Information and Communications Technology Strategy

A/RES/78/243View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 133Programme budget for 2023, published in 2023.

What other versions does this mandate have?

2 versions · 2023–2026

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/253

2026A/RES/80/253Information and communications technology strategyLatestCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/243Information and communications technology strategy

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

4 entities

Extracted automatically from each entity’s budget submission.

What subjects does this mandate have?

8 topics

Communication Technology Cybersecurity Data Protection Digital Technology Information Management Information Systems Information Technology Technological Innovations

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2024.

2024A/79/339Refined elements of the information and communications technology strategy report of the Secretary-General

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

19 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

Takes note of paragraph 5 of the report of the Advisory Committee, recalls that the Secretary-General has not submitted a final, full and accurate report on the implementation of the previous information and communications technology strategy, and requests that the detailed time-bound implementation road map for the information and communications technology strategy include lessons learned;

Recalls paragraph 6 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to make every effort to implement expeditiously the recommendations of the oversight bodies and effectively address the root causes underlying, and to provide updated information on the status of, open recommendations of the oversight bodies in his next report on information and communications technology;

Acknowledges the information and communications technology strategy of the Secretary-General as a critical enabler of the mandates of the Organization that is intended to define the high-level strategic vision, principles and expected outcomes of information and communications technology activities across the Secretariat, and encourages the Secretary-General to strengthen system-wide interoperability and potential synergies;

Takes note of paragraph 26 of the report of the Advisory Committee;

Recalls paragraphs 12 and 44 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to submit refined elements of the information and communications technology strategy by no later than the seventy-ninth session that include:

More clarity and precision on the vision and intended objectives of the strategy, identifying for each objective concrete actions to achieve them, taking into account current status, existing and envisaged challenges and risks, including cybersecurity, lessons learned and interlinkages with related initiatives;

Key performance indicators, deliverables and a clear and effective governance and accountability framework that clarifies the balance between central control and operational freedom;

Estimates of the resources needed for the implementation of the strategy made with a view to rationalizing the allocation of existing information and communications technology expenditures and avoiding duplication and overlaps;

The Secretary-General’s efforts in leveraging the power of technology innovation in the pursuit of the objectives of the Organization in particular the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

An outreach component to promote awareness of the human resources and vendor opportunities, including from developing countries and countries with economies in transition;

Also recalls paragraph 19 of the report of the Advisory Committee, emphasizes that coherence of information and communications technology deployment throughout the Organization is critical to deliver mandates and requires stronger and more unified governance, and stresses that the authority, responsibilities and accountability of the Chief Information Technology Officer and delegation of authority principles will be fully clarified in the governance framework of the refined strategy;

Further recalls paragraph 23 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to clarify the elements of the information and communications technology governance framework, present a well-defined accountability framework, and provide clear explanations of how effective monitoring and compliance will be ensured in the context of the envisaged balance between central control and operational freedom;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure, as appropriate, that there is complementarity and no duplication between the Office of Information and Communications Technology, the Enterprise Resource Planning Solution Division, the United Nations Office for Project Services and the United Nations International Computing Centre;

Emphasizes the sensitivity and need for security of the data and information held by the Organization both at Headquarters and in the field, and stresses that data protection shall be at the core of the implementation by the Secretary-General of the information and communications technology strategy, and requests the Secretary-General to implement urgently critical measures to that end in the context of the refined strategy;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that a comprehensive risk analysis exercise is undertaken with regard to the implementation of the recommendations of the Joint Inspection Unit regarding cybersecurity;

Notes with appreciation the report of the Joint Inspection Unit on cybersecurity in the United Nations system organizations, and requests the Secretary-General and invites the executive heads of the member organizations, as appropriate, to implement the relevant recommendations;

Notes the discussions on terminology held in the Fifth Committee on this question.

50th (resumed) plenary meeting

22 December 2023

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