Independent Audit Advisory Committee Concludes Eighteenth Session

 

The Independent Audit Advisory Committee of the United Nations (IAAC) held its eighteenth session from 14 to 16 May.  The session, which was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, was presided over by the Chairman, John F.S. Muwanga.  All the other members of the Committee, namely Adrian P. Strachan (Vice Chairman), Vadim V. Dubinkin, J. Christopher Mihm, and Vinod Rai, were in attendance.

The Independent Audit Advisory Committee’s deliberations included inter alia meetings with:

1.    Gina Casar, the Officer in Charge of the Department of Management, who briefed the Committee on the status/implications of recently adopted General Assembly’s accountability resolution 66/257.  Ms. Casar also provided some updates on other matters of importance to the Committee, including the status of the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).  Ms. Casar also shared with the Committee the status and follow-up process of the implementation of the recommendations of the oversight bodies.

2.    Carman L. Lapointe, the Under-Secretary-General, and senior managers and staff of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) regarding a wide range of matters including its funding arrangements, the in-depth technical construction audit of the Capital Master Plan, the status of the external reviews of the Investigation Division and Inspection and Evaluation Division.  Ms. Lapointe also briefed the Committee on the status of the pilot project on OIOS’ investigations, and other reform initiatives.  In addition, the Committee discussed standard agenda items with OIOS pertaining to relationships with management, high-risk issues identified by OIOS, coordination with various oversight bodies, and staff vacancies.  The Committee also received a briefing on the OIOS’ peacekeeping budget and work plan execution for 2010/11 and 2011/12.  Ms. Lapointe also discussed with the Committee her views on the proposals for the publication of audit reports and the conduct of performance audits by the Board of Auditors.

3.    The Audit Operations Committee of the Board of Auditors which shared with the Audit Advisory Committee matters of mutual interest including the coordination process among the oversight bodies, the views on the trends apparent in the financial statements and audit reports of the United Nations, performance audit issues and the various reform initiatives of the United Nations.

The Audit Advisory Committee also participated in the deliberations of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), where the Chairman introduced the report of the Committee on the support account budget of OIOS for the period 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013.

The next (nineteenth) session of the Audit Advisory Committee is scheduled for 16-18 July 2012 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

For further information on the work of the Audit Advisory Committee, please contact the Committee’s Executive Secretary, Moses Bamuwamye, e-mail: bamuwamye@un.org, tel.:  +1 212 963 0788, fax: +1 212 963 0600.

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For information media • not an official record