UN Umoja reaches key milestone by signing agreement with SAP

On 25 June 2010, the United Nations and SAP Public Services, the German-based and world-leading provider of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, signed a contract for the provision of the core software for Umoja. This achievement was the result of the joint efforts of the Procurement Division (PD), Office of Legal Affairs (OLA), the Umoja team, and the Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT).

With the new process design effort nearly complete, the Umoja team will now be able to configure a software solution in line with the requirements and objectives of the Organization.

Umoja is an initiative that aims to transform the United Nations Secretariat to enable high-quality, cost-effective service delivery to support the execution of evolving mandates everywhere the Secretariat operates. Umoja, which means "unity" in Swahili, will integrate the many support and administrative entities throughout the Secretariat, including in peacekeeping and field missions, through re-designed and common processes for the management of all financial, human and physical resources.

SAP provides the software platform for Umoja and will take the form of a single, integrated information system, which will replace hundreds of disconnected legacy software applications on which the Organization currently relies.

Redesigned processes and revised policies, combined with this software, will enable faster processing of transactions and timely reporting on expenditure. This will allow staff to focus on more value-added tasks and provide services more efficiently. Ultimately, Umoja will transcend organizational, geographical and functional barriers, fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, empowerment, sharing and unity across the Secretariat.

The signing ceremony was attended by Under-Secretary-General for Management Angela Kane, Chief Information Technology Officer and Assistant Secretary-General Choi Soon-hong, Assistant Secretary-General Office of Central Support Services Warren Sach, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, Catherine Pollard, Assistant Secretary-General and Controller, Jun Yamazaki, representatives of SAP and other key members of the cross-departmental negotiation team.

Originally published on iSeek on Wednesday, 30 June 2010, New York

Umoja hosts workshop for DFS in Brindisi

The Umoja Team hosted a workshop for colleagues in the Department of Field Support in Brindisi from 24 to 26 May 2010. The goal of the workshop was to prepare participants for their role in support of the implementation of Umoja. Twenty-five participants representing field missions from across the globe became the first group of Umoja Leaders. Umoja Leaders are the primary focal points and overall coordinators for Umoja activities in their respective duty stations. At the workshop, the participants received an Umoja orientation, which introduced them to Umoja concepts, vision, guiding principles, and timeline.

The workshop was conducted in a highly interactive manner enabling participants to learn about Umoja through presentations, exercises, and discussions with the Umoja Team. A highlight of the workshop was the "Around Umoja in a Day" sessions. During these sessions, participants received detailed explanations of the administrative reforms embodied in the new Umoja processes covering financial, human and physical resources of the Organization.

The event included two remote participants. Paul van Essche, Umoja Director, joined the event via Skype on opening day, answering questions about the timeline, budgeting, and training. On the last day, Under-Secretary-General Susana Malcorra addressed the participants through a video-conference, responding to questions and conveying her strong commitment to the Umoja initiative.

According to the evaluation survey submitted by participants, the Umoja Leaders workshop was a great success. Ninety-six percent (96%) of participants rated the overall programme as "good" or "excellent". The survey responses also revealed that participants considered the interactive sessions to be very useful. Given the volume of information conveyed at the workshop, a number of participants suggested that the length of future workshops be increased from three to five days.

As part of a growing network of motivated individuals, more Umoja Leaders will be identified during the coming months to support the successful implementation of Umoja.

Visit us at http://www.unumoja.org to learn more about Umoja.

Umoja Times - May 2010 released

Catch up with Umoja in the May 2010 issue of the Umoja Times:

Umoja forges ahead
Working closely with expert colleagues to design solutions that meet the UN’s current and future administrative...

Umoja on the road to Entebbe
2010 Mercury Conference (22 - 27 March, Entebbe, Uganda)...

Umoja by numbers
A few interesting facts and figures on Umoja from that last 11 months...

A ‘colorful’ change is underway

Do you know the 'colorful' term that is used to refer to the seemingly endless parade of paperwork that accompanies many bureaucratic matters in governments and organizations? According to some, it started in ancient England where thick legal documents were bound or tied with a cloth ribbon of a specific color.

The term appears in historical records of the 16th century when Henry VIII besieged Pope Clement VII with about eighty petitions for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, and was later used by Charles Dickens and Thomas Carlyle.

Finally, the term became much more figurative in meaning and referred to any official routine or procedure marked by excessive complexities that result in delay or inaction.

So what is this 'colorful' term, which we find in so many bureaucracies? It is RED TAPE.

The Umoja team is working hard to ensure that the way the UN manages its resources in the future directly contributes to the goal of "Greening the UN" (as referenced on iSeek). Umoja will significantly reduce red tape through its streamlined processes and improved workflows. By leveraging modern technology, providing access to information online, and supporting electronic transactions, Umoja will further reduce paper, cartridge and power consumption.

Umoja Times - February 2010 released

The second issue of the Umoja Times provides an update on the Umoja team's participation in two events: the Galileo Conference and the Property Management Workshop, hosted by the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). In this issue, we also introduce a new series on how Umoja will contribute to a "greener" UN.