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GB.274/PFA/9/2
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Programme, Financial and Administrative Committee |
PFA |
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NINTH ITEM ON THE AGENDA
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PROGRAMME AND BUDGET PROPOSALS FOR 2000-01 | |
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VOLUME 2 |
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175. Internal Administration
175.1. This programme provides for:
• the maintenance and administration of the headquarters building and the field offices;
• the administration of travel for staff, experts and participants in ILO meetings; transport and insurance services, and the management of the Office's contracted services, including security; headquarters catering and cleaning services, a well as the allocation of office space to staff;
• the delivery and monitoring of equipment and contractual services, as well as the purchase, distribution, maintenance and inventory control of equipment, office furniture and supplies; and
• the provision of telephone, facsimile and mail services, and the maintenance of the central filing and archives system for headquarters and external offices.
175.2. The main new initiatives planned for the biennium 2000-01 include:
• the full implementation of a computerized building management system;
• the full implementation of a new procurement system, and its extension to field offices;
• the introduction of a computerized records management system for all ILO records, including archives; and
• the conversion of the current telephone system into an integrated telecommunications centre linking installations at headquarters and, where possible, the field offices.
180. Publications
180.1. Problems/needs. Constituents, policy analysts and practitioners require clear, up-to-date information and analysis to help them understand more fully the labour and employment issues underpinning the ILO's strategic objectives. The ILO produces and disseminates a select number of books on priority labour and employment themes and the International Labour Review. To make ILO principles, policies and activities better known, the strategy for the management of ILO publications will be further refined. Key elements of this approach include: greater selectivity of topics and coordination with author units; an integrated publication process; wider dissemination of ILO publications; and the adoption of more user-friendly sales methods. In particular, electronic products and formats will provide a fully established alternative to print versions for the production and dissemination of ILO publications.
180.2. The objective is that participants in national and international employment and social policy debates, including policy analysts, advisers, officials, business and trade union leaders, are well-informed of the major issues in the labour field through the publication of a selection of well-researched manuscripts on topical labour and employment issues which are widely disseminated in printed and electronic forms.
180.3. It is expected that a total of some $4.7 million will be made available for expenditure in 2000-01 from the Publications Revolving Fund (see table below). It is expected that the revenue from the sale of ILO publications will amount to some $5.1 million during the biennium and that some $0.9 million will be carried forward to the following biennium.
180.4. International Labour Review. The International Labour Review's global perspective, multidisciplinary approach and coverage of the positions and perspectives of the tripartite constituents help to place economic and social policies in their broader context. It is published in English, French and Spanish on a quarterly basis, in addition to being made available in part on the Internet. Access to the Review will be improved by providing the full text in an electronic format under subscription. By the end of the biennium, the total subscriptions to the electronic and paper versions of the journal are expected to increase by at least 10 per cent.
180.5. Editorial development and book production. During the biennium 2000-01, emphasis will be placed on providing constituents and the general public with authoritative publications containing up-to-date analyses. An integrated production process will be enhanced to ensure the high standard of publications in terms of appearance, structure and editing. This process comprises the selection of the subject matter, the preparation and approval of manuscripts, a review process, revision, editing, translation and production. Some 15 to 20 publications will be produced a year, which will receive greater attention in academic, professional and general press reviews.
180.6. Marketing and sales; rights and permissions; electronic products. The information and analysis contained in ILO publications needs to be disseminated more widely to constituents and the general public, including academics, professionals and others who are seeking responses to pressing labour and employment issues. Measures including development of electronic products will help to ensure that ILO publications are much more widely known and readily available, while at the same time making a larger contribution to revenue through increased sales. Emphasis will also be placed on developing appropriate pricing policies, translating publications into other languages, as well as encouraging licensing agreements for low-cost reprints or reproductions.
Publications Revolving Fund
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1998-99 Revised Estimates |
2000-01 Estimates |
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Funds brought forward from previous period |
876 200 |
894 200 |
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Estimated income | ||
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Sales and royalties |
4 565 000 |
5 100 000 |
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Total income |
5 441 200 |
5 994 200 |
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Income reserved for special projects related to the Encyclopaedia |
(340 000) |
(375 000) |
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Total funds available |
5 101 200 |
5 619 200 |
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Estimated expenditure: | ||
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Headquarters marketing and sales staff costs |
1 768 000 |
2 000 000 |
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Headquarters' non-staff costs |
1 018 000 |
1 130 000 |
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External offices' sales staff costs |
900 000 |
950 000 |
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External offices' non-staff costs |
261 000 |
290 000 |
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Marketing of the Encyclopaedia |
260 000 |
350 000 |
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Total expenditure |
4 207 000 |
4 720 000 |
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Funds to be carried forward |
894 200 |
899 200 |
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185. Information Technology and Communications
185.1. Problems/needs. The Office relies heavily on information technology (IT) to support all its major technical, administrative and financial functions. In a heterogeneous technological environment, an IT infrastructure is required that serves the varying needs of staff and constituents flexibly and at minimal cost. New hardware and applications need to be tested before they are implemented, so that they can be selected with due attention to reliability, flexibility, initial cost and operating costs. Acquisitions of software, upgrades and replacements should be done in consultation with the users; new systems should increase productivity or provide significant new functions which benefit users.
185.2. The objective is that the productivity and efficiency of the Office is improved through the maintenance and development, as appropriate, of a modern, cost-effective and reliable IT infrastructure. It is achieved through the maintenance and continual development of appropriate hardware and applications, including the ILO enterprise network. Given today's budgetary realities, IT standards are essential; they are established with due attention to functionality and cost. The staff responsible for maintaining the IT infrastructure are also trained, new information technologies are researched and tested in consultation with users, and their acquisition recommended, where appropriate. Contacts are maintained with other IT units in the United Nations system through the Information Systems Coordination Committee (ISCC) and the UN International Computing Centre (ICC) Management Committee to exchange experience and contribute to the development and recommendation of system-wide standards. Based on the IT infrastructure, the efficiency and productivity of the Office will be improved through the use of fast, reliable and cost-effective electronic communications and rapid access to information.
185.3. In the biennium 2000-01, priority will be given to applying the Information Technology Strategy presented to the Governing Body in 1997 and updated in 1998. This will include new IT applications such as video conferencing, internet telephoning and computer-aided translation.
190. ILO Library
190.1. Problems/needs. Up-to-date information on labour and related issues is an essential working tool for ILO constituents and staff as well as others conducting research on economic and social questions. The ILO Library collections and LABORDOC database constitute the world's most comprehensive resource of multilingual labour-related information. The advent of the Internet and other new information and telecommunications technologies has promoted a far more intensive demand for and use of this information, where an adequate information infrastructure exists, but the need for selective, relevant and highly focused information remains vitally important for those still relying on media such as print and CD-ROM. As a result, the demand for assistance from the ILO's information specialists has increased steadily.
190.2. The objective is that the labour information needs of constituents, ILO staff at headquarters and in the field and other clients are met.
190.3. Client services. Access to the ILO's collections of labour information will be enhanced. Services will include responding to queries, the development of reference and research tools, the management of the ILO's central library collections and the operation of the headquarters Reading Room, and training and technical cooperation assistance to enable ILO constituents to access and use labour information effectively, including through development of their own documentation centres and information services. Multimedia ILO information packages and a training kit will be produced on topics of special interest and a digital library of key labour information will be created.
190.4. Information management services. Services will include selection, cataloguing and indexing of information added to collections of key labour information. Technical support will be provided to the network of more than 40 ILO libraries and documentation centres to improve recording and retrieval of information in accordance with international bibliographic standards, enabling improved access to ILO information for constituents, partner institutions, ILO field staff and libraries worldwide. The LABORDOC family of databases will continue to grow. ILO standards for bibliographic data will be updated and more widely applied, and terminological tools and information management standards will be created.
235. Public Information
235.1. Problem/needs. To enhance its influence, the ILO needs to be perceived by the public and by policy-makers as an essential point of reference and of guidance on all social issues of significance. In spite of recent progress, numerous opportunities to attract media coverage of ILO activities remain underexploited. High quality audio-visual products are required to obtain increased television coverage and the ILO needs, for this purpose, to modernize and upgrade its video equipment.
235.2. The objective is that the ILO achieves high visibility among its constituents and the general public through extensive and good quality media coverage and the dissemination of informative promotional material.
235.3. To keep the ILO in the news, the Bureau of Public Information works closely with ILO officers responsible for technical programmes with a view to identifying reports, publications, surveys, technical cooperation activities and events likely to elicit media interest. Concise and articulate press releases are then drafted and given wide distribution, accompanied where appropriate by additional material including photographs and, where television is targeted, video footage. The Bureau of Public Information has developed and is continuously updating a network of personal contacts in leading media outlets in all parts of the globe as well as organizing press conferences and interviews. ILO news items highlighting a wide range of social issues have, as a result, appeared with increasing frequency in the world's media in recent years. Efforts are also made, on a continuous basis, to underline the significance of ILO technical cooperation programmes.
235.4. Video News Releases (VNRs) have become a core element of the ILO's public information strategy and, as a result, the ILO's visibility on television has grown exponentially in recent years. Recent efforts to produce fully edited short video features have also resulted in increased exposure, particularly on international channels such as CNN and Euronews. The production of media-oriented video material should be increased, which implies keeping up with rapid technological advances and the expansion of the audiovisual unit by a half-time Professional post. New equipment is needed to adapt to the industry's changing standards and to move from analogue to digital modes of production. Savings achieved under other areas will serve to finance these new expenditures. Complete sound and video coverage of International Labour Conference proceedings will continue to be provided for use especially by the media of member States.
235.5. The ILO must reach out, on a regular basis, to individuals and organizations actively engaged in the promotion of social justice. The principal tool used for this purpose is the ILO magazine, World of Work, published in several language editions. Written in a lively journalistic style, amply illustrated and attractively laid out, it offers a kaleidoscopic vision of the wide range of issues addressed, and activities undertaken, by the ILO. In 2000-01, World of Work will appear on a more frequent basis and cover more issues and activities, as well as improve its ability to deal with subjects of topical interest.
235.6. To disseminate basic information about the ILO to students, teachers, visitors and other members of the public, the Bureau produces, in a wide variety of languages, leaflets and brochures outlining its history, objectives, working mechanisms and current activities. Colourful posters and other promotional materials are distributed from ILO headquarters and offices in the field as well as through the assistance of employers' and workers' organizations in the member States. By the end of the biennium, it is expected that leading media outlets in every member State will have carried or broadcast stories on the ILO's analysis, prescriptions and priority concerns.
240. International Relations
240.1. Problems/needs. The international scenario has changed dramatically during the last decade, demanding a fresh approach to ILO relations with the international community. The reform process in the UN system has accelerated significantly and turned towards far-reaching renewal. The international financial institutions are embracing new roles which could have very significant effects on the attainment of the ILO's objectives. Furthermore, the WTO, new international and regional trade and economic groupings and other multilateral organizations are becoming increasingly influential in the economic and social policy arena. Last but not least the evolution of the role of the State and the increasingly robust forces of civil society in advocacy are altering the traditional pattern of players involved in the international debate. All these developments provide both opportunities and challenges for the ILO, which will need to contribute actively on the basis of its unique tripartite structure and its strong social mandate.
240.2. UN reform stresses coordination at the system level. ACC has strengthened its role as the major high-level coordination mechanism and has become an important forum permitting greater ILO influence in the UN system. Sustained cooperation with the Bretton Woods institutions will be necessary in order to strengthen the social content of multilateral policies and programmes. Inter-governmental and inter-agency bodies, in particular ECOSOC, have a broadened role in addressing issues of relevance to the ILO, including the monitoring of cross-cutting issues from major international conferences. A major challenge for the ILO in 2000 will be its leadership role and contribution to several global conferences being organized by the United Nations.
240.3. The objectives are that:
• the role of the ILO and in particular its tripartite structure and social mandate will be clearly reaffirmed and respected within the reformed UN system;
• the ILO will be better positioned in relation to the Bretton Woods institutions to play its lead role on labour and employment matters in the development policy dialogue as reconfirmed by the Social Summit.
240.1. Relations with inter-governmental
240.1. and non-governmental organizations
240.4. This work involves coordination of relations between the ILO and the organizations of the UN system, liaison with the Bretton Woods organizations, and with non-governmental organizations, ensuring that they take account of tripartism and priorities established by the Director-General and the Governing Body. At the same time it collects information on the activities of these organizations and disseminates it within the ILO. Recommendations are made to the Director-General and the Governing Body on ILO positions and policies.
240.2. Liaison Office with the United Nations,
240.2. New York
240.5. The activities described above are carried out in close cooperation with the Liaison Office which keeps ILO headquarters and field offices promptly informed of developments in the UN relating to ILO fields of activities and also coordinates follow up action to major United Nations conferences and ILO interactions in New York with the UN and UN system agencies; and plays an active role in the ILO's policy dialogue with the Bretton Woods institutions.