U.S. Representative Ambassador Joseph M Torsella for UN Management and Reform today announced that the U.S. government is pleased by two accomplishments in the UN system this week on transparency.
“The first is the announcement by Carman LaPointe, the Head of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, that she will post audits of the UN Secretariat on her website for public viewing starting in January. “ -Mr. Torsella
He cited that the second accomplishment is the decision by the boards of United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to let governments who fund their programs – like the United States – read audit reports remotely from all over the world, instead of keeping audits under lock and key in New York. He stressed that the United States has called for both of these steps for year.
“While we welcome these important steps, it is now important that UNDP and all UN “Funds and Programs” move quickly to meet the standard Carman LaPointe has set: full public disclosure of audits on the internet. Leaders at UNICEF and UNDP announced this week their support for this reform.” -Mr. Torella
He underscored that the United States will continue to push for immediate full public disclosure. He pointed out that every agency in the UN system is a public institution and should open its doors to public scrutiny.
