Pledging Full Support to Office of Internal Oversight Services, Secretary-General

 

Says Office Vital to Ensuring Greater United Nations Transparency, Accountability

 

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks on the fifteenth anniversary of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), today, 15 October:

It is a pleasure to join in this fifteenth anniversary celebration of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).

The United Nations is at the centre of the international response to global crises facing the world today.  Renewed multilateralism means that more and more people are turning to us for action. 

To keep pace with these growing demands, we need to continually strengthen and improve our own operations.  That means greater transparency, increased efficiency and more accountability.

OIOS is vital to the effort.

As we all know, in any complex organization with such a broad agenda that affects so many lives, strong leadership and dedicated management are critical.  So, too, is a professional oversight body, working as an agent of change and contributing to the common goal of delivering solid results for the people we serve.

Fifteen years ago, the General Assembly established the OIOS as an operationally independent entity to assist the Secretary-General in oversight responsibilities with respect to the resources and staff of the Secretariat.

In recent years, we have made steady progress on a number of fronts.  Let me point to a few:

First, an Ethics Office has been established, providing protection for whistleblowers, and we have tightened rules on procurement and on financial disclosure by senior officials, including those with responsibilities for procurement and investment.

Second, I have established compacts with each of my senior managers, with performance published on the intranet.  Results matter.  Performance must be measurable.  The compacts cover many aspects of performance, including the implementation of oversight recommendations. 

Third, we are working on improving the transparency and quality of our financial reporting by adopting the International Public Sector Accounting Standards, or IPSAS.  Preparations have already begun to make the UN IPSAS-compliant.

Fourth, the Independent Audit Advisory Committee became operational last year to advise the General Assembly on the scope, effectiveness and efficiency of OIOS.  It also provides the Assembly with information on the effectiveness of the Secretariat’s risk management procedures, and on deficiencies in the internal control framework.

Fifth, OIOS itself has undergone reforms to better respond to the growing demand on its services and to new governance challenges.  The process has included the establishment of professional manuals for the three distinct OIOS disciplines:  audit, evaluation/inspection and investigations.

These are just some of the steps we have taken in recent years.  But the journey continues.  While we have made progress in several key areas, the process of renewal and reform goes on -- precisely as it should.  We must continually strive to improve the way we work, the way we deliver, the way we meet the evolving challenges of our changing world.  OIOS is fundamental to this effort. 

On this anniversary, I pledge to continue to extend my full support to OIOS and to the two other members of the United Nations oversight family, the Board of Auditors and the Joint Inspection Unit. 

Let us together pledge to do our utmost to use our resources responsibly; to improve our performance at all levels, at all locations; and, in the broadest sense, to deepen a culture of accountability, transparency and meaningful results.

Thank you once again for all of your work in building a stronger United Nations for a better world.

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For information media • not an official record