Independent Audit Advisory Committee Holds Thirty-first Session at New York Headquarters, 8-10 July

The Independent Audit Advisory Committee (IAAC) of the United Nations held its thirty-first session from 8 to 10 July.  The session, which was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, was presided over by the Chairman, J. Christopher Mihm.  All the other members of the IAAC, namely Patricia X. Arriagada Villouta (Vice-Chair), Natalia A. Bocharova, Richard Quartei Quartey, and Maria Gracia M. Pulido Tan, were in attendance.

The IAAC’s deliberations included the discussions on the issues pertaining to the Committee’s annual report for the period from 1 August 2014 to 31 July 2015.

In addition, the Committee held meetings with:

1. The Deputy-Secretary General, to update him on the work of the IAAC and on matters of mutual interest.
2. Ms. Carman Lapointe, Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services regarding a wide range of matters, including:  (i) status of vacant posts; (ii) the situation on the Joint Staff Pension Fund; (iii) the central intake system and the web-based recommendation system; (iv) status of the funding arrangement; (v) status of the investigation function; and (vi) the operational independence of the Office of Internal Oversight Services.
3. Mr. Yukio Takasu, Under-Secretary-General for Management, on (i) the status of the implementation of oversight bodies’ recommendations, including any apparent trends; (ii) the global service delivery model; (iii) the status of the rollout of Umoja; and (iv) the anti-fraud framework for the United Nations.
4. Ms. Bettina Tucci Bartsiotas, Controller, on (i) the implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards, in light of its ongoing interaction with Umoja; (ii) the strengthening of the internal control system, especially as it relates to fraud prevention and detection; and (iii) the operational implications and trends apparent in the Board of Auditors’ report A/69/5 (Vol. II).
5. Mr. Achamkulangare Gopinathan, Inspector, Mr. Stefan Helck, Evaluation and Inspection Officer, Joint Inspection Unit, on how the IAAC views the coherence of anti-fraud policies and procedures, and the coordination and cooperation on fraud issues among organizations.

The next session of the IAAC is scheduled for 9-11 December at the United Nations Office in Geneva.

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