in the Philippines.

Staff Tracking

History of the United Nations in the Philippines

The partnership between the UN and the Philippines began in 1945 when the Philippines joined 49 other nations in signing the United Nations Charter in San Francisco, USA. This partnership has progressed since then into a number of development initiatives, activities and programmes. The UN established an office in the Philippines, at the request of the Filipino Government in 1947. The first office was setup to assist in the development of the people of the country. Over the years the UN in very close coordination with the Government, through stand alone and joint UN / Government projects have reached out to millions of beneficiaries across the entire country. The Philippines being a long term member of the UN, is also a signatory to the 2000 Millennium Declaration which encompasses the time-bound Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a global agenda for development by 2015. The United Nations System supports the realization of the MDGs through the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), which is based on the national priorities, plans and programs of the government. The UNDAF addresses five inter-related areas of cooperation, namely, macroeconomic stability, broad-based and equitable development; basic social services; good governance; environmental stability; and conflict prevention and peace- building.

The UN maintains an automated global tracking system which is also in place in the Philippines. The system is managed by UNDSS in the country and allows UN to track movement of staff and provide timely notification in case of any need. Geographic Information System (GIS) UNDSS also has limited capability to produce GIS map of different areas of the country which can be used for the safety and security of the UN staff as well as for the decision makers to make informed decisions. Wardens Wardens are UN staff who voluntarily accept responsibility to perform security and safety duties within a given zone of the city/country. Under the overall supervision of UNDSS Wardens performs their job both in Manila and Mindanao. Warden system is very useful to pass important safety information to staff in a natural disaster scenario in the Philippines. Training UNDSS conducts various training activities for the UN staff as well as NGO community to raise awareness and knowledge which helps staff to work safely in difficult environment. On many occasions UNDSS received immense support from different Philippine govern-

Department of Safety and Security

United Nations

Country Briefer

United Nations Department of Safety and Security

31F Yuchengco Tower 1 RCBC Plaza, 6819 Ayala Avenue corner Gil Puyat Avenue, 1226 Makati City, Philippines

Safety and Security of the UN

Background The United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) were established in January 2005 after the devastating bomb attack on the UN offices in Bagdad. It is part of the UN Secretariat and answers directly to the Secretary General of the UN through the assigned Under Secretary General (USG) of UNDSS. Prior to the formation of UNDSS the safety and the security arm of the UN was known as UNSECOORD (United Nations Security Coordination office) After the Bagdad bombing it was realised that the UN had become a target for terror attacks and to enable the safe and efficient conduct and the continuity of UN operations, activities and programme delivery for all UN operations worldwide a new safety and security system was required. As a result, the primary role of UNDSS is now to enable UN operations to continue, whilst giving the highest priority to the safety and security of UN staff members and their families. To achieve this, UNDSS security advisors have been mandated to establish robust working relationships with the host governments and all their security elements and to advise the highest ranking UN member known as the Designated Officials on all security issues and to assist them in the performance of their duties when it relates to safety and security of UN staff members. Host Governments Responsibility The General Assembly resolution 59/276, part XI clearly states that the primary responsibility for the safety, security and protection of personnel employed by the organisations of the United Nations system, their eligible dependants and property, and of all UN agencies property, rests with the host governments. In other words, the host Government is fully responsible to ensure the protection for UN System organisation, staff and their dependents in the country. The UNDSSs goal is to support the respective host governments efforts to address security challenges faced by UN System Organisations and staff members in countriesDesignated Official (DO) The UN Resident Coordinator is the Designated Official for Security and has the overall responsibility for the safety and security of UN staffs and their eligible dependents. The Designated Official reports to the Secretary General through the Under Secretary for Safety and Security. The DO, acting in consultation with the Security Management Team composed of other Heads of Agencies, maintain liaison with the Host Government on issues involving security. The Resident Representative also serves as the Resident Coordinator of the UN Systems Operational Activities for Development in the Philippines. UNDSS Security Advisor The Security Adviser (SA) a senior security professional appointed by the Under Secretary General (USG) UNDSS is the Head of the UN Security Department. The SAs is tasked to advise the DO, Heads of Agencies and SMT with regards to security-related matters. Although the SA reports directly to the DO he also maintains a technical line of communication with USG DSS. The SA is also mandated to liaise directly with the senior management of the Armed Forces, Civilian Police and the Intelligence service of the host government. Mandated by the USG UNDSS, the SA is to establish strong working networks with these counterparts so that early warning can be given of any threats that may affect the operations of the UN within the Philippines. Information sharing between all parties is imperative so that both the Host Government and UN DSS can act accordingly. UNDSS, Philippines At a Glance The UN re-established its safety and security stance in the Philippines under the new title of UNDSS in 2005. The commencement of this office was to once again provide security support to all UN agencies operating in the Philippines. Currently UNDSS is composed of a total of 20 staff members of which 4 are International and the remaining 16 are national staff. The 4 International staff members are deployed in Manila (3) and in Mindanao (1). With reference to UNDSS national staff members; there are 2 local security advisors (1 each in Manila and Mindanao), 10 are employed as radio operators (5 each in Manila and Mindanao), and the remaining 4 are based in Manila covering areas of communications, transport, administration and information technology. Mindanao In Mindanao UNDSS is led by one international staff known as Field Security Coordination Officer (FSCO) who reports directly to the SA in Manila. He is supported by one Local Security Assistant (LSA) and five other Radio Room staff. There is also an Area Security Management Team (ASMT) composed of heads of agency sub offices. The ASMT is chaired by Area Security Coordinator (ASC) the senior most international staff member posted in Mindanao. The role of ASC and ASMT is similar to DO and SMT. The ASC is appointed in writing by the DO and carries out security responsibilities in the Mindanao area advised by the UNDSS FSCO. Communication System UNDSS has established a robust communication system both in Manila and Mindanao that is solar powered and likely to withstand natural disasters like strong earthquakes. The UN maintains two Radio Rooms on a 24/7 basis in both Manila and Mindanao. Analysis UNDSS has limited analysis capability with the recent deployment of one Security Information Analyst (SIA). The SIA keeps in touch with other stakeholders in the government security forces and provides trend analysis pertaining to UN safety and security