ECCC Claims a Clean Bill of Health

Results of the Special Review made public ECCC Human Resource Management passes scrutiny test successfully
Today the Project Board of the ECCC has released the results of the Human Resources Management Review. The review was initiated by the Board and carried out in late February 2008 by a team of consultants from Deloitte/ India, and from Cambodia.
The reason for the review was the need to assess the ECCC management's abilities to be well prepared for upcoming tasks and responsibilities. Further the review has evaluated whether the HR management policies and practices of the Cambodian side of ECCC are transparent, accountable, meet international standards, and provide consistent and effective measures against any mismanagement.
After concluding the 2 weeks assessment on site, the Project Board is pleased to announce that no substantial shortcomings are reported and human resource practices in their current state are of acceptable standard. To address previous shortcomings, the review has validated that in all examined areas the right actions have been taken by the ECCC and by the Board.
In detail the results were the following:
1) Personnel Handbook
Adherence to the Personnel Handbook especially in the recruitment and selection procedures has proved to be an effective measure to combat questionable recruitment practices.
2) Code of Conduct
All staff has signed the Code of Conduct. New staff is required to sign the Code of Conduct as part of their appointment process. Initiatives have been taken to increase awareness among staff on the code of conduct.
3) Salary Scale
The approach of basing ECCC salary calculations on net salary received by international UN staff plus the post adjustment received by these staff in Cambodia was correct.
4) Job Match Exercise
The job match exercise was methodical and has taken a pragmatic approach in addressing the inherent constraint of Cambodia's limited personnel pool having the requisite experience and qualifications.
5) Project Board
The project board has stepped up its assurance and decision making role. Meetings are being conducted in an open and systematic manner. Agreements are properly documented.
In conclusion the review was able to show that a robust Human Resource system has been developed to effectively support the judicial process and to minimize the risk of questionable practices occurring in the future. Promoting zero tolerance for non-compliance with the Code of Conduct will further improve the performance and strengthen the positive reputation of the ECCC.
To maintain the expected international standards, there is still a degree of capacity building necessary. Therefore, concrete steps have now to be undertaken to implement the recommendation made. The review also reported on a range of actions taken in response to 2007 Human Resources Audit findings.
The full results of the report will be introduced during a Press Conference which will be held by the Project Board on 4 April at UNDP LAD Conference room. A summary of the findings will be made available there. The full report can be obtained from the ECCC website from 4 April onwards.