Major Programme 1.2: Policy, Direction and Planning

Substantive thrusts under ZRG conditions

170.     This major programme includes the activities of the immediate Office of the Director-General (ODG) (1.2.1); the Office of Programme, Budget and Evaluation (PBE) (1.2.2); the Office of the Inspector-General (AUD) including the outposted staff in the Regional Offices (1.2.3); the portion of the costs of the Legal Office (LEG) as relates to "in-house counsel" work (1.2.4), which includes advice to the Director-General, technical departments and governing bodies of the Organization on legal matters, servicing of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM), support to the preparation of international legal agreements at the global and regional levels, and the handling of cases before the International Labour Organization (ILO) Administrative Tribunal; and that portion of the cost of the Office for Coordination of Normative, Operational and Decentralized Activities (OCD) as relates to its overall coordination responsibilities (1.2.5). The remaining activities of the latter two offices are budgeted under Programme 3.1.3: Legal Assistance to Member Nations, Major Programme 3.4: FAO Representatives, and Programme 3.5.3: Cooperation Agreements with Member Nations and Support to ECDC and TCDC. ³⁵

171.     Under Programme 1.2.2, the Evaluation Service carries out evaluations decided by the Programme Committee for consideration by the governing bodies, as well as supporting the auto-evaluation process and the evaluation of extra-budgetary funds. The programme for 2006-07 provides for five to six evaluations covering: Strategic Objectives and Cross-organizational Strategies (one of each); two technical programmes; one major programme and an evaluation of country-level activities. Technical support to auto-evaluation will be provided by the Service, while resources will be transferred from the technical and administrative programmes to a new centrally-managed programme entity under Programme 1.2.2: Evaluation. Catalytic funding will then be reallocated during the biennium to the divisions undertaking auto-evaluations.

172.     Under Programme 1.2.5, the Office for Coordination of Normative, Operational and Decentralized Activities (OCD) supports the decentralization policy by ensuring that the functional relationships between headquarters and decentralized offices are conducive to overall cost-effectiveness and adequately responsive to the provision of services to Members. It monitors related implementation and coordination arrangements throughout the Organization and provides information and guidance to other FAO units, both at headquarters and in the field, on coordination issues. OCD provides guidance, coordination and support to decentralized offices regarding their involvement in, and contribution to, the UN reforms and development efforts. It also provides coordination and support to Regional Offices in the organization and conduct of regional conferences.

Zero Nominal Growth Impact

173.     The required ZNG reductions would severely impair the capacity of the above offices to meet their established range of tasks. Several posts would have to be eliminated. For instance, under 1.2.2, support to the implementation of results-based budgeting and related information systems would be curtailed. Funding for auto-evaluation would require extra-budgetary support; the actual conduct of evaluation work (i.e. the non-staff budget for employment of external evaluators and for travel) would be reduced to approximately half, leading to a reduction of two or three evaluations for the governing bodies and diminution in the use of external consultants as team leaders and participants in evaluations. Although Audit and Inspection was accorded high priority in developing the ZNG scenario, the Office of the Inspector-General would not be able to adequately address its risk-based audit plan and would have to reduce internal audit activity in decentralized locations. The response to fraud investigations and the conduct of special reviews would also be significantly affected. The Legal Office, whose programme of work would anyway be greatly affected as a result of significant income reduction, would no longer have the necessary critical mass of human and non-staff resources under zero nominal growth conditions for it to continue to adequately perform its wide-ranging legal duties in a sustainable manner. OCD would need to reduce services provided to an evolving and complex decentralized structure.