independent audit advisory committee holds seventh session in new york

 

The Independent Audit Advisory Committee of the United Nations (IAAC) held its seventh session in New York from 30 June to 2 July 2009.  The session was presided over by the Chairman, David M. Walker. 

The IAAC’s agenda for the seventh session included:

-- Meeting with the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions to discuss the IAAC’s report on the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) proposed programme budget for the biennium 2010-2011.

-- Meeting with the Under-Secretary-General for Management to follow up on the status of implementation of oversight recommendations and activities relating to the enterprise risk management and internal control framework.

-- Meeting with senior managers and staff of OIOS.  OIOS presented an example of a recent risk assessment of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund that was designed to determine residual risk (after considering compensating controls).  Based on the OIOS presentation and review of the consultant’s report the IAAC raised additional questions that need to be addressed.  The IAAC also discussed the implications of the General Assembly’s resolution on the support account for peacekeeping operations on OIOS’ planned restructure of the Investigations Division.  

-- Meeting the Directors or representatives of the oversight offices in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in a joint meeting to learn about their operations and discuss various challenges facing internal oversight entities within the United Nations system.

-- Meeting with representatives of the United Nations Ethics Office.  The discussion covered the various functions of the Ethics Office, including the role of OIOS in investigating cases where the Ethics Office concludes that there is prima facie evidence of retaliation against a staff member for cooperation with an audit or investigation.  The IAAC had a number of questions relating to the United Nations financial disclosure programme.

In this session the IAAC also discussed the results of its senior management interviews and its survey on the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of OIOS functions which was conducted recently.  The IAAC will report the results along with observations and recommendations relating to OIOS functions in its annual report to the General Assembly this September.

The Executive Secretary reported to the IAAC that the General Assembly fully or partially adopted the recommendations in the IAAC’s reports on vacancies in OIOS and the OIOS budget under the support account for peacekeeping operations for 2009-2010.

The next, eighth, session of the IAAC is scheduled for 1 to 3 December 2009.

For further information on the work of the IAAC, please contact the Committee’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Uren Pillay, at:  e-mail:  pillay@un.org; tel.: +1 212 963 5674; fax:  +1 212 963 0600

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For information media • not an official record