by Paul van Essche
21 December, 2010

Dear colleagues,

As a busy year winds to a close, I should like to update our stakeholders on the progress of Umoja, and look forward in anticipation of a productive 2011.  In January we will take stock of where we stand, with a complete view of year-end deliverables, but until then a preliminary assessment is timely.

I am delighted to report that the General Assembly has endorsed the Secretary-General’s 2nd progress report on Umoja, together with the conclusions and  recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions. The GA resolution has reaffirmed Member States’ political and financial backing for the project in a manner that will help us to move forward, i.e. by stressing the need for expeditious action to overcome some of our biggest challenges, such as timely recruitment of staff and Subject Matter Experts. Our Steering Committee, led by Undersecretary-General for Management Angela Kane, has also taken recent steps in this regard to mitigate the risk of delay. Member States also approved our request to create 10 new posts (in a cost-neutral manner by shifting some resources away from contractual services) to close crucial gaps in service delivery, and programme and project management.

My October message described in some detail Umoja’s achievements and challenges over 2010. To recap, we have spent the year designing the future administrative operating model for the United Nations in the 21st century, with enormous improvements in resource utilization, transparency, efficiency, accountability.  Over 275 new business processes have been identified, and 185 of these have now been released to their business owners for review and acceptance. We have begun to prototype parts of the solution. We are also working to identify the pilot site where Umoja will first deploy in 2012, and expect to announce a selection early in the New Year.

In 2011 we will ‘translate’ the future operating  model to the technical language of the future software system, test and continually refine the solution.  The design will be embodied in new procedures and policies, in a comprehensive education and training program, and in a single, global computer system. In 2012 and 2013, the Umoja solution will be implemented in stages across the UN, bringing the Umoja vision to life. 

All these activities are not limited to the immediate Umoja team: this is a truly global undertaking requiring the active commitment of staff and stakeholders around the world, from Headquarter stations to offices in the deep field. To date, Umoja has completed 539 events involving 1482 UN staff members outside the project team, with a total participation of 4971 person days effort in all events. 409 stakeholders are already actively involved in the Umoja design process, with 51.3% of the total participation in detailed design events coming from duty stations outside of NY. And this is only the beginning - we will continue to rely upon your active engagement in our work, at every stage of the process.

In addition, our internal online community, Umoja NET, is fostering a partnership between the Umoja team and UN stakeholders in a manner that is genuinely groundbreaking for United Nations project management. As befits the initiative’s scope, we are working to benefit from the expertise and experience of a global pool of knowledge, as well as to ensure that staff will have the necessary understanding of the changes Umoja will bring.

On behalf of the entire Umoja team, I thank you all, our colleagues and stakeholders for your hard work and the support that you continue to give to this tremendous undertaking.  Your enthusiasm and commitment galvanizes and sustains us in our work.

Wishing you a very happy holiday season, with everything good in the New Year.

Yours ever,

Paul van Essche
Umoja Director