Report of the ISCC Fifth Session

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Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 1 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM ACC Administrative Committee on Coordination Information Systems Coordination Committee (ISCC) ACC/1997/ISCC/12 16 January 1998 REPORT OF THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS CO-ORDINATION COMMITTEE ON ITS FIFTH SESSION (New York, 1-3 December 1997) Note: this report was originally published as ACC/1997/ISCC/12 and subsequently re-published as
ACC/1997/19. INTRODUCTION 1. The Information Systems Co-ordination Committee (ISCC) held its fifth session from 1 st to 3 rd December 1997 at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in New York. 2. Opening the session, the Chairperson, Ms. Kerstin LEITNER (UNDP), introduced a number of new
participants and invited UNFPA to give the welcoming statement. 3. The agenda adopted by the Committee with the relevant document references is at Annex I . The list of participants is at Annex II . I. MATTERS FOR ENDORSEMENT OR APPROVAL BY THE OC ISCC recommends: A. Information Infrastructure 4. That with respect to Document Management Technology, the Executive Statement on Migration to
Contemporary Document Management, at Annex III with incorporated editorial revisions done post-session, be forwarded to the ACC for endorsement of its system-wide applicability. B. Enhanced Dissemination of Information 5. That it should be noted that the ISCC is making effective use of video conferencing, having
completed to its advantage 21 video conferences in 1997 (many involving multiple sites) which enabled
the various Task Forces to conclude their work, a substantial portion of it ahead of schedule and at no cost
in travel to the agencies concerned. 6. That those agencies which have not arranged for access to video conference facilities proceed now to
consider doing so in appropriate cases. ISCC focal points have specific documentation available about
potential uses for the technology within the context of international organizations. Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 2 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 C. Matters Considered during the Closed Session and Other Business 7. That Mr. Giuseppe PACE (FAO) be endorsed as the next Chairperson, ISCC. 8. That the sixth session be held 27-30 October 1998 at Geneva, with the possibility of an interim
meeting in the Spring 1998 by video conference. II. SUMMARY OF ACTIONS TAKEN AND DECISIONS ADOPTED BY THE ISCC A. Information Infrastructure 9. That with respect to Document Management it: (a) considers the Executive Statement to be an encouragement to top management to give priority
focus to document management and its associated technology; and that the Statement, once adopted, will
foster a professional approach to implementation; (b) commends "Strategies for Implementing Document Management Technology" contained in an Annex to ACC/1997/ISCC/4 for its member agencies themselves to distribute to their middle managers
responsible for document management; and (c) endorses the Core Set of Metadata which forms part of the high-level requirements which are
also endorsed. B. Improved Access to Information 10. That with respect to the Expansion of Internet-based Services: (a) for the moment, in lieu of ExtraNet (inter-agency Intranet), organizations continue to rely on
password protected Web Sites until i) the content issues have been analyzed; ii) the most appropriate
technological infrastructure for the ExtraNet is determined; and iii) a recommendation is made by
TF/NET and endorsed by the ISCC; (b) all UN organizations are encouraged to use the ".int" top-level domain in order to identify sites
as belonging to the international system (fully recognizing that agencies can also use other domains and
that use of ".int" would not imply additional costs for the organizations); (c) with respect to the United Nations International Organizations Network Search (UNIONS)
scheme under continuing development by TF/NET, all agencies should implement facilities allowing
easier location of information by Web users via the UNIONS search engine; (d) access to the Optical Disk System (ODS) by member agencies, free of charge, but fully
respecting the United Nations user agreement, is encouraged by requesting the UN to proceed with the
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which each individual agency will need to sign; and (e) at this time, only phase I of the Participating Agencies Mobility System (PAMS) will be
implemented as a pilot (ExtraNet) project among those agencies willing to participate and further
implementation decisions will be scheduled for the next session of the ISCC based on the experience
obtained during the pilot. 11. That with respect to the Official Web Site Locator for the United Nations System of Organizations,
all member agencies of the UN System be required to include a hyperlink to the Locator on their own
home page, i.e., the hyperlink becomes an ISCC Standard respected by all agencies, by mid-1998. Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 3 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 C. Modernization of Dissemination of Information 12. That with respect to the Inspection of Depository Libraries: (a) under the leadership of Dag Hammarskj?ld Library, establish a joint programme of annual visits
to depository libraries by participating agencies in order to benefit from a co-ordinated approach which
increases inspection and training in organization of UN-system materials but avoids duplication of visits; (b) the Dag Hammarskj?ld Library will prepare annually, in co-operation with the ISCC, a
programme of proposed priority visits near the beginning of each year and will also maintain a set of
standards for depository libraries, including an inspection questionnaire, technical manuals, etc., in
collaboration with other United Nations system libraries; (c) the ISCC will make arrangements for a consolidated up-to-date electronic list of depository
libraries of the UN system to be placed on the Web; (d) the depository library inspection programme will be carried out by staff of participating
agencies, such as librarians, information officers, document distribution officers, country representatives,
etc. – either at the duty station or in conjunction with home leave, other official missions and/or annual
leave, their reports being collected and disseminated by the Dag Hammarskj?ld Library; and (e) a review and report of the programme will be done during the next biennium. 13. That with respect to the UN-system Standard Search Terms for Web Sites (UNIVOC): (a) endorsement will only be possible after experience is gained in the use of UNIVOC for subject
searching in the "UNIONS" system, and therefore, TF/LIB in co-operation with TF/NET is proceeding to
test UNIVOC with the UNIONS product for Website description; (b) testing will also be undertaken of the utility of using UNIVOC to describe document-like objects
(i.e., documents and databases available as part of UN agency Websites); (c) any similar efforts to define subject descriptors and/or classifications for Web-site subject
searching across the UN system are to be discussed with TF/LIB before proceeding with other schemes; (d) UNIVOC is to be "open ended" as to suggestions for modifications, enhancements and
expansion; and (e) a report will be made during the next biennium evaluating the utility of UNIVOC and specifying
resources required for its on-going maintenance. 14. That with respect to the United Nations Cataloguing and Public Access System (UNCAPS): (a) increased and widespread participation in the UNCAPS pilot project (which ACC/OC has
already endorsed) is warranted in order to resolve outstanding issues; (b) a major emphasis of the pilot project be on the aspect of shared cataloguing of library and
information resources among UN agencies; (c) the UNCAPS database be kept up-to-date in such a way as to minimize impact on agency
resources; and (d) for any unified UN-system libraries that might be established at the country level, it becomes a
tool. 15. That the development of Standards and Recommended (best) Practices (SARPs) be accelerated for
small and/or field libraries (in particular any new UN system unified libraries which might be established Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 4 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 at the country level) and for small libraries at the Headquarters level. 16. That with respect to video conferencing: (a) All ISCC member agencies which have not arranged for access to video conference facilities
proceed now to consider doing so in appropriate cases, with initial uses suggested to be among the
following, preliminary or first-round interview of candidates for vacant professional positions, i. management meetings with regional and/or field office heads, thus facilitating
decentralization of responsibility to those offices, ii. small meetings of experts, particularly on short notice, with a maximum of 5 or 6 attendees at
each site, iii. participation in inter-agency meetings such as those of the ISCC task forces; iv. provision of cost-effective training for which travel and related costs are high or might
preclude the training taking place, v. staff broadcast presentations by senior management when announcing policy changes, etc., vi. consultation with senior officials of partner organizations, vii. consultations with technical experts on specific issues, viii. team work with members of a team in multiple locations, ix. procurement and contract-review committee meetings, x. support of conference services activities, xi. facilitation of rapid response and crisis management in emergency situations, and xii. support of meetings called on short notice; xiii. (b) a database repository of all video conference sites within member agencies of the ISCC should
be kept up-to-date particularly to facilitate the sharing of facilities at field offices and be accessible from
the ISCC Website; (c) a training seminar for video conference organizers and video conference technicians to improve
skills at supporting conferences and to promote video conference usage for appropriate circumstances
should be given in cities where there is a major UN-system presence, with such training including not
only technical details but such matters as tailoring of agendas, chairing a video conference, etc. and this
training video taped with copies provided to all concerned parties; (d) consideration could also be given to the use, only where appropriate, of audio conferencing,
while desktop video conferencing at this stage should be approached with caution; (e) all implemented facilities should be compatible with ITU standards as are the facilities already
implemented in most agencies and be capable of operating at 384kb per second; and (f) agencies should be prepared to report back to the sixth session of the ISCC the status of their
implementations. D. Opportunities for Inter-agency Co-operation 17. That the ISCC would not undertake to propose a name change, at the present time, in order to
eliminate the older, dated term "Information Systems", but that OC would be consulted concerning
possible appropriate timing to consider this. 18. That with respect to ICC support activities for the ISCC, progress reports will provide cost
breakdowns both of services and human resources by Task Force or other major activities not related to a
specific Task Force. 19. That with respect to E-mail use, there would be a time-limited Task Force on Directory Services
(TF/DIR) formed to make a specific proposal to implement a system-wide directory service with a Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 5 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 proposal to be delivered by the second quarter of 1998. E. Matters Considered during Closed Session and Other Business 20. That the membership of Task Forces be as follows for the next biennium: (a) Task Force on Inter-library Co-operation, Standards and Management (TF/LIB) – ILO is the
lead agency; (b) Task Force on Document Management Technology (TF/DOM) – FAO is the lead agency; (c) Task Force on Expanded Internet Services (TF/NET) – IAEA is the lead agency; (d) Task Force on Directory Services (TF/DIR) – ITU is the lead agency; (e) in the case of TF/LIB, TF/DOM and TF/NET, focal points will notify the Secretary, ISCC if
their agency wishes to participate; and (f) for TF/DIR, member agencies are UNCC, ILO, IBRD and IAEA. 21. That with respect to a protocol being elaborated for approval of projects which involve production,
implementation and/or mandatory adherence to standards, this would be the responsibility of the
Chairpersons of the various Task Forces. III. SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS 22. The discussions of the fifth session were organized around the approved elements of the ISCC work
programme for the forthcoming biennium: information infrastructure, improved access to information,
modernization of dissemination of information and opportunities for inter-agency co-operation. A. Information Infrastructure 23. The Chairperson of the Task Force on Document Management Technology (TF/DOM), Mr.
Giuseppe PACE (FAO), presented the final report of this biennium contained in ACC/1997/ISCC/4 and
various Annexes. The presentation focused on the following: (a) the Executive Statement on Migration to Contemporary Document Management Technology; (b) Strategies for Implementing Document Management to serve as a "road map" for project
managers at the middle management level; and (c) the Statement of High-level Requirements and the proposed Mandatory Set of Core Metadata. 24. In the ensuing discussion, points were raised about the background of the development of the core
set of metadata as a co-operative effort between TF/DOM and TF/LIB to cover both internal and external
documents. It was clarified that it was the "list" of metadata elements which was being proposed as a
standard, but that testing needed to be conducted and further refinements made in the detailed
descriptions. This was proposed as an initial list of systematic metadata which would be further revised
based on experience. 25. The Committee recognized that cost elements in introducing new technology for document
management were a major concern, but that UNOs face the challenge of going increasingly electronic in
any event with reduced reliance on paper copies. 26. In its consideration of the report, the ISCC determined that the report of TF/DOM should go
forward to ACC, with some editorial work. It would be preferable to use the core set of metadata for pilot Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 6 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 implementation and evaluation by member agencies, with a view to assessing its appropriateness for
being mandated as a system-wide standard. The metadata aspect could be bundled with the other
high-level requirements. 27. The recommendation to the ACC should highlight the urgency of treating electronic documents as
the original and avoid the use of technical jargon to the maximum extent. While clarity was needed about
the budgetary implications, the shorter the period of investment the greater the benefits to be obtained
early on. It is fully recognized that if proposed implementations are too expensive, then management will
shy away. Technology choices for UNOs can be either to adopt a proprietary system or adopt incremental
solutions, tying implementation to the growing use of the Internet. Therefore, more attention to the
Internet aspect could yield greater acceptability. 28. A verbal presentation followed by the World Bank and UNFPA on migration to WIN/NT
technology. Highlights of the presentation were: (a) technical aspects, including pitfalls encountered and lessons learned in the UNFPA
implementation – but including advantages in increased performance over earlier Windows products, true
multi-tasking and a better user interface; and (b) driving forces such as the external technology market, evolving business context, information
management objectives and internal cost controls. 29. Highlights of the ensuing discussion focused on the benefits to be obtained in standardizing a
platform across the organization including lower operating costs. However, management in each UNO
has a choice among various solutions. Yielding the productivity enhancements being sought are
integrated solutions (one of which is based on WIN/NT) which bundle hardware, software, training and
prepackaged sets of applications. While more powerful hardware was required, it represents only 20% of
costs. Organizations should consider models which set standards centrally but leave the user in control of
budgetary purchase decisions. It is realized that initial efforts at standardization results in higher initial
costs but in lower long-term costs of support. 30. Investments in WIN/NT or any other newer technology should be seen as needed for a certain
period of time after which obsolescence and newer technology warrants newer technology yet again.
There is a continuous process of evaluating newer technology as part of the budget planning process. 31. The Secretary, ISCC presented the draft working paper on the Establishment of the Function of
Chief Information Officer (CIO) within the UN system. The paper had purposely been left in a draft
version in order to benefit from further discussion. While the paper had started out as a draft based on
creating a post, it had evolved to focus on the function to be performed. 32. In the ensuing discussion, it was determined that there is a greater need to recast the working paper
so that the need is seen from a business driven approach. The credibility of a CIO did not depend on
where in the hierarchy of UN agencies any potential post fell. 33. In conclusion, it was emphasized that the paper should be revised to send a clear message that it is
the function (not the post per se) which is needed to support the mission of each UNO. In the electronic
information age, each UNO has to give more emphasis to information management. 34. In the revision, there is a need to emphasis the business case for its establishment, the matter being
revisited at a future session of the ISCC. The establishment of any post should be de-emphasized while
emphasizing the functions to be performed and the needs. Various models were available for agencies to
choose from. 35. Meanwhile, ISCC focal points will wish to make their agencies aware of the fact that ongoing
drafting of material in this area is proceeding. Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 7 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 B. Improved Access to Information 36. The Chairperson of the Task Force on Expanded Internet-based Services (TF/NET), Mr. Jerry
BARTON (IAEA), presented its initial report contained in ACC/1997/ISCC/6 and associated Annexes.
As part of the presentation, it was pointed out that: (a) the Task Force has managed an early start to its work programme; and (b) its work programme includes an examination of content issues, standards for the establishment
of an UN system (inter-agency) ExtraNet, specific projects to jump start enhanced use of the Internet and
Internet-based aspects of products from other task forces of the ISCC; The ISCC, in considering the report, was briefed about the status of a survey which is being conducted
among all agencies on what content should be carried on the ExtraNet. 37. In the ensuing discussion, the use of the ".int" top level domain was brought up. Some agencies felt
that the use of the new domain was fine so long as there were no cost implications. Others felt that, while
the use of ".int" brought value added to Internet users in being able to search for information about the
UN system within a single top level domain, the added value would be marginal compared with the
sophisticated level of searching to which users are increasingly becoming accustomed. 38. Continuing on to consider the TF/NET recommendations, the first three recommendations were
endorsed with the proviso that Recommendation III of the report be revised to emphasize the aspect of
finding information: with respect to the United Nations International Organizations Network Search
(UNIONS) scheme under continuing development by TF/NET, all agencies should implement facilities
allowing easier location of information by Web users via the UNIONS search engine. 39. Recommendation IV is to be modified to encourage the UN to proceed with its Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) on the use of the Optical Disk System (ODS): access to the Optical Disk System
(ODS) by member agencies, free of charge, but fully respecting the United Nations user agreement, is
encouraged by requesting the UN to proceed with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which each
individual agency will need to sign. 40. Recommendation V, regarding the Participating Agencies Mobility System (PAMS), was endorsed
only for the agencies willing to participate in Phase I of the pilot (at present UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF,
UNHCR, UNIDO, WHO, IFAD, WMO and IAEA). It is understood that at a certain stage, the pilot will
be declared closed; and arrangements for a production phase will be concluded for the ExtraNet,
including arrangements for funding of the production system by participating agencies. 41. The content model was considered by ISCC in the context of content issues including information
management and electronic publishing. It was suggested that a need exists for a register of how agencies
are handling content issues and for guidelines for Web publishing. In addition, all agencies need to be
reminded to establish a link, on their various home pages, to the Official Web Site Locator for the UN
System of Organizations (http://www.unsystem.org), by mid-1998 at the latest. 42. There followed a verbal, theme-based presentation by UNESCO and UNDCP on the establishment
of individual agency Intranets. The presentations included the types of information being published to a
within-house audience, guidelines for organizing this effort and the infrastructure needed. The primary
focus of the Intranet experiences to date were on information management issues, not information
technology issues. For example, an editor-in-chief of Intranet publishing was called for. Also, for it to be
a success, it was pointed out that critical business applications needed to be identified and implemented
using Intranet solutions. Only by doing so could a high degree of success be assured. 43. It emerged that a majority of agencies now have Intranets, but that a "critical mass" of information
has not been achieved. Therefore, the ISCC consensus was to request TF/NET to keep the Intranet
"revolution" under review, investigating whether recommended (best) practices are needed to cover this Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 8 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 sub-field of Internet activity. 44. The UN and ILO reported on their experiences in the use of the Integrated Management Information
System (IMIS). ILO pointed out both the positive and negatives aspects in their implementation which
covered only the Personnel area. The UN provided updates on the current status of various releases
including areas which needed additional work. Critical issues were identified concerning whether
agencies should wish to do similar systems on their own, whether resources existed and the possibility of
co-operative efforts by additional participating agencies. Alternative models, using other commercially
available software either as an alternative to IMIS or in tandem with its use, were discussed including the
level of professional in-house, full-time support required. 45. It was suggested that perhaps smaller agencies of the UN system might wish to approach the UN
about organizing a more detailed conference (either by video or in person) to go in depth into the matter
of IMIS. Meanwhile, the UN kindly invited participants to a full demonstration of the system at a
post-ISCC session. C. Modernization of Dissemination of Information 46. The Chairperson of the Task Force on Inter-library Co-operation, Management and Standards
(TF/LIB), Mrs. Eleanor FRIERSON (ILO) presented its final report for this biennium, contained in
ACC/1997/ISCC/7 and associated Annexes. 47. The Task Force was in a position to report considerable progress, while much work remains to be
done. An update was provided on the United Nations Shared Cataloguing and Public Access System
(UNCAPS) prototype, which had been enhanced since the fourth session with additional test loading of
participating agency data, including FAO, ILO, UNESCO, UNFPA and the Joint Library. Newer
software versions were being employed. There followed a presentation on UNIVOC which is a scheme
developed, in advance of its normally scheduled time, for subject searching across the various Web sites
of the UN system. The scheme is available in three languages and had been reviewed in a collaborative
effort of dozens of participants in several agencies. 48. A further report was given on the background for developing the core set of metadata from the
TF/LIB perspective. It had been agreed with TF/DOM to achieve a core set which would be applicable
both to external and internal documents. The team had benefited, in part, from the experience of agencies
who do document classification on short notice all the time and from the experience to date in the use of
UNIONS for "one stop shopping" for information. 49. The proposed inspection system for depository libraries was presented. Inspection had been spotty
at best; and there existed a need which had been mandated by Member States in the General Assembly to
introduce this element. UN had kindly offered to work, on a cooperative basis with the other agencies,
taking the lead role. 50. The ISCC, in considering the report, found that for some products, such as UNIVOC, testing should
proceed before endorsement. In this regard, it was suggested that during a later agenda item, a protocol
be elaborated for approval of projects which involved production implementation and/or mandatory
adherence to standards. This would apply, not to just this task force, but to all of the ISCC work
programme. 51. Various agencies expressed support for the products which were being produced as a result of Task
Force work which enabled agencies to benefit from expert collaboration with other agencies and adopt a
shared approach with avoiding duplication of efforts. 52. Mr. John TIERNEY, ISCC consultant, presented the results of the study on the use of video
conferencing in the UN system. Highlights including advice for agencies new to the experience about
calling together stakeholders and primary candidates for video conferencing. On a technical note, there is Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 9 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 a need to move quickly to 384 kbs and to follow standards. Engineering staff should not be employed as
technicians; sharing of facilities and a repository of what facilities exist makes sense. 53. In the discussion which followed, it emerged that member agencies need to find a way of sharing
experiences in what are best practices for the unique atmosphere of the UN system. It should be
recognized that we are at an early stage, and that video conferencing would not replace the meeting
culture of international organizations except for the right type of meeting with a limited agenda and a
focused attention span. For these types of meetings, however, there is an enormous advantage. 54. Agencies should start to share experiences with procurement and service providers, use ITU
standards and, while not closing the door to audio conferencing, approach it with caution due to
inherently greater difficulties in managing such conferences. 55. It was understood that a generic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding greater and
shared use of leased lines in support of video conference would be drafted by the Inter-agency
Telecommunications Advisory Committee (ITAC). Also, since the report had been written, more
agencies had already proceeded to install video facilities. A standard job description covering all the
skills needed to support this new activity should be produced. 56. An automated multi-site video booking system, including the ability to provide billing information
for charge-back purposes, for the facilities of the member agencies of the ISCC should be implemented.
Agencies which have not already done so were reminded that managerial responsibility for information
technology and telecommunications should be amalgamated under the same head. 57. ITU, at the request of TF/NET, presented its experiences with Electronic Sales of Publications. 58. In the first part of the presentation, a detailed explanation of electronic commerce was given,
including the potential benefits for business applications, security aspects and major advantages such as
turning customers into human resources for such things as data entry with excellent results. 59. The ITU is using electronic commerce in its Electronic Bookshop. The operation is credit card
based and employ user validation before downloading of publications starts. Once validated, the
customer is able to purchase electronic copies of ITU publications instantly. Of major import is the fact
there has been an increase in customers with little or no decrease in sales of printed publications. The
service is growing at a rapid pace; and the service is trustworthy. 60. Using X.509 certificates in public key encryption schemes is already common in electronic
commerce and will become even more important for many Internet authentication and encryption
applications. The X.509 certificates depend upon a hierarchy of Certifications Authorities (CAs). There
is a potential role for a designated UNO as a certification authority for UN System uses. 61. In its follow-up discussion to the presentation, it emerged that agencies selling publications are
intrigued by the ITU experience. There is a possibility to profit from on their expertise in this area.
While technology for encryption (which is an important aspect of the service) is not a matter for ISCC
development, it was felt that TF/NET should maintain a technology watch in this area. D. Opportunities for Inter-agency Co-operation 62. ILO presented a case for changing the name of the ISCC not to include the words Information
Systems since this is somewhat out of style with current trends to refer to Information Technology. A
discussion ensued as to whether the Committee should not approach more critical technical issues,
focusing on information infrastructure while not neglecting information management aspects. For future
reference as to the acceptability of considering name changes, the Secretary will consult the OC
Secretariat. 63. Some agencies felt that Task Forces should be time limited; other felt that information management Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 10 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 strategies should be presented at the annual sessions and a consolidated report of these presented to the
ACC. 64. In addition, there was a discussion about the ongoing nature of TF/LIB and whether it still qualified
as a Task Force of limited duration. The possibility of converting TF/LIB into an ISCC sub-committee or
a separate body outside ISCC would be discussed with the Secretary of OC, so that it could be
implemented during the next biennium. 65. In concluding the discussion, it was pointed out that while most Task Forces are, in fact, time
limited, increased attention might be given to developing SARPs (including those which would apply
with mandatory force) and that the Committee could define more closely what was expected from Task
Forces, Working Groups and from ISCC projects undertaken by Committee decision. 66. ICC presented the report on its Support Activities for the ISCC. The report was concise and
covered the type of work performed. An Attachment to the report gave details of all services offered by
the ICC and identified those which the ISCC had requested. There was a consensus that progress reports
should relate costs both of ICC services and ICC human resources to the work of Task Forces and other
specific items not related to any single Task Force. This would serve as a basis to measure planned costs
against actual costs in order to prepare future budgets. 67. UNCC presented a proposal to consider the introduction of an address book capability for e-mail
systems of the Member Agencies of the ISCC, based on a recognized standard. As part of the proposal, it
was emphasized that this needed to be adopted with mandatory force to be workable throughout the UN
system. 68. In the ensuing discussion, it was decided to form a time-limited task force which would have
UNCC, IAEA, ILO and IBRD as members to prepare a specific proposal. ITU would be the lead agency. 69. Mr. Robert LEWIS, Perot Systems, gave a presentation on the "Total Cost of Ownership" in which
he questioned a widely used model. A key part of the thesis presented was that leading industry groups
were asking the wrong questions with respect to cost of ownership (not focusing on value) which, de
facto, led to meaningless answers. 70. UN introduced presenters from Global Decision Support Systems (GDSS) who presented the latest
technology being employed to solve so-called "wicked problems" about which it is difficult to reach a
consensus. The system is proposed to be employed in enhanced negotiations as part of an international
vision for Member States to have access to all aspects of the decision support process. Case example of
use of the system, in industry settings, but which focused on the decision making process itself and its
applicability to all settings, not on the specific decision being arrived at. There followed a hands-on
exhibit of the use of the technology. 71. ITU, presented an oral report of the recent Inter-agency Telecommunications Advisory Committee
(ITAC), which had held its meeting at the World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome, 18-19 November
1997. E. Closed Session and Other Business 72. Co-ordination with the ECOSOC Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Informatics was
discussed. ISCC welcomes input from the Working Group and is willing to examine system-wide
implications on behalf of the ACC. Reliance will be placed on the UN to provide liaison with the
ECOSOC Working Group and to apprise the ISCC of any issues raised with implications for the system
as a whole. 73. Continued co-ordination with other inter-agency mechanisms is also important. Other matters
raised during the closed session are reported on in Part I of this report: the nomination of the next Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 11 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 Chairperson and the date/venue for the next meeting. Annex I – Agenda of the ISCC Fifth Session 1 December Morning session 09h30 - 12h30 1) Opening of the meeting 2) Adoption of agenda [ACC/1997/ISCC/2] 3) Theme of the morning – Information Infrastructure Report of the Task Force on Document Management Technology (TF/DOM) – presented by
FAO; remarks by other Task Force lead agencies [ACC/1997/ISCC/4] a. Consideration of TF/DOM recommendations by the ISCC b. Migration to WIN/NT (presentation by World Bank, UNFPA and UNIDO) c. Draft Working Paper on CIOs for the UN system [ACC/1997/ISCC/5] d. 1 December Afternoon session 14h00 - 17h45 4) Theme of the afternoon – Improved Access to Information Report of the Task Force on Expanded Internet-based Services (TF/NET) – presented by
IAEA; remarks by other Task Force lead agencies [ACC/1997/ISCC/6] a. Consideration of TF/NET recommendations by the ISCC b. Agency Intranets (presentation by group of agencies with established Intranets) c. IMIS experience-to-date (presentation by group of agencies using IMIS) d. 2 December Morning session 09h00 - 12h30 5) Theme of the morning – Modernization of Dissemination of Information Report of the Task Force on Inter-library Co-operation, Management and Standards
(TF/LIB) – presented by ILO; remarks by other Task Force lead agencies
[ACC/1997/ISCC/7] a. Consideration of TF/LIB recommendations by ISCC b. Presentation of Working Paper on Video Conferencing; consideration of recommendations of
TF/IMS by the ISCC [ACC/1997/ISCC/8] c. Electronic Sales of Publications (presentation by ITU) d. Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 12 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 2 December Afternoon session 14h00 - 18h15 6) Theme of the afternoon – Opportunities for Inter-agency Co-operation Consideration of the Name of the ISCC a. Report of ICC on Support Activities for ISCC [ACC/1997/ISCC/9] b. Total Cost of Ownership (presentation by Robert Lewis, Perot Systems) c. Decision Support Systems (presentation introduced by Luciana Murulli-Koenig, UN
Headquarters) d. 3 December Afternoon session 14h00 - 17h45 6) Opportunities for Inter-agency Co-operation – (continued from previous day) Oral Status Report on Inter-agency Telecommunications Advisory Group (ITAG) by UN e. 7) Co-ordination with ECOSOC Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Informatics
[ACC/1997/ISCC/11] 8) Confirmation of membership of Task Forces and Working Groups for the 1998-1999 biennium,
including confirmation of lead agencies [ACC/1997/ISCC/10] 9) Nomination of next Chairperson, ISCC for consideration by OC [ACC/1997/ISCC/11] 10) Date and Venue for sixth session 11) Adoption of Report [ACC/1997/ISCC/12] Annex II – Attendees of the ISCC Fifth Session (*) indicates an ISCC focal point CHAIRPERSON Ms Kerstin LEITNER FAO Mr Giuseppe PACE (*) IAEA Mr Jerry BARTON (*) Ms Denise LOEHNER IBRD Mr William McDonald BUCK ICAO Mr Albert PELSSER (*) ILO Mr Nadim HABRA (*) Ms Eleanor FRIERSON IMF Mr Robert KLINE Ms Gertrude LONG IMO Mr Newton WRIGHT (*) ITU Mr Lucio GOELZER (*) Mr Stephen GEIS UN Mr Will SCHIEBER Ms Luciana MARULLI-KOENIG Ms Vladislava BARTOSCH Mr Christopher HACKETT UNCTAD Mr Paul ROBERTSON (*) UNDCP Mr Anders NORSKER (*) Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 13 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 UNDP Mr Fikret AKURA (*) Ms Linda SCHIEBER UNEP Mr Barry HENRICKSEN UNESCO Mr Mauricio MILCHBERG (*) UNFPA Mr Rafiodin MALIKZAY Mr George PRICE UNICEF Mr Andr? SPATZ (*) UPU Mr Akhilesh MATHUR (*) WFP Mr Gyorgy KONDA WHO Mr David BERG WTO Mr Jean-Maurice L?GER (*) OBSERVERS: ICC Mr Edward GELBSTEIN Mr Andreas CHRISTOFORIDES UNAIDS Mr David FITZSIMONS UNCC Mr Anthony SALMON UNJSPF Mr Paul DOOLEY UNOG Ms Marguerite BURNETT UNOV Ms Barbara KLOPP AGENCIES NOT IN ATTENDANCE: IFAD, ITC, UNHCR(**), UNIDO, UNU, WIPO, WMO **Mr. M. Elias was called away at the last minute due to family emergency. Annex III of the Report of the ISCC Fifth Session Executive Statement for the ACC: Migration to Contemporary Document Management The document originally published in this Annex has been superceded by the "Official Executive Statement of the ACC: Migration to Contemporary Document Management" GO TO Top of Document Report of the ISCC Fifth Session http://ceb.unsystem.org/documents/ISCC.Reports/report5.html 14 of 14 17/10/2005 18:01 The design of this Web page was created by HW, approved by JN, and last modified by HW on 26 October 1998.
The contents of this Web document are, with minor editorial changes, as approved by the ISCC.