1. Skip to navigation
  2. Skip to content
  3. Skip to secondary content
  4. Skip to sidebar

Efficiency and Transparency

In 2011, the IAEA began implementing the Agency-Wide Information System for Programme Support, or AIPS, covering planning, finance, procurement, project management, human resources and administration. Expected to be fully implemented in 2015, AIPS will replace several dozen disparate and often incompatible information systems with a single enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The new system will greatly improve the IAEA's ability to plan, manage and report on its activities, streamline its business processes and enhance financial transparency.

The first phase, or "plateau", of AIPS went "live" in January 2011. It covered finance, procurement, asset management and the operational management of the IAEA's programmes and projects. The second plateau, scheduled for 2012, will cover the management of contacts and suppliers, and programme and project planning and monitoring. The third plateau, covering human resources and payroll management, will be introduced in 2014. The final plateau, covering travel and meetings management, is scheduled for 2015.

One immediate benefit of AIPS is that it has facilitated adoption by the IAEA of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) for its financial reports starting from 1 January 2011. Based on full accrual accounting, these standards are independently maintained by the International Federation of Accountants and are recognized as being optimal for public sector organizations. Following a 2006 resolution of the UN General Assembly, IPSAS will be adopted by all organisations in the UN system. The IAEA's adoption of IPSAS enhances the compatibility of its financial reporting systems with those of other UN bodies.