JIU review of management and administration in UNOPS presented to UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board

Executive Board discussed the JIU review of management and administration in the United Nations Office for Project Services and UNOPS commitment to follow up on the recommendations as a source for improvement. Inspector Gönke Roscher introduced the recent JIU review of management and administration in the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) during the UNOG segment of the meeting of the joint UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board on 5 September 2018 in New York.

The UNOPS Executive Director, Ms. Grete Faremo, in her statement emphasized the role of UNOPS in the broader context of the reform of the UN development system and the continuous growth of UNOPS activities. She also welcomed the JIU review, in particular the findings regarding the success of UNOPS business model. She announced that UNOPS would report back to the Board on the implementation of the JIU recommendations.

In her statement Inspector Roscher noted that, during the review, the JIU paid special attention to the distinctive features of UNOPS, in particular its self-financing nature and its mandate for delivery of services to its partners within and outside the United Nations system. The Inspector thanked the organization for its transparency and cooperation in the review process. She underlined that, with regard to similar reviews, the findings were generally positive, a fact, which was also reflected in the comparatively low number of formal recommendations.

The review identified a few areas in which action is considered necessary to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization and to strengthen integrity and accountability. To this end, three formal recommendations were made, two of which were addressed to member States through the Executive Board, and one to the Executive Director.

Therefore, the JIU recommended to the Board to adopt revised terms of reference for the Audit Advisory Committee aligned with good practices and established standards and to revisit the contingency provisions under the UNOPS budget at regular intervals. With regard to the recommendation on the strengthening of the ethics function, JIU welcomed the intention of UNOPS executive management to implement this recommendation and, as a first step, recruit an Ethics Officer at senior staff level in 2018.

Eight members of the Board participated in the following debate and referred to the JIU review and its recommendations and the commitment of UNOPS management to follow up on the recommendations as a source for improvement. One member suggested to have a more substantial discussion of the review at the first annual session of the Board in January 2019. The Board in a decision took note of the JIU review and UNOPS management response.