Outsourcing Practices

A/RES/55/232View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 116 Review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations, published in 2001.

What other versions does this mandate have?

3 versions · 2001–2005

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/59/289

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2005	A/RES/59/289	Outsourcing practices	285	28%Compare
2004	A/RES/58/276	Outsourcing practices	128	16%Compare
2001	A/RES/55/232	Outsourcing practices	475	–

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

2 reports · 2002–2004

Year	Symbol	Title		Mandate resolution
2004	A/59/227	Outsourcing practices report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/58/276
2002	A/57/185	Outsourcing practices report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/55/232

What subjects does this mandate have?

8 subjects

Cost Effectiveness Costs Geographical Distribution Guidelines New Technologies Outsourcing Purchasing Report Preparation

What’s in this document?

19 operative paragraphs

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to ensure that programme managers are guided by the following four basic reasons for outsourcing:

To acquire technical skills not readily available within the Organization, including accessing state-of-the-art technologies and expertise or acquiring needed flexibility to meet quickly changing circumstances;

To achieve cost savings;

To provide a source more effectively, efficiently or expeditiously;

To provide an activity or service not needed on a long-term basis;

Affirms that at least the following three significant goals must be considered with regard to the use of outsourcing by the United Nations:

To respect the international character of the Organization;

To avoid a possible negative impact on staff;

To ensure appropriate management and/or control over the activities or services that have been outsourced;

Affirms also the firm commitment of the United Nations to provide fair treatment on as wide a geographical basis as possible to all participants involved in United Nations procurement activities, including outsourcing;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to consider outsourcing actively in accordance with the guidance and goals mentioned above and to ensure that programme managers satisfy all of the following criteria in their assessment of whether or not an activity of the Organization could be fully, or even partially, outsourced:

Cost-effectiveness and efficiency: this is considered to be the most basic criterion; unless it can be adequately demonstrated that an activity can be done significantly more economically and, at the very least, equally efficiently, by an external party, outsourcing may not be considered;

Safety and security: activities that could compromise the safety and security of delegations, staff and visitors may not be considered for outsourcing;

Maintaining the international character of the Organization: outsourcing may be considered for activities where the international character of the Organization is not compromised;

Maintaining the integrity of procedures and processes: outsourcing may not be considered if it will result in any breach of established procedures and processes;

Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session on the following:

Progress achieved with regard to the implementation of the provisions of the present resolution, including information on the location and type of outsourced activities and the reason therefor;

The activities outsourced during the years 1999-2000, by providing similar detailed information as mentioned in paragraph 5 (a) of the present resolution;

Requests the Joint Inspection Unit to conduct a management audit review of outsourcing in the United Nations and the United Nations funds and programmes in accordance with existing practice and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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