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Archive Introduction

Internal Oversight: The OIOS  

                                           SUBSECTION TABLE OF CONTENTS:

-- Weak internal audit

-- OIOS: The (half-hearted) first five years

-- Poor succession and the second five years

-- Investigation efforts: Is the OIOS a fig leaf?

-- Investigation efforts: Is the OIOS a fig leaf? II

-- The third five years of the OIOS begin, in turmoil

 

     In the early 1990s the General Assembly set out to strengthen the almost-invisible UN internal oversight units.  However, the new unified unit began slowly in 1994, with weak determination, questionable priorities, and a small and cautious new Investigations Section.  Because the General Assembly makes poor use of its new "oversight" tool, and because the principle of "diplomat Inspector" leadership (an oxymoron) is now firmly established, IO Watch believes that -- a decade later -- the much-trumpeted new Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) unit has fallen far short of original expectations.  A top US diplomat, who once called the OIOS "a victory for American taxpayers," is reported  to have later characterized it as "a junkyard puppy" [rather than as a full-fledged  watchdog.]

Useful Sources

(Note: informally assembled by IO Watch, roughly ranked from "most useful" on down, and subject to change as new sources are added)

"Measures to facilitate reporting by staff members of inappropriate uses of the resources of the Organization:  ….. : Report of the Secretary-General", A/47/510 of 8 October 1992.

"Recovery of misappropriated funds from staff members and former staff members: Report of the Secretary-General", A/48/572 of 9 November 1993.

"Alleged cases of fraud in the UN: Study of the possibility of establishment of a new jurisdictional and procedural mechanism or of the extension of mandates and improvement of the functioning of existing jurisdictional and procedural mechanisms", A/AC.243/1994/L.3 of 4 April 1994.

"Jurisdictional and procedural mechanism…: Report of the Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts …", A/49/418 of 22 September 1994.

"Review of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations", General Assembly resolution 48/218 B of 29 July 1994.  [established the OIOS]                                           

"Establishment of the Office of Internal Oversight Services", Secretary-General's Bulletin, ST/SGB/273 of 7 September 1994. 

"The Office of Internal Oversight Services of the United Nations: Its genesis, its mission, its working methods, its impact", UN Dept. of Public Information,  February 1996.

"United Nations [OIOS] Investigations Section, Manual",  www.un.org/depts/oios      

"Terms of reference for investigations by the [OIOS]: Mismanagement, misconduct, waste of resources and abuse of authority", ST/IC/1996/29 of 25 April 1996.        

US General Accounting Office, "United Nations: Status of internal oversight services," (letter report), HAO/NSIAD-98-9, November 19, 1997.

"Actions taken against staff resulting from findings of malpractice discovered by the Board of Auditors: Report of the Secretary-General", A/52/864 of 2 April 1998.

"Follow-up report on management irregularities causing financial losses to the Organization: Report of the Secretary-General", A/54/793 of 13 March 2000.

"Rules and procedures to be applied for the investigation functions performed by the Office of Internal Oversight Services," UN document A/55/469 of 11 October 2000.

Joint Inspection Unit, "Accountability and oversight in the United Nations Secretariat", JIU/REP/93/5, A/48/420, 1993, Chapters 2 and 3, "Main oversight units" and "Weaknesses of the main oversight units."                                                                                                                                 

Joint Inspection Unit, "Accountability, management improvement, and oversight in the United Nations System", JIU/REP/95/2, Parts I and II, A/50/503, 1995, Chapter II, "Internal oversight units," and Tables 2, 3, and 4.                                                                                                                        

Joint Inspection Unit, "Management in the United Nations: Work in progress", JIU/REP/95/8, A/50/507,1995, Chapter II.B.5, "Internal oversight.".                                                                          

"Report of the Office of Inspections and Investigations", UN document A/49/449, 1994.

"Report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the OIOS", UN document A/50/459, 1995.

"Report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the OIOS", UN document A/51/432, 1996.

"Report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the OIOS", UN document  A/52/426, 1997.

"Report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the OIOS", UN document A/53/428, 1998.

"Report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the OIOS", UN document A/54/393, 1999.

"Report of the OIOS", UN document A/55/436, 2000.

"Report of the OIOS", UN document A/56/381,  2001.

"Report of the OIOS", UN document A/57/451,  2002.

"Report of the OIOS", UN document A/58/364,  2003.  

"Report of the OIOS", UN document A/59/359 of  2004.

"Proposed strategic framework for the period 2006-2007: Programme 25: Internal oversight", UN document A/59/6 (Prog. 25), 2004.

"Global Forum III: Ongoing challenges, shared responsibilities", US Agency for International Development, Newsletter of the Americas' Accountability/Anti-Corruption Project (AAA), No. 33, p. 1,  at
www.respondanet.com/english .

Fall/Winter 2001, pp. 1-62.      
                       

Newcomer, Kathryn, "The changing nature of accountability: The role of the Inspector General in Federal agencies", Public Administration Review, March/April 1998, Vol. 58, No. 2, pp. 129-136.

Adair, John J., and Simmons, Rex, "From voucher auditing to junkyard dogs: The evolution of Federal Inspectors General", Public Budgeting and Finance (US), Summer 1988, pp. 91-100.

Clarke, Michael, ed., Corruption: Causes, consequences and control, London, Frances Pinter, 1983.

Klitgaard, Robert, Controlling corruption, University of California Press, Berkeley, Calif., and London, 1988.

Folks, Susan R., "A potential whistle-blower: To tell or not to tell, that is the question", Public Integrity (US), Winter 2000, pp. 61-74.                                      

Koch, Kathleen Day, and Ellis, Paul S., "Protecting whistleblowers", The Public Manager (US), Spring 1994, pp. 51-54.                                                               

Andersen, Martin Edwin, "Who is guarding the HUD guards?: … the HUD Inspector General's office has faced charges of corruption and cronyism", Insight (US), March 18-31, 2003, pp. 34-35.

"The fraud prevention check-up", Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, 2002,  www.CFEnet.com     
                        

Alford, C. Fred, Whistleblowers: Broken lives and organizational power, Cornell University, Ithaca NY (USA), 2001.                                    

Johnson, Pamela Ann, Whistleblowing: When it works, and why, Lynne Rienner, Boulder, CO (USA), 2003.                                     

Lovell, Alan, "The enduring phenomenon of moral muteness: Suppressed whistleblowers", Public Integrity (US), Summer 2003, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 187-204.