UNITED NATIONS, Apr 02 (IPS) – Confronted with a continued money circulate disaster, the United Nations in Geneva (UNOG) will partially shut down – for the second time since December final 12 months— because it scales again its operations, together with constructing closures, official journey restrictions, and budgetary cuts on spending.
The UN is learning plans to shut the Palais des Nations starting 22 April. Solely conferences would run, however a few of the workplaces would shut.
Within the earlier cutbacks, a few of the Geneva workplaces remained closed or partially closed from 20 December final 12 months to 12 January 2024.
However the impending closures won’t have an effect on UN companies—such because the World Well being Group (WHO) or the Worldwide Labour Group (ILO), as a result of they’re funded individually.
The WHO will get its funding from two predominant sources: Member States paying their assessed contributions (international locations’ membership dues), and voluntary contributions from Member States and different companions.
In 2023, in keeping with Tatiana Valovaya, Director-Common UNOG, the UN confronted its worst monetary shortfall in years, with the bottom dues assortment in 5 years and solely 142 Member States (out of 193) paying in full.
“This has resulted in a fragile monetary outlook for 2024, severely impacting our operational capabilities”.
To handle this, the United Nations Workplace at Geneva is tasked with decreasing non-salary bills by 42%, equating to financial savings of over 15 million USD, whereas preserving important features.
Beginning April 22, UNOG will implement strategic cost-cutting measures to reinforce effectivity and guarantee sustainability
Ian Richards, an economist on the Geneva-based UN Convention on Commerce and Growth (UNCTAD) and former President of the Coordinating Committee of Worldwide Employees Unions and Associations, instructed IPS the price of late funds by member states is being pushed onto employees.
Whereas intergovernmental conferences will proceed nearly unimpeded, employees are being requested to hold out their ordinary work with out an workplace, he identified.
“There isn’t sufficient usable workplace house remaining, regardless of what’s being affirmed. Employees should do business from home for months at a time. These dwelling in cramped metropolis centre flats might must relocate elsewhere”.
“ I’m not positive all of this has been thought via,” stated Richards.
The UN workplaces affected by the cutbacks embrace the UN Convention on Commerce and Growth (UNCTAD)—and not directly, the Workplace for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Financial Fee for Europe (ECE).
Additional, the query is: why cannot the burden be shared? Why is not New York closed for a month, after which Vienna, Bangkok and Nairobi?, requested Richards.
The United Nations Workplace at Geneva (UNOG) should save $15.5 million because of the liquidity disaster.
“We’re going to do the whole lot we are able to, with out touching our elementary mandate,” the director of the UN Info Service, Alessandra Vellucci, instructed the Keystone-ATS, a Swiss information company final week. Every division has taken quite a few choices primarily based on the efforts requested by UN Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres.
Requested for his response, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq instructed IPS the UN in New York has no plans to shut down. “ We talked about our price saving measures in January and people nonetheless apply.”
In an interview final February, Haq stated that with the intention to guarantee liquidity for paying employees salaries, sure tough steps will likely be needed. Hiring restrictions will must be maintained throughout 2024, he stated.
“Restrictions in non-post spending may also be crucial to bridge the liquidity hole. Because of this, till the state of affairs improves, official journey will must be restricted to probably the most important actions.”
“Purchases of products and providers will likely be postponed, except completely crucial. Hiring of consultants and consultants will likely be minimized to the extent possible”.
And most development and upkeep tasks will likely be suspended, besides the place the slowing down of main development tasks would lead to important future further bills.
“We’ll implement energy-saving and different measures to scale back utility payments and curtail bills on managing amenities. Non-essential safety bills may also be curtailed, so long as they don’t influence the protection of our premises, belongings and of our personnel and delegates,” stated Haq.
On constructing closures in Geneva, Richards stated, employees are very involved about this closure.
Research and surveys present that for sure features, hybrid work, which splits the week between workplace presence and do business from home can have productiveness advantages, with out prejudice to being accessible to fulfill with member states as required.
“Nevertheless, closing the workplace for an prolonged interval will create issues. Many employees wouldn’t have houses which are geared up for long-term teleworking and for these employees they could must relocate quickly to their house international locations, which may have knock-on results”.
In keeping with UNOG, a few of the measures to deal with the UN liquidity disaster embrace the next:
Journey: Solely operationally crucial journey shall be accepted.
Procurement: All procurement is suspended except operationally required (Canine Unit assist, alternative of damaged/misplaced gear, and many others.). The acquisition of uniforms, flags, and many others. shall be delayed.
Coaching: Solely operationally crucial coaching will likely be carried out (e.g. Firearms, Use of Drive, First Support, and many others.) with all exterior coaching involving prices to be suspended.
Common Constructing Operations
Discount in heating (20.5°C) and within the hotter seasons, discount in cooling (26.0 °C).
Minimized out of doors lighting, apart from that needed for safety and security.
All gear purchases or replacements will likely be stopped, apart from operationally crucial necessities, e.g., ICT gear, constructing infrastructure gear and different needed provides.
All additional time wants required to take care of the compound are beneath evaluate with a possible shift to common working hours, which might trigger disturbances because of upkeep/work throughout common working hours.
The summer time season of the language courses won’t be held as per previous observe.
Conferences
Time slots of an ordinary three-hour length inside official working hours (from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m, and three p.m. to six p.m.) for conferences with convention providers will likely be strictly utilized (consistent with Common Meeting decision 56/242, annex).
Mandated conferences have absolute precedence. Nonetheless, servicing capability is considerably restrained and will not suffice to assist all mandated actions throughout peak intervals as at the moment deliberate.
With a purpose to handle inside present limitations, no parallel conferences of the identical physique may be accommodated. Servicing of casual consultations or working conferences, or conferences of regional or different teams of Member States, will likely be accommodated strictly on an “if accessible” foundation.
For non-calendar conferences with out interpretation, use of digital self-service platforms (e.g., Microsoft Groups), and use of rooms with out providers will likely be accessible.
Any intergovernmental resolution to implement a brand new mandate inside present budgetary sources will likely be topic to the provision of ample money sources and capability.
Conferences should be confirmed or cancelled to the Conferences Administration Part by 3 pm the Tuesday of the week previous to the scheduled begin date, consistent with the established observe. Late additions might not be accommodated whereas late cancellations would probably lead to idling of convention servicing capability or/and amenities.
The accepted Geneva Calendar of Conferences and Conferences in 2024 has been fastidiously fine-tuned. Requests for adjustments of dates of the calendar classes at this stage won’t be favorably thought of.
Audiovisual and assembly protection providers
All purchases or replacements of webcast and different audiovisual gear will likely be stopped.
Restricted or no protection of some conferences, notably of the Human Rights Council, when a number of concurrent conferences are happening. UNIS might not be capable to cowl all of them.
UNTV will function with lowered core capability. Webcast dwell streaming will likely be assured on present sources. There’ll, nevertheless, be no cue factors, or “chapters”, (that are usually put in by the webcasters because the assembly is ongoing, and which include speaker-by-speaker info related to the related moments within the assembly video). Broadcast protection will likely be extraordinarily restricted.
Decreased providers to Member States and the media on the availability of audiovisual supplies and assist.
Specifically, no picture service will likely be supplied, together with for the Human Rights Council. Movies might not be captioned, revealed or distributed to the requesting events on the identical day when there are a number of conferences/occasions occurring that day.
Library analysis help on-line and in-person will likely be quickly lowered.
How lengthy are these cost-saving measures anticipated to be in place?
Except we get an inflow of funds to cowl the allocations within the funds, UNOG says, “we anticipate these measures to be applied till the tip of the 12 months 2024.”
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service