The OICT is headed by the ASG/CITO who reports to the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. The new Office is comprised of all staff formerly located within the Department of Management’s Information Technology Services Division (ITSD). The OICT also includes an additional 10 posts and some non-post resources from the Department of Field Support’s ICT Division to establish a unit dedicated to support Organization-wide field systems development.
More information on the OICT, including its organizational chart can be found on the OICT interim website (www.oict-un.org).
Expected improvements
According to Mr. Choi, “The establishment of the OICT provides increased visibility on ICT issues and will be the key factor in helping the office and its staff reach out in new directions to better harness the potential that technology has to offer to the Organization.”
In addition, the coordinating role provided by the OICT will serve as a mechanism for ICT units within other Departments and Offices across duty stations to work together more closely and to benefit from common services and approaches. Mr. Choi went on to say that more well-defined roles and responsibilities among ICT units allows for better alignment of ICT solutions with the mandates and substantive programmatic needs of the Secretariat. Furthermore, the OICT will foster deeper coordination and collaboration among United Nations organizations in all matters related to ICT, thereby contributing to the realization of greater effectiveness and cost savings from the harmonization within the UN system.
In addition, it is expected that better prioritization of ICT projects and resources combined with a more client-oriented approach will also provide the foundation for faster and more innovative ICT services.
In the same resolution, the General Assembly approved the creation of the Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) project, and approved a total spend of 20m USD for the 2008/2009 biennium. The project will re-design administrative practices and procedures across the Organization for greater efficiency, placing them on a single, globally accessible information management platform, ultimately replacing IMIS and many other discrete administrative applications. The ERP project reports to the CITO for day-to-day management and technological issues. It also reports to a project steering committee chaired by the USG for Management, Ms. Angela Kane, for the resolution of business process-related matters, and to ensure support and buy-in from the future user communities. The project is expected to deliver its first working applications by 2011.
Transition Activities
A number of transition activities are already underway in the areas of management, support services, finance, human resource and administration and future iSeek stories will outline any upcoming changes in detail as necessary. Current service arrangements will remain in place and no interruptions in service are expected. More information on ICT services provided by the new OICT can be found on iSeek at http://iseek.un.org/m210.asp?dept=1.
