Joint Operations: The Operations Management Team (OMT)

In Iran, the Operations Management Team reports directly to the UN Country Team and is chaired by UNHCR. The team's membership consists of the senior-most operations/administration personnel from each UN agency.

The main objective of the team is ensure more efficient, streamlined and coordinated administrative and human resource management systems among UN agencies in Iran. In this regard, its activities include:

• On-going remuneration and compensation reviews
• Interim salary surveys, comprehensive salary surveys, place to place surveys
• Hardship classifications
• Consultancy fees studies
• Common DSA
• Common maintenance service, and supply and travel/shipping providers
• e-mail hook ups
• Identification of common premises .etc.

1.   Common Premises

The Building Sub-Committee under the Operations Management Team has identified an appropriate building to establish common premises for a number of UN Agencies in Iran, including UNAMA, UNDP, UNIC, UNIDO, WFP and UNFPA. These agencies moved to this building on April 2004. It is expected that shared premises will enable wider sharing of support services among participating UN agencies, resulting in increased efficiency and a reduction in administrative costs. The use of common premises has also facilitated closer interaction among staff and, thus, provided opportunities for greater collaboration and a shared sense of purpose, unifying the image of the UN in the country.

2.   Common Services Workshop

The Resident Coordinator Unit and the OMT have organized a common services training workshop for the UN Country Team and members of the OMT on June 2004. The training helped to increase the capacity of UN agencies for cost-effective and efficient coordination and build a better sense of partnership and collaboration among agencies especially those in a common premises.