Umoja Newsroom

The second issue of the Umoja Times provides an update on the Umoja team's participation in two events: the Galileo Conference and the Property Management Workshop, hosted by the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). In this issue, we also introduce a new series on how Umoja will contribute to a "greener" UN.

The devastation wrought by the earthquake in Haiti on Tuesday, 12 January 2010, ignited a deep sense of compassion in us all, and sparked an immediate, global outpouring of humanitarian assistance for those caught by this unexpected natural disaster. For all of us at the United Nations, our grief encompasses not only the scale of human casualties, but also the loss of dear colleagues whose untimely passing have now become a symbol of sacrifice made on behalf of world peace. …

To mark the end of a year of significant progress, the Umoja Change Management team has launched the Umoja Times, Umoja's community newsletter.

This first issue summarizes the progress and achievements of 2009, enabled, of course, by the expertise, input and enthusiasm of Umoja's stakeholders. It also provides a glimpse into the future - a new way of working together. Let's continue "working in unity"! …

The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) hosted a delegation of designers from 12 October to 6 November 2009. No, not fashion designers as you may be thinking, but rather process designers who were very busy taking a closer look at "to be" or future processes for eventual inclusion in Umoja.

As you may already know, …

Umoja, a continuous administrative reform initiative within the UN Secretariat, including Peacekeeping, has entered its Detailed Design Phase. UN offices in Geneva, Monrovia and New York are hosting expert staff members who are working with the Umoja team to design future business processes that will improve the way we work.

In the absence of an integrated solution for managing human, financial, and material resources, …

On 6 October 2009, during a closed meeting of the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, an informal briefing on Umoja was provided by Ms. Angela Kane, Under-Secretary-General for Management and Mr. Paul van Essche, Umoja Project Director, in which they introduced the draft report: First Progress Report on the Enterprise Resource Planning Project and Revised Estimates under Section 28A, and under the Peacekeeping Support Account (A/64/380).

Ms. …

The Umoja Project will provide a number of opportunities for improving the way resources are managed in the United Nations. This article will look at some of the benefits Umoja will bring to peace operations. In 2007, Peacekeeping oversaw 114,577 personnel in 16 missions, operated more than 18,000 vehicles and 210 aircraft and ran 20 military hospitals and 230 medical clinics.

Field missions bring people, …

While the external environment has changed dramatically since the United Nations was founded in 1945, many of our internal ways of working are based on practices from the 1940s and '50s, supported, in some cases, by technology from the 1980s and '90s. As a result, we sometimes find it difficult to do our jobs as efficiently and effectively as we could.

As you are aware, …

Ms. Pauline Omondi-Ingabo didn't hesitate for a moment when she read the October 2008 iSeek article announcing the competition to name the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Her entry – the word "umoja" (meaning unity in Swahili) – leapt to mind instantly; she felt it perfectly captured what the ERP was setting out to accomplish.
"When people work together towards a common goal, you get results," said Ms. …

Members of the Umoja project team have embarked on a "world tour" to meet with colleagues at offices away from Headquarters (OAHs) and field missions to wrap up the first major step in Umoja's implementation.

Once in place, the Umoja system will enable more effective management of human, financial and physical resources to support fully the needs of the United Nations. …

The suspense is over! The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system now has a name: "Umoja" (pronounced oo-MO-jah), which means "unity" or "together" in several African languages, including Swahili and Zulu.

Ms. Pauline Omondi-Ingabo of the Division of Administrative Services at the UN Office at Nairobi (UNON) entered the winning name. Ms. …

On 23 October 2008, the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Project launched a five-day contest challenging staff to come up with a name that embodies the promise and expectations behind the proposed ERP system.

The response was overwhelming! Over 1,000 staff members participated, from D-2s to interns, as well as military and police officers, and staff from peacekeeping duty stations and Offices Away from Headquarters (OAHs). …

By now most of us have seen or heard the acronym "ERP", which stands for Enterprise Resource Planning – but are you familiar with what an ERP system is and what it will do to support the UN?

The ERP Project is an organization-wide effort to improve our administrative and operational functions by making them less complicated and more efficient. This, in turn, improves our ability to manage resources as well as to provide services to constituents and beneficiaries across the world. …

Staff and managers alike agree that IMIS, which has been operating since the early 1990s – has approached the end of its useful life. In support of the Secretary-General's reform initiatives, the General Assembly has recognized the need to replace IMIS (Integrated Management Information System) with a new global and integrated system that is better suited to the Secretariat of today.

The project, which is in its preparatory phase and awaiting funding from the General Assembly, …

By now you've probably heard the acronym ERP, which stands for Enterprise Resource Planning, but are you familiar with what an ERP system really is?

ERP is an integrated software system that manages an organization's business. It manages processes and information on financial, human and physical resources. It facilitates effective planning, management, and decision-making in a single system, …