information and Communication System used in management of the external warehouse through the introduction of new backcharging procedures and reporting tools designed to facilitate automatic generation of monthly reports (by division/Oracle budget code) for storage and picking costs, to meet the requirements outlined in Administrative Circular No. 2006/32. A full feasibility study was carried out to investigate the possibility of implementing a central registry system and the findings were submitted to senior management.

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5FP02	Facilities Management Services	Continuing Service	AFS

Expected Benefits

A safe and supportive working environment in the headquarters premises.

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

Major projects delivered under this programme included the creation or construction of several new facilities: the ECTAD Crisis Management Centre; a new Radio, TV and Broadcasting centre; and offices to host the UN Federal Credit Union and the Banca di Sondrio. Improvements to facilities included the complete refurbishment of the German Room; the contract award for repairs to the Atrium; the construction of a lightning protection system and the installation of a power break emergency system. An agreement was also reached with the Italian Government obtaining their provision for major extraordinary works, including the installation of new elevators for Building C and the repaving of the external Commissary road. In addition, a new backcharging procedure for office space for non-Regular Programme activities was implemented.

Programme 5G: Meetings and language services and protocol

Regular Programme		(USD 000)
	Net Appropriation	7,756
	Actual Income	207
	Adjusted Programme of Work	7,963
	Expenditure at budget rate	7,759
	Variance of expenditure (Over)/Under	204
Extra budgetary Support to the Regular Programme		27
Field Programme
	Extra budgetary Support to Field Programme/Assistance to Member Countries	0
	Extra budgetary funded Emergencies	0
	TCP and SPFS delivery	0
	Total Field Programme delivery	0
Total Expenditure		7,786

Type of Output	Approved in PWB	Total Delivered	Delivered Unmodified	Percent Delivered
Other	1	1	1	100%
Provision of services to staff, departments and members	25	25	25	100%
Total	26	26	26	100%

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5GP01	Official Correspondence	Continuing Service	KCC

Expected Benefits

Ensuring that all official communications addressed to Member Nations are processed to a high degree of accuracy and in a timely manner, making increased use of new technologies. Ensuring that all intergovernmental organizations having formal relations with FAO are adequately consulted and/or informed of the policies developed by FAO. Ensuring that updated information is available regarding relationships between FAO and intergovernmental organizations.

Indicators

Management of all Official Correspondence, including that of the Director General's office
- Number of circular letters
- Number of agreement letters related to FAO meetings
Management of a documentation and reference database for Intergovernmental Organizations and processing of correspondence related to external meetings
- Number of invitations to meetings received from intergovernmental organizations
- Number of intergovernmental organizations referenced in the database

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

Replies from Permanent Representatives to the KCCO auto-evaluation questionnaire circulated in 2007 confirmed that the Permanent Representatives' Web site is widely perceived as a significant channel of communication that is yet to reach its full potential - an idea echoed in the Independent External Evaluation. Work on upgrading the Web site began in late 2007 and the new programme, which takes into account suggestions made by Permanent Representatives, is expected to come on line by mid-2008. Although the present site is limited in scope, it was increasingly used during the biennium to post documents and convocations for working groups and seminars. This, combined with greater use of e-mail for circular messages, has helped achieve significant efficiency savings and productivity gains. Efforts made through the interdepartmental working groups established by the Director-General to streamline and delegate authority for routine matters such as the clearance of notes verbales, circular correspondence, travel plans and recurrent governing body documentation had a positive impact on delivery times. Likewise, the introduction of less cumbersome membership rules for the open committees of the Council (C 2007/REP Resolution 8/2007) considerably reduced the amount of staff time spent on maintaining the related correspondence and records. The submission of electronic versions of interventions made at the 34th Session of Conference also helped improve production times. A similar move towards electronic media occurred in the management of the Organization's response to invitations to attend 380 external meetings convened by major intergovernmental organizations, which were processed and tracked digitally, thus saving resources, reducing the risk of misrouting and facilitating archival operations.

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5GP02	Programming of meetings at Headquarters and in the Field	Continuing Service	KCC

Expected Benefits

Ensuring that FAO meetings are organized according to the established rules and that the necessary resources are planned accordingly. Efficient scheduling of meetings can lead to minimizing the resources needed to cover meetings.

Indicators

Programming and planning of FAO meetings at headquarters and in the field and of the related meeting documentation
- Proportion of document processing requests entirely managed through the appropriate system (E-DPR)
- Satisfaction of staff involved in meeting with the programming arrangements
Coordination and supervision of facilities for meeting at headquarters and provision of support to non-FAO meetings held on FAO premises
- Number of non-FAO meetings organized
- User satisfaction (surveys)

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

As in previous biennia, strong efforts were made to ensure an adequate planning of meetings and to avoid overlapping in order to make optimum use of meeting facilities and related services. The Meeting Programming and Documentation Service continued to implement new technologies in areas such as session programming, remote translation for major meetings away from headquarters, workflow control, document distribution, archiving and registration, with a view to streamlining data communication between existing systems. The number of sessions (229) held in 2006-07 represented a 13% decline as compared with 2004-05, reflecting the overall reduction in planned session for the biennium as per the PWB. A total of 12,325 translation and printing requests were managed using the Electronic Documentation Processing and Retrieval (E-DPR) System, which was further enhanced to incorporate a dedicated module on reporting and monitoring. Internal collaboration with document originators has also been continued, with the integration of electronic document production processes for a number of meeting documents such as the Programme of Work and Budget and the Programme Implementation Report, leading to reduced costs and time for processing. Some 14 non-FAO meetings were also organized and serviced under the programme entity. Efforts have been made to standardize the procedures and processes for the organization and monitoring of these meetings, both with meeting organizers and with other FAO divisions servicing them.

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5GP03	Provision and monitoring of FAO language services	Continuing Service	KCC

Expected Benefits

Translation of all the meeting documents and other products, the interpretation services for meetings and the printing of documents provided in a timely manner and according to the highest quality standards; ensuring that the FAO Language Policy is adequately implemented.

Indicators

Terminology and language support services
- Number of new technical concepts and titles added in the FAOTERM database
- Average monthly number of hits to the FAO Terminology Web site
- Percentage of documents processed using assisted translation technologies
Translation services for meeting documentation, selected major publications and other non-meeting documentation
- Percentage of work outsourced to external translators versus work done by internal staff
- Total number of words translated
- User satisfaction
Interpretation services at headquarters and in the field
- Number of interpretation days
- Percentage of interpretation sessions covered by internal staff interpreters
Printing services for meeting documentation, selected major publications and other non-meeting documentation
- Total number of page impressions
- Utilization rate of equipment
- Number of titles and copies printed on demand

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

In 2006-07, strong efforts were made to streamline the production, maintenance and workflow management for the language resources, including FAOTERM, the Names of Countries database and other glossaries that are used continuously by FAO staff, international organizations and the general public (300 000 monthly queries from an average of 12 000 users). Implementation of computer-assisted tools also increased, and are now applied for some 75 percent of the translation requests. Finally, liaison with other organizations was enhanced in an effort to work towards improved interoperability of systems and language data at the United Nations level. A total of 19 million words were translated in 2006-07, representing a reduction of some 15 percent compared with the past three biennia. The reduction applied equally to Arabic, Chinese, French and Spanish, while English and other languages (particularly Russian) showed a slight increase. This volume represents translation undertaken by internal translation services, without taking into account translation of non-official documents outsourced directly by divisions. There has been a decrease in the number of interpretation days compared with the previous biennium, on the order of some 6 percent, reflecting the overall decline in number of sessions held in 2006-07, and a better language coverage. Strong efforts were made towards reducing the number of copies per document and a higher level of document distribution through Web posting only. These measures were coupled with the implementation of an electronic printing policy geared towards reinforcing on-demand capabilities and therefore reducing the long-term storage need for document copies. This approach led to a reduction of around 50 percent in printing requests in 2006-07. Internal capacity has been resized and the equipment adapted to the latest technologies, obtaining the highest possible cost-efficiency.

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5GP04	Protocol Services and Liaison with Permanent Representatives	Continuing Service	KCC

Expected Benefits

Ensuring that protocol activities are carried out in accordance with the established rules.

Indicators

Provision and monitoring of protocol services to Permanent Representations and meetings of Members, and maintenance of a Ministerial database
- Number of official visits requiring protocol services
Issuance and renewal of UN Laissez-Passer, identity cards and visas
- Number of administrative documents issued/processed
Meetings of Regional Groups
- Number of meetings and presentations organized for the Permanent Representatives

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

To ensure that all Permanent Representations accredited to FAO, both in Rome and abroad, can rely on a first point of contact, continued efforts were made towards maintaining liaison with member countries and their respective Regional Groups. Close liaison was also maintained with the host authorities in order to ensure immunities and privileges, within the framework of the Headquarters Agreement for FAO/WFP staff, as well as for diplomatic members of Independent Missions accredited to FAO. Constant communication with Permanent Representatives was maintained with a view to ensuring that all queries and requests for information/clarification were satisfactorily dealt with. With regard to meetings of the Group of 77, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and FAO's Regional Groups, every effort was made to schedule meetings so that the rooms and interpretation teams were used for separate meetings taking place on the same day. While ensuring that Protocol activities adhered to established procedures and norms, Protocol and logistical arrangements were provided for visits by heads of state/heads of governments. The Visa Desk continued its work in processing requests for issuance/renewal of UN Laissez-Passer and identity cards for FAO/WFP staff as well as obtaining visas for official travel. In this respect, procedures for the issuance of visas have become complicated due to security measures imposed by many countries. The introduction of an Intranet-based database providing visa information and application forms has streamlined procedures and saved staff time. A key unit cost has also been established for services rendered to staff of other UN Offices based in Rome, which, when put into effect, should generate considerable income.

Programme 5H: Shared services

Regular Programme		(USD 000)
	Net Appropriation	14,522
	Actual Income	6,159
	Adjusted Programme of Work	20,681
	Expenditure at budget rate	22,474
	Variance of expenditure (Over)/Under	(1,793)
Extra budgetary Support to the Regular Programme		0
Field Programme
	Extra budgetary Support to Field Programme/Assistance to Member Countries	0
	Extra budgetary funded Emergencies	0
	TCP and SPFS delivery	0
	Total Field Programme delivery	0
Total Expenditure		22,474

Type of Output	Approved in PWB	Unplanned Delivered	Total Delivered	Delivered Unmodified	Percent Delivered
Other	0	1	1	1	0%
Provision of services to staff, departments and members	12	0	12	12	100%
Total	12	1	13	13	108%

Programme Entity	Title	Type	Lead Division
5HP01	Provision of Management Support Services	Continuing Service	AFD

Expected Benefits

The MSS provides for proper internal controls as well as advisory services to departments so that the latter can operate effectively and in accordance with established rules and regulations.

Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt

The SSC has been active in the biennium in preparing for the opening of the off-shore office in Budapest, including the negotiations with the Hungarian Govt. on support, design and remodeling of offices, recruitment of staff, training, etc. The work programme was maintained on schedule and the offices were opened on 2 January 2008. Other routine functions of the SSC have been maintained.