Department of Conferences and Meetings Management August 2013 RESOLUTION CP/RES. 982 (1797/11) UPDATE OF COSTS OF CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS FUNDED BY THE OAS

Contents Resolution adoption Mandate Current rates New meeting costs and rates Reasons for updating rates Cost comparison Recommendations

Adoption of Resolution CP/RES. 982 The OAS Permanent Council adopted resolution CP/RES. 982 on March 30, 2011, mandating a review of the costs of conference services every two years. The current costs and rates have been in effect since July 1, 2011.

Mandate of Resolution CP/RES. 982 “10.To instruct the General Secretariat to review the costs outlined in operative paragraph 8 of this resolution every two years, and to report to the Permanent Council, before November 30 of the review year, on whether they should be updated. Updated figures shall then be incorporated into the budgeting system, and the various areas, entities, and organs of the Organization shall take them into account when estimating the costs of their meetings and conferences.”

Current Rates for Conference Services Services per dayCurrent Rate US$ Interpretation (6 hours shift)$ Translation$ Room Attendant$ Control Operator$ Equipment, materials and coffee $350.00

Reasons for Updating Rates In order to comply with the mandate in resolution CP/RES. 982 and keep the OAS competitive with other Washington, D.C. based international organizations that are paying higher rates to translators and interpreters, it is important to review and update our rates periodically in the interests of maintaining high- quality language services (interpretation and translation). Cost of living in the Washington, D.C. area has gone up 3.02% over the last two years.

Rate Comparison between the OAS and Other International Organizations for Interpretation Services in 2013 ORGANIZATION GROSS RATE WORK HOURS % GAP OAS OAS$ hours IDB (August 2013)$ hours14.55% World Bank (July 2013)$ hours12.73% IMF (July 2013)$ hours20.00% PAHO (with a 25% tax refund)$ hours14.18% U.S. State Department (August 2013)$630.00*8 hours14.55% United Nations (August 2013)$ hours16.18% * U.S. State Department pays a higher rate to the team leader

Rate Comparison between the OAS and Other International Organizations for Translation Services in 2013 ORGANIZATION RATE PER WORD OAS$0.19 PAHO$0.19 World Bank$0.20 IMF$0.17 U.S. State Dept.$0.19

Rate Changes for Contracts CP/RES. 982 SERVICES Current Rates 2011 Proposed Rates 2014 Change$US Interpretation Services$550.00$570.00$20.00 Translation Services per day$450.00$460.00$10.00 Translation Services per word$0.19$0.20$ 0.01 Translation Services per 1000 words$190.00$200.00$10.00 Room Attendants$130.00$135$5.00 Control Operators$130.00$135$5.00 Overtime $38.00$40.00 $2.00

Rates per Day for Language and Room Services Adjusted for the Consumer Price Index – All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Washington, D.C. – Baltimore Services Current Rate CPI–U Proposed adjustment based on CPI-U % Change US$ Change Translation per day $ %$ %$10.00 Interpretation per day$ %$ %$20.00 Room Services$ %$ %$5.00

Updated Costs per Meeting for 2014 at Headquarters and away from HQ Proposed Rates 2014 SERVICES Current Rates 2011 Option1 Change % Option 1 Option2 Change % Option 2 Option3 Change % Option 3 1-day meeting $18,685$19, %$19, %$18,6850% 2-day meeting $33,558$34, %$34, %$33,5580% 3-day meeting $48,379$50, %$50, %$48,3790%

Recommendations Try to schedule meetings in such a way that interpreter teams can be shared among meetings held on the same day; Avoid last-minute cancellations of interpreters, room attendants, and control operators; Limit the length of documents to be translated, especially reports; Be punctual to maximize time and avoid paying overtime; Minimize exceptions; Limit the use of interpretation services when holding informal meetings and working groups.

Recommendations Please observe with the Guide to Holding Eco-Friendly Conferences and Meetings to minimize the negative impact on the environment when holding OAS meetings

For More Information CP/RES Update of Costs of Conferences and Meetings Funded by the OAS Guide to Holding Eco-Friendly Conferences and Meetings

Thank You!