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 
 
¶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fragmented, out-of-date, Integrated Management Information 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