Actualités
General Assembly resolution on JIU - A/RES/77/279
On the 18th of April 2023, the United Nations General Assembly adopted its annual Resolution concerning the work of the Joint Inspection Unit (A/RES/77/279). In the first part of the resolution, the UNGA reaffirms the mandate of the Unit as the only independent external oversight-body of the United Nations system and reiterates the importance of its evaluations and inspections for the identification of specific management, administrative and programmatic issues withing its participating organizations.
JIU concludes self-assessment exercise
In 2022, the Unit completed a comprehensive self-assessment exercise under the terms of reference and the benchmark framework developed for that purpose in 2021 and the first part of 2022. The aim of the self-assessment was to propose improvements to the Unit’s work in line with an assessment of the current situation from both a strategic and an operational perspective and to consider the evolution in that regard since the previous self-evaluation, which was held in 2013. This internal exercise covered several areas.
Review of measures and mechanisms for addressing racism and racial discrimination in the UN system organizations (JIU/NOTE/2022/1/Rev.1)
The Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations system (JIU) is pleased to share the Review Highlights and Full Report for the Review of measures and mechanisms for addressing racism and racial discrimination in United Nations system organizations: managing for achieving organizational effectiveness, prepared by Inspector Sukai Prom-Jackson.
What are the next steps to initiate to improve and to advance ongoing work to address racism and racial discrimination? What are the reflections and actions that need to be taken for transformative changes in addressing racism and racial discrimination, in view of global changes and challenges and the imperatives of a world characterized as volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous?
The Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations system elects its Chair and Vice-Chair for 2023 and adopts its programme of work
The Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) concluded the second part of its Winter Session on 10 January 2023. In the first part of the Winter Session, the Inspectors elected Inspector Eileen A. Cronin (United States) as Chair and Inspector Carolina Fernandez-Opazo (Mexico) as Vice-Chair of the Unit for 2023. The Unit also adopted its programme of work for 2023, which includes 1 system-wide review and the reviews of management and administration of two of its participating organizations. The programme of work will be presented to the General Assembly at its first resumed seventy-seventh session this year.
Interview of Inspector Goitsemang (Botswana)
Please say a few words about "who you were" in your professional life before joining the JIU?
I think it would be apt to say that I am a ‘career diplomat’, having served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Botswana for a continuous period of 25 years. I have held various leadership positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, five years of which I was the Executive Head (Permanent Secretary) of the Ministry. As a diplomat, I have had an opportunity to serve abroad at the Botswana Diplomatic Missions in Sweden, Zambia and Nigeria. I am also well versed with the workings of the United Nations, having attended the UN General Assembly Sessions on various occasions. Some of the special assignments I have undertaken, include the setting-up of the Botswana Diplomatic Missions in Nigeria (2007) and Kuwait (2010), as well as the setting-up of the new Ministry of Justice in May 2022.
Review of management and administration in the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) (JIU/REP/2022/1)
The overall objective of the present review is to provide an independent assessment of the management and administration in UN-Habitat, focusing, inter alia, on (a) the recent governance reform; (b) financial management; (c) organizational restructuring and management; and (d) oversight and evaluation.
JIU report gets the support of the ACABQ and the General Assembly in a significant step forward in enhancing accessibility for persons with disabilities to conferences and meetings of the United Nations system
Date: 10 August 2022
On 29th June, a new resolution (A/RES/76/273) was adopted by the General Assembly in relation to the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) report on enhancing accessibility for persons with disabilities to conferences and meetings of the United Nations system (JIU/REP/2018/6). Following the publication of the JIU report in early 2019, the momentum for action has been increasing throughout the United Nations system. In particular, the report has resonated well with the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and the General Assembly.
Business continuity management in United Nations system organizations (JIU/REP/2021/6)
Business continuity is defined as the capability of an organization to continue delivery of essential and time-critical services at acceptable predefined levels during and/or following a disruptive incident. The United Nations system organizations often operate in volatile environments and can be exposed to disruptions due to natural and human-made disasters. Moreover, the current COVID-19 pandemic has seriously tested business continuity management and organizational resilience. Yet, the pandemic also provided an opportunity to gain from good practices and early lessons learned and to strengthen business continuity management. Without an effective business continuity management framework, organizations run the risk of incoherent and uncoordinated responses, thereby amplifying crises and degrading organizational resilience.
Review of the management of implementing partners in United Nations system organizations (JIU/REP/2021/4)
The follow-up review of the management of implementing partners by organizations of the United Nations system assesses the progress achieved since the previous JIU report JIU/REP/2013/4. It takes appropriate account of the impact of COVID-19 as it relates directly to the engagement and management of implementing partners. Based on recent trends and developments, it looks ahead as to how the implementing partner modality and management could evolve in the coming years. It also draws up an illustrative list of good practices from United Nations entities.
Farewell to Inspector Flores Callejas
In December 2021, the Joint Inspection Unit bid farewell to Inspector Jorge Flores Callejas, who departed after serving the Unit for two five-year terms. As an Inspector, he has issued nine system-wide reports and notes covering topics such as cybersecurity, enterprise resource planning, cloud computing, south-south and triangular cooperation, safety and security, climate change and procurement. He also coordinated management and administration reviews of JIU participating organizations such as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). During his tenure, Inspector Flores has been active to promote the usage of JIU’s work, its findings and conclusions and issued a series of management letters on the consideration and follow-up given by the United Nations system organizations to recommendations prepared by the Unit.
Interview of Inspector Carolina Fernández Opazo
Date: 20 January 2022
Please say a few words about "who you were" in your professional life before joining the JIU?
Before joining the Joint Inspection Unit, I held various positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of my country, Mexico, all in the multilateral arena for around 25 years. Here, I served the Ministry in its administrative and budgetary affairs especially in the United Nations division. In the past 15 years, I assumed the functions of Director and then Coordinator for the planning and financial affairs in the Directorate General for the United Nations. I administered the budgetary, administrative and financial issues in the UN system, including Mexico’s membership to 246 other international organizations. In this function, I was responsible for the national position regarding financial and budgetary issues of at least 54 of such international organizations.
By joining the JIU, I look forward to a change in the nature of my work and the pace, as well as a positive change for me and my family.
The Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations system elects its Chair and Vice-Chair for 2022 and adopts its programme of work
The Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) concluded the second part of its Winter Session on 11 January 2022. In the first part of the Winter Session, the Inspectors elected Inspector Gopinathan Achamkulangare (India) as Chair and Inspector Tesfa Alem Seyoum (Eritrea) as Vice-Chair of the Unit for 2022. The Unit also adopted its programme of work for 2022 which includes five system-wide projects and the review of management and administration in one of its participating organizations. The programme of work will be presented to the General Assembly at its first resumed seventy-sixth session this year.
JIU and DMSPC co-host event on Cybersecurity
The event centered on the JIU report on “Cybersecurity in the United Nations system organizations” JIU/REP/2021/3 (unjiu.org)
The Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) together with the United Nations Secretariat organized an event to discuss the findings of the JIU report on cybersecurity with United Nations system organizations. The event took place on the 4th of November and was chaired by JIU Inspector Jorge Flores Callejas, Chair of the JIU. Remarks were also given by the Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance Ms. Catherine Pollard who said:
“The increased interconnectedness and interdependence of systems and data calls for an approach that recognizes cybersecurity risks as a cross-cutting and collective issue that cannot be addressed in isolation. “
Cybersecurity in the United Nations system organizations (JIU/REP/2021/3)
In today’s digitalized world, cybersecurity has emerged as a matter of importance for international organizations, and the United Nations is no exception. The Joint Inspection Unit released its report on cybersecurity in the United Nations system organizations observing significant differences in the approach the participating organizations have taken in their respective responses to cybersecurity threats and in the maturity of their cybersecurity frameworks. Not intended as a technical assessment of the operational arrangements in place across the organizations, the report identifies a series of elements likely to improve the corporate cybersecurity posture of the United Nations system organizations and their capacity to identify, prevent and detect cyberthreats, as well as to respond to and recover from incidents.
Review of United Nations system support for landlocked developing countries to implement the Vienna Programme of Action (JIU/REP/2021/2)
The present report assesses the challenges, opportunities, good practices and lessons learned in the work of UN system organizations to support the 32 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) to address their lack of access to the sea, remoteness and isolation from international markets, through the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action (VPoA) during its first five years.
The review found that UN system entities cover all the priority areas of the VPoA, to varying degrees, and in ways that are complementary to their mandates and capacities. They do so with a focus on soft assistance, through measures that tap into their expertise in normative work, knowledge development, capacity development and convening power.
JIU engages in a dialogue with the executives of its participating organizations
Following the periodic meeting with the management committee of the United Nations Secretariat since July 2021, JIU initiated a series of high-level meetings with the heads of its participating organizations. The JIU bureau composed of Inspector Flores Callejas as chair and Inspector Roscher as vice-chair met the executive heads and other officials of ILO, ITU, UNOG, WHO, WIPO and WMO to discuss interactions between the Unit and the organizations. The cooperation shown by participating organizations, their support in data collection such as responding to questionnaires together with the effort made in facilitating interactions, of particular relevance since COVID-19 outbreak, were acknowledged and praised by JIU as an essential aspect of the oversight work conducted by the Unit.
Review of management and administration in the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) (JIU/REP/2021/1)
Established in 1950 as a successor of the International Meteorological Organization, WMO recognizes the need to continuously adapt to a rapidly changing world. The need for regular reform is driven by environmental degradation, resource constraints, increased competition and scientific and technical advances. WMO also sees the need to enhance wider engagement of all its Member States and Territories, private and academic sectors, the science community and partner organizations.
Interview of Inspector Tesfa Seyoum
Date: 1 April 2021
Please say a few words about “who you were” in your professional life before joining the JIU
A large part of my career resides within the United Nations, where I served in various roles for 27 years. I was a delegate of my country, Eritrea, at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York for 21 years and served on the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) for 6 years. Now, I am elected by the UN General Assembly to serve at the JIU for the next five years. In a way you could say that the UN is in me and I am in the UN. Before that, I worked as the Executive Director of a humanitarian organization, assisting victims of wars and famine in the Horn of Africa for 10 years. I was also Accounts and Budget Analyst for the Africa Region with an international NGO based in Nairobi, Kenya, for 5 years in the early years of my career.
Blockchain applications in the United Nations system: towards a state of readiness (JIU/REP/2020/7)
The report intends to provide a contribution to the collective efforts triggered by recent overarching strategies on new technologies and the future of work, which address the issue of innovation and the use of digital technologies by the United Nations system in an action-oriented approach.
Blockchain is among the technologies whose interaction and blending of physical, digital and biological systems define the profile of the fourth industrial revolution. Although the technology is still young, weighing the trade-offs and determining regulatory action and operational frameworks should be a subject for multi-stakeholder dialogues, including in the United Nations system. The 2030 Agenda and the strategic calls for innovation that have followed it prompted some organizations to take the lead and pilot blockchain applications, mostly for operational activities.
Interview of Inspector Victor Moraru
Date: 17 March 2021
Please say a few words about “who you were” in your professional life before joining the JIU?
I have an extensive work experience in the field of multilateral affairs, with a focus on United Nations activities and programmes. During my diplomatic career, I served as Moldova’s representative to various legislative, functional and subsidiary organs of the United Nations system organisations, including bodies concerned with coordination, evaluation and budgetary matters. Over the years, I participated in many specialised meetings and debates, including on various reform proposals aimed at improving organizational effectiveness, accountability and the UN system-wide coherence with a view to support the implementation of UN global agreements and mandates.