Chapter 6: Common Services

(All amounts in US$ 000)

124. Chapter 6 covers the services, including building maintenance, mail and pouch, procurement and security, provided by the Administrative Services Division (AFS) at HQ and the provisions for similar services at the decentralized office. The reduction in resources is primarily in terms of staff, due to the fact that the largest part of the AFS provision for non-staff is allocated to cover fixed costs such as utilities and infrastructure costs, or compulsory expenditures to meet the safety and security norms and standards imposed by law. Nevertheless, non-staff provisions also had to be reduced, leading to curtailment of some infrastructure services and potential safety risks.

125. Within the infrastructure sector, the budget reflects the elimination of a number of junior level artisan and support posts. A reduction in support staff means that more services will need to be outsourced, and several posts have been proposed for upgrading to respond to the requirement for increased oversight. However, there may be an increased risk of insufficient control over vital functions such as electricity and water supply networks. In addition, no managerial flexibility would remain in these sectors. At a time when the Organization is able to attract extra-budgetary contributions to the physical upgrading of its HQ premises, it will not have the ancillary resources necessary for a proper monitoring of the works conducted by external firms acting on behalf of the various contributors.

126. Concerning messenger, mail and pouch activities, there will be reductions in portering/office move services, in the capacity to maintain publications stock, and in the handling and shipping of FAO publications. The budget also anticipates a restructuring of the FAO registry and records management process and a transfer of mailing list administration to users.

127. The cut in the procurement area will undoubtedly impact on the quality and timeliness of the services to be provided. An increase in delegation to Division Directors for local purchase authority, to relieve work pressure on the Procurement Service, will entail that procurement actions may be subject to less central control and possibly prone to some inconsistency in treatment within the Organization. The Procurement Service will have reduced ability to improve its supplier database and its utilization, and to provide timely and accurate information on its activities.

128. Only minimal reductions in non-staff resources are proposed for the management and security service activities under this Chapter. Recent audits have pointed out the gap existing between the requirements for security and safety and the current situation at FAO. However, the budgetary constraints will not allow FAO to address this gap as fully as desirable.