The Division of Information Systems and Telecommunications (DIST) is responsible for ensuring that UNHCR takes advantage of cost effective information and communications solutions that enable and facilitate UNHCR’s execution of its mandate.
Led by the Chief Information Officer and Director of DIST, the Office of the Director is responsible for providing leadership and support in information technology for UNHCR worldwide. The CIO is responsible for technology strategy and planning, performance and results, policy formulation, investment planning and oversight, compliance and audit coordination, supplier relationship management, and resource management.
The Vendor Management Unit maintains a direct relationship with external vendors which provide services to the organization and oversees the contractual aspects of vendor management.
The ICT Portfolio Management Office maintains the portfolio of all ICT projects and programmes and ensures that the UNHCR standard project methodology is followed and that project reviews are completed throughout the development lifecycle.
The Policy, Risk and Compliance Office is responsible for developing and maintaining the catalogue of ICT Policies and Guidelines, conducts regular risk analysis and compliance reviews on the existing ICT systems.
The Business Relationship Management Service works to improve UNHCR’s operations in the Field and in Headquarters by ensuring that the services provided by DIST are fit for purpose and is responsible for the day to day running of UNHCR’s portfolio of refugee related software systems.
The ICT Project Services Section is responsible for the execution of projects according to the Project Management Life Cycle. It develops, maintains and tracks project plans and schedules, cost estimates, risk and problem logs, and ensures that each project remains on schedule and on budget.
The Service Development and Support Section is directly responsible for the delivery of new applications, enhancements to existing applications, and business as usual or ongoing support.
The Business Relationship Management Team provides focal points for all Divisions and Bureaux, as well as specific leads for critical application areas in order to support operations.
The Customer Support Service has overall responsibility for the provision of quality services to the UNHCR user community. Within the service, the Global Service Desk is responsible for registering and ensuring the resolution of all ICT incidents and service requests across the organization.
The ICT Field Operations Section is responsible for providing global on-site ICT support services and also ensures that DIST has in place the structure, processes, resources and capacity for emergency preparedness and response. This section takes the lead in ensuring that the emergency operation has adequate ICT resources (equipment and staff) and deploys short-term ICT staff resources.
The ICT Cross Functional Unit is responsible for a series of functions that straddle the three DIST services. These include change management, asset management, and configuration management. It ensures that ICT projects are integrated into the business processes and services; errors are reduced and risks minimized from transition to production systems; and that services can be used as per requirements.
The ICT Operations Service has overall responsibility to deliver and maintain the common ICT Infrastructure which is the foundation of all services provided by DIST. Within the service, the ICT Security Section is responsible for developing policies and standards in relation to ICT security in both applications and infrastructure and ensuring compliance.
The ICT Network and Telecoms Section is responsible for the overall delivery of Local and Wide Area Network services and long-term network and telecommunications strategy of DIST to increase efficiency of the network and extend its reach to the final point of delivery in deep-field locations.
The ICT Platform Section is responsible for the overall delivery of UNHCR’s Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and for the medium and long-term Platform strategy of DIST to ensure efficient delivery of platform and applications, with emphasis on those located in deep-field locations.
The End-User Devices Unit is responsible for the overall delivery of UNHCR’s End-User Devices configuration and support infrastructure, including computers and mobile devices, in Headquarters and the Field, to ensure efficient delivery of corporate applications and end-user services through appropriately identified and configured workstation and mobile devices. It also defines common standards for these devices, working with the Infrastructure Managed Service Provider in the implementation and compliance validation of these standards.