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 yr— 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 number of the places of work would shut.
Within the earlier cutbacks, a number of the Geneva places of work remained closed or partially closed from 20 December final yr to 12 January 2024.
However the impending closures is not going to have an effect on UN businesses—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 most important sources: Member States paying their assessed contributions (international locations’ membership dues), and voluntary contributions from Member States and different companions.
In 2023, based on 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 lowering non-salary bills by 42%, equating to financial savings of over 15 million USD, whereas preserving important capabilities.
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 Workers Unions and Associations, instructed IPS the price of late funds by member states is being pushed onto workers.
Whereas intergovernmental conferences will proceed virtually unimpeded, workers 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. Workers must make money working from home for months at a time. These dwelling in cramped metropolis centre flats could have to relocate elsewhere”.
“ I’m not certain all of this has been thought by,” mentioned Richards.
The UN places of work affected by the cutbacks embody 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 as a result of liquidity disaster.
“We’re going to do every little thing we will, with out touching our basic mandate,” the director of the UN Info Service, Alessandra Vellucci, instructed the Keystone-ATS, a Swiss information company final week. Every division has taken numerous choices based mostly 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 value saving measures in January and people nonetheless apply.”
In an interview final February, Haq mentioned that with a view to guarantee liquidity for paying workers salaries, sure troublesome steps will probably be obligatory. Hiring restrictions will should be maintained throughout 2024, he mentioned.
“Restrictions in non-post spending will even be essential to bridge the liquidity hole. Consequently, till the state of affairs improves, official journey will should be restricted to probably the most important actions.”
“Purchases of products and providers will probably be postponed, except completely essential. Hiring of consultants and specialists will probably be minimized to the extent possible”.
And most building and upkeep initiatives will probably be suspended, besides the place the slowing down of main building initiatives would lead to important future further bills.
“We are going to implement energy-saving and different measures to scale back utility payments and curtail bills on managing amenities. Non-essential safety bills will even be curtailed, so long as they don’t affect the protection of our premises, property and of our personnel and delegates,” mentioned Haq.
On constructing closures in Geneva, Richards mentioned, workers are very involved about this closure.
Research and surveys present that for sure capabilities, hybrid work, which splits the week between workplace presence and make money working from home can have productiveness advantages, with out prejudice to being obtainable to fulfill with member states as required.
“Nonetheless, closing the workplace for an prolonged interval will create issues. Many workers do not need houses which are geared up for long-term teleworking and for these workers they could have to relocate briefly to their house international locations, which could have knock-on results”.
In accordance with UNOG, a number of the measures to deal with the UN liquidity disaster embody the next:
Journey: Solely operationally crucial journey shall be authorised.
Procurement: All procurement is suspended except operationally required (Canine Unit assist, substitute of damaged/misplaced tools, and so forth.). The acquisition of uniforms, flags, and so forth. shall be delayed.
Coaching: Solely operationally crucial coaching will probably be performed (e.g. Firearms, Use of Pressure, First Assist, and so forth.) 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, aside from that obligatory for safety and security.
All tools purchases or replacements will probably be stopped, aside from operationally essential necessities, e.g., ICT tools, constructing infrastructure tools and different obligatory provides.
All additional time wants required to take care of the compound are below evaluate with a possible shift to common working hours, which may trigger disturbances resulting from upkeep/work throughout common working hours.
The summer time season of the language lessons is not going to be held as per previous apply.
Conferences
Time slots of an ordinary three-hour period 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 probably be strictly utilized (according to Common Meeting decision 56/242, annex).
Mandated conferences have absolute precedence. Nonetheless, servicing capability is considerably restrained and should not suffice to assist all mandated actions throughout peak durations as at present deliberate.
So as to handle inside present limitations, no parallel conferences of the identical physique might be accommodated. Servicing of casual consultations or working conferences, or conferences of regional or different teams of Member States, will probably be accommodated strictly on an “if obtainable” 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 probably be obtainable.
Any intergovernmental resolution to implement a brand new mandate inside current budgetary assets will probably be topic to the provision of enough money assets and capability.
Conferences have to be confirmed or cancelled to the Conferences Administration Part by 3 pm the Tuesday of the week previous to the scheduled begin date, according to the established apply. Late additions will not be accommodated whereas late cancellations would possible lead to idling of convention servicing capability or/and amenities.
The authorised Geneva Calendar of Conferences and Conferences in 2024 has been fastidiously fine-tuned. Requests for modifications of dates of the calendar classes at this stage is not going to be favorably thought of.
Audiovisual and assembly protection providers
All purchases or replacements of webcast and different audiovisual tools will probably be stopped.
Restricted or no protection of some conferences, notably of the Human Rights Council, when a number of concurrent conferences are happening. UNIS could not have the ability to cowl all of them.
UNTV will function with lowered core capability. Webcast stay streaming will probably be assured on current assets. There’ll, nonetheless, be no cue factors, or “chapters”, (that are usually put in by the webcasters because the assembly is ongoing, and which comprise speaker-by-speaker data related to the related moments within the assembly video). Broadcast protection will probably be extraordinarily restricted.
Diminished providers to Member States and the media on the availability of audiovisual supplies and assist.
Particularly, no picture service will probably be offered, together with for the Human Rights Council. Movies will 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 probably be briefly 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 price range, UNOG says, “we count on these measures to be carried out till the tip of the yr 2024.”
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