Modern management

PLANNING

In accordance with the Director-General's proposals to strengthen the strategic management of the Organization, a long-term planning framework was envisaged in addition to the six-year Medium-Term Plan and the biennial Programme of Work and Budget.

In September 1997, the Programme and Finance Committees considered a comprehensive proposal for the formulation of a Strategic Framework, with a time horizon of 10 to 15 years. In November 1997, the FAO Conference adopted Resolution 6/97, Strengthening the FAO 2000 Project, placing particular emphasis on the need for broad-based consultations within existing structures in the formulation of a Strategic Framework. During the process that followed, wide-ranging consultations were held, not only with FAO's membership but also with partners and among staff. Successive drafts of the Strategic Framework document were produced and examined in 1998 and 1999 by the Programme and Finance Committees and the FAO Council, and by the Committees on Commodity Problems, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry as well as ministerial meetings on fisheries and forestry. This culminated in November 1999, when the FAO Conference approved the final version of The Strategic Framework for FAO: 2000-2015.

The Strategic Framework, to be revised approximately every six years, has been designed to establish a longer-term perspective for FAO's work and indicate the Organization's mission and vision as well as its strategic objectives. The Medium-Term Plan, to be updated each biennium, translates the long-term strategic goals identified into a coherent, six-year programme of work and defines the subsidiary objectives and outputs. Finally, the Programme of Work and Budget covers the resource implications and implementation details for a two-year time slice of the Medium-Term Plan.

COORDINATION

Modern management tools have been crucial in improving the Director-General's capacity to coordinate the work of the Organization efficiently and effectively. Senior Management Meetings have been held regularly since 1994, chaired by the Director-General or, in his absence, the Deputy Director-General. Participants include the Deputy Director-General, all Heads of Department and the Directeur de Cabinet, who consider important policy issues prior to their eventual discussion at the larger Programme and Policy Advisory Board (PPAB). Comprising all Division Directors and chaired by the Director-General, the PPAB generally meets monthly. The Senior Management Group also examines urgent matters that cannot wait for the next PPAB session as well as matters that are not suitable for discussion by such a large group. To date, the Director-General has chaired about 80 Senior Management and 50 PPAB meetings.

In 1999, the Senior Officer Information Forum (SOIF) was established for the dual purpose of focusing the PPAB agenda on policy issues and creating a forum for disseminating information on FAO's current activities to all Division Directors. SOIF meetings are chaired by the Deputy Director-General.

Fora for internal information exchange

To ensure adequate discussion of corporate issues and to provide a forum for information exchange and interaction, permanent horizontal committees or groups have been introduced within FAO. The aim is to prevent situations where individual services or divisions develop activities and projects in isolation from others - limiting themselves to their own list of consultants - and thus fail to benefit from the comparative advantage of multidisciplinarity. Since January 1994, a number of permanent committees and groups of this type have been established and/or revised as part of a system in which FAO projects, programme proposals and activities are no longer relegated to single divisional programmes but, instead, result from interdisciplinary collaboration. The committees and groups are currently as follows:

Special Programme Joint Committee (SPJC), Special Programme Policy Committee (SPPC) and Special Programme Implementation Committee (SPIC). Arrangements have been made at headquarters to ensure constant multidisciplinary monitoring and regular evaluations of the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS), both at the overall programme level and at the country level. The Joint Committee, chaired by the Director-General, ensures the overall coordination of the Special Programme, oversees its implementation and monitors its progress. The Policy Committee is responsible for overall policy guidance and the Implementation Committee is responsible for overseeing all operations from project preparation to evaluation and impact assessment.

EMPRES Steering Committee. This Committee provides policy guidance and facilitates decision-making on substantive and operational matters relating to the Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES). It monitors overall progress, reviews the general orientation, scope and approaches of EMPRES, including environmental concerns, and oversees coordination between EMPRES and FAO units as well as between FAO and its external partners. The Committee is chaired by the Director-General and comprises Assistant Directors-General (ADGs) and Directors from relevant Departments and Divisions of the Organization.

Emergency Coordination Group. With the significant restructuring that the UN's interagency humanitarian coordination mechanisms have undergone over the last two years, FAO has been called on increasingly to participate in coherent and systematic UN responses to complex emergencies.

In order to enhance FAO's institutional capacity to respond to increasing demands for humanitarian assistance, the Emergency Coordination Group (ECG) was reorganized and strengthened in 1999. In addition to an expanded membership, representing the Organization's multidisciplinary expertise, the ECG's revised mandate covers a broader scope of issues related to prevention and preparedness. Its new terms of reference include: ensuring coherent preventive action and a systematic response from all the concerned units within FAO and maintaining a high profile and strong voice in interagency consultative fora for emergencies; convening in the event of large-scale natural disasters and human-induced emergencies or economic crises and ensuring that coordinated action is taken; arranging for action plans to be prepared for each stage of the Organization's interventions and monitoring activities; and identifying appropriate measures with which to strengthen FAO's capacity for resource mobilization.

Committee on Ethics in Food and Agriculture. To ensure that the Organization keeps abreast of the increasing public interest in the ethical issues related to food and agricultural technologies, this internal Committee was established in 1998 at the ADG level and is chaired by the Deputy Director-General. It is assisted by a Subcommittee of specialist staff, and an external Panel of Eminent Experts on Ethics in Food and Agriculture is to be established in 2000. The Committee, Subcommittee and Panel will consider a range of technical issues, including the ethical dimensions of natural resource use and of new technologies such as genetically modified organisms, and will advise the Director-General on ethical questions in relation to food and agriculture.

Interdepartmental Committee on Women in Development. This Committee was established to ensure the continued and effective development and coordination of activities in the context of the revised FAO Plan of Action for Women in Development. Among other tasks, it coordinates, provides policy guidance and facilitates decision-making on normative and operational matters relating to women in development. It does this mainly by monitoring progress made in the implemention of the Plan of Action at headquarters and in the field. In addition, it periodically assesses the overall results and impacts of the Plan and reports back to the PPAB and the Senior Management Group.

Corporate Communication Committee. Prior to 1994, FAO had no clear mechanism for defining key corporate messages or for communicating them effectively to the general public and to major target audiences such as policy-makers, researchers, NGOs and the media. Furthermore, technical departments planned and budgeted for publications, but not necessarily for other information products.

To redress this situation, a Corporate Communication Policy and Strategy was formulated. It hinges on a cross-organizational planning process and encompasses all communication activities. FAO's publishing programme plays an essential role in the implementation of the Policy and Strategy, which is monitored by the Corporate Communication Committee (CCC). The CCC, replacing the former Publications Committee, advises on related proposals for inclusion in the Programme of Work and Budget and also monitors the implementation of FAO's language policy. Departmental and Regional Communication and Publishing Committees have also been set up to facilitate the formulation of communication and publishing plans, which are submitted to the CCC for review and approval.

Information Management and Technology Committee. In 1982, the Organization established an interdepartmental forum called the Information System and Resources Committee (ISRC) to ensure effective computer usage and the coordinated development of information systems. Since then, there have been significant developments in computer and communication technologies, mostly driven by the emergence of the Internet, and the focus has shifted away from the technology and more towards the management of information. In recognition of the strategic importance of these developments, the Information Management and Technology Committee (IMTC) was set up to replace the ISRC in 1999. The IMTC is chaired by the Deputy Director-General and its members include all ADGs and Directors of the divisions that are most directly concerned with information management and technology, including OCD which also represents the Decentralized Offices. The IMTC is a policy and coordination group, assisted by two subcommittees, one dealing with information management and the other with information technology. Each subcommittee advises the IMTC on policy matters and serves as the Organization's interdepartmental forum for discussing and coordinating projects and activities.

World Food Day/TeleFood Policy Coordinating Committee and Operational Committee. The Policy Coordinating Committee, chaired by the Director-General, provides policy guidance and direction, including overall orientation and yearly priorities, on matters related to the World Food Day/TeleFood Programme. The Operational Committee monitors and reports regularly on the implementation of World Food Day Special Events/TeleFood Programme activities in individual countries and linguistic country groups; identifies problem areas and defines appropriate responses; and submits specific issues for consideration by the Director-General.

Advisory Committee on Occupational Health and Safety. This Committee advises the Director-General on matters relating to the health and safety of staff both at headquarters and in the field. It requests and reviews reports on potential hazards and serious or frequent accidents as well as analysing patterns of service-incurred accidents, illnesses and deaths. Advice is then given on measures to improve the safety of working methods and procedures and the ergonomics of workplaces.

Investigation Panel for Sexual Harassment. In accordance with recommendations made by the UN Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), in 1996 the Director-General approved a policy on the prevention of sexual harassment in FAO, including procedures for dealing with complaints of sexual harassment. The Panel is composed of three staff members, appointed by the Director-General after consultation with staff representatives. Members are appointed for two years and serve in their personal capacity. The Panel conducts its own investigations, including interviews with the complainant, the alleged offender, and any witnesses or others who may be able to provide relevant information.

Ad hoc meetings chaired by the Director-General

Despite his heavy travel obligations, the Director-General has continued to maintain close contact with headquarters staff by holding ad hoc meetings. Since 1994, he has held about 500 group meetings and about 900 individual meetings with staff members for specific purposes. Topics have included major decisions made by the FAO Conference, the impact of decentralization and restructuring, and the Organization's response to the emergencies in Rwanda and, more recently, Kosovo Province. In both of these emergency situations, the staff's response to the Director-General's appeal for volunteers to assist in the field was extremely encouraging.

TRAINING

An essential part of the reform in FAO's management style has been the Director-General's strong emphasis on staff training. Most staff members have had to adapt to a number of changes as a result of reform, including new functions, new tools and methods of work and, often, new duty stations. Consequently, training needs were vast, particularly in the field of information technology.

In 1996 and 1997, a comprehensive assessment of training needs was carried out and a corporate staff development plan drawn up. Training priorities were set in line with overall corporate strategies, and included support to organizational development; maintaining FAO as a centre of excellence; improving organizational effectiveness through enhanced deployment of information technology; and increased training support for decentralized offices. At the same time, the percentage of staff costs allocated by each division or office to training increased from 0.66 percent in 1996/97 to 1 percent in 1998/99.

A major skills development programme has been delivered to support the implementation of the Oracle project, the new modular system for administration and financial management (see the section Replacement of administrative and accounting systems, p. 57). By the end of 1999, about 1 000 staff, of which about two-thirds at headquarters and one-third in Regional Offices, had participated in Oracle training courses. With the implementation of Oracle Tutor, it has also been possible to deploy procedures, training guides and user manuals to FAO staff through the use of the Intranet. This is an important step in the provision of training support through the use of distance learning technology.

STAFF MOTIVATION

Staff motivation is essential to the life of an organization, and motivation will inevitably be affected by a reform of the magnitude experienced by FAO. It has not always been easy for staff, many of whom have had to transfer to new positions and/or locations - meaning their families, too, have had to adapt to a new situation. Other staff members were separated from the Organization, although always through consensual means.

In early 1994, all vacant posts had been frozen pending a decision by the FAO Council regarding the programme, structure and policies of the Organization, and so they were subsequently available for redeployment purposes. Nevertheless, the cases of all staff members affected were individually reviewed by the two Redeployment Task Forces, comprising representatives of FAO management and of the respective Staff Associations. The Redeployment Task Forces identified the most appropriate solutions, giving due consideration to personal situations as well as the interests of the Organization. Requiring extensive consultations, this large and complex exercise started in early 1995 and was successfully completed in April 1998.

Considerable effort has gone into identifying and meeting the needs of staff. One example, mentioned earlier, is the work of the Advisory Committee on Occupational Health and Safety in promoting health and safety awareness and supporting information and training programmes on accident and disease prevention, as well as its advice regarding major technological changes that could affect the health of staff.

The Director-General and senior management, in close dialogue with staff representatives, have attempted to satisfy the personal needs of staff. Space at headquarters was recently allocated for staff recreational and sports activities. Unfortunately, it was not possible to set up a child care centre on the premises because the space available for this purpose did not comply with Italian Government regulations. It is generally recognized, nevertheless, that the working environment at headquarters has improved. Moreover, the expanded use of modern information technologies (further explained in the section Modern office and information technology) has helped to improve both the motivation and productivity of staff by providing better tools and working conditions.

PERFORMANCE CHECKS

Another important aspect of modern management has been the strengthening of the control actions carried out by management to establish performance standards, measure and evaluate performance and take corrective action where appropriate. As part of the all-encompassing review of FAO's programmes, structure and policies, initiated in 1994, all Regional Offices, Country Representations and Liaison Offices were reviewed by the Internal Audit Office. As a result of this comprehensive global audit exercise, internal auditors were deployed to the four major Regional Offices. A programme of regular local audits was instituted - providing for regular reviews of accounting records, cash, banking and other procedures - and a more intensive monitoring system was put in place.

The function of internal auditing, inspection and management control has continued to evolve, and the concept of comprehensive auditing has now been integrated into an interdisciplinary approach that combines the financial, compliance and value-for-money aspects of auditing with inspection and investigation. As a result, FAO's Internal Audit Office was transformed into the Office of the Inspector-General in October 1997. At the same time, the Director-General decided to make the Inspector-General's annual activity report available to the Finance Committee. Members of the Committee welcomed this increased transparency and cooperative spirit between the Secretariat and representatives of Member Nations.

This spirit was further enhanced early in 1999 when the Director-General announced that any other report communicated to him may be made available to the Finance Committee if the Inspector-General deems it necessary. It was also decided that the Finance Committee should be consulted whenever there is a change of Inspector-General. Finally, the Charter for the Office of the Inspector-General was established.

Close cooperation between the Inspector-General and the External Auditor is maintained through frequent meetings and exchanges of work plans. Moreover, the External Auditor has access, on request, to any of the Inspector-General's reports. This link in the accountability chain has been further strengthened by the Director-General's instruction that it should be an automatic and standard procedure.

Letters to the field

Greater efficiency has been seen in the internal management of FAOR offices since the system of six-monthly Management Letters was introduced. The aim is to enable units at headquarters to provide FAORs with comprehensive and consolidated feedback on a variety of subjects, so as to improve the functioning of Country Offices. In order to ensure regular checks on the use of resources, the Management Letters are combined with a system of audits by private companies of all local operations carried out by field projects that maintain their own bank accounts.