The Regional Service Centre Entebbe (RSCE) hosted Chief Human Resources Officers (CHRO) and Chief Budget and Finance Officers (CBFO) of peacekeeping missions and special political missions for a four-day meeting focused on enhancing service delivery.

The annual meeting, chaired by Paulin Djomo, Director RSCE, discussed several matters related to policy changes in human resource, finance, travel as well as technological advancements particularly in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on business.

The meeting, which was also attended by the RSCE management team, reviewed policy and process changes, and revised several Key Performance Indicators, the Service Catalogue, and provisions in the Service Level Agreements to optimize RSCE services. These reviews will result in amendments to the processes and guidance documents between the Center and its clients.

The Director of RSCE commenced the workshop with an overview of the Centre's strategic updates. He discussed the expanded mandate of the Centre, which aligns RSCE operations with the Department of Operational Support's (DOS) strategic global mandate.He also gave a brief on current projects the Centre is undertaking including establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Data Analytics (CEDA), Improved Service Delivery and the Flexible Working Arrangements Framework.

The CBFO and CHRO MINUSMA Liquidation Entity, Mr. Sergey Safronov and Ms. Yndira Natividad shared lessons learned during the MINUSMA Liquidation activity. They pointed out that the situation with MINUSMA liquidation was challenging considering the activity was carried out under a new policy on liquidation but were grateful for the support rendered by the RSCE during the activity.

Mr. Emmanuel Ngor, Chief of the Regional Field Technology Services, presented on technological advancements impacting the SLA and service delivery. In his remarks, he highlighted practical applications of AI that could enhance efficiencies and generate savings for the organization if utilized correctly. “The rise of AI technologies has prompted a significant shift in Shared Service Centres’ operations. AI is reshaping SLAs and service delivery models by automating routine tasks, enhancing data analysis, and enabling predictive insights. However, this transformation comes with its own set of challenges, including the need to upskill employees, ensure data security, and manage the change process effectively.” He said

In total, the workshop made several recommendations for change in KPIs with the majority of process changes suggested in the areas of Education Grant, Travel and Vendor Management.

By perpetually soliciting input and fostering collaboration among key stakeholders, RSCE continues to strengthen its service delivery framework and adapt to evolving operational demands.

The RSCE User Group, chaired by the Director RSCE, is comprised of the CBFOs, CHROs of client missions/offices and the RSCE management team is the technical arm in the Centre’s governance framework and their major role is to take an end to end view of the process related issues in the SLA and identify current gaps with a view to continuous improvement in the processes.