Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS - Item 3: Joint Segment: Internal Audit and Investigation

Ministry Statements & Speeches:

Statement delivered by Adviser, Joanna Heslop

Thank you Mr President,

New Zealand would like to thank UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS and their respective audit and investigation staff for their detailed and harmonised reporting this year. This greatly assisted us to identify trends and differences between the different entities.

We have one main observation to make:

Localisation, a crucial part of the UN’s capacity building, helps to sustain the impact of its interventions far beyond the time they are implemented. We applaud ongoing efforts to work with and through local partners. However it is clear from the list of investigations that localisation also introduces substantial risk, ranging from safeguarding and sexual misconduct to financial irregularities and other unacceptable behaviours. This then creates reputational risks that might inhibit both funding and trust by vulnerable beneficiaries. 

New Zealand strongly supports UNFPA’s plan to proactively address this through contract revision, training and policy support for its implementing partners, and encourages the Funds and Programmes – indeed the whole UN development system – to ensure that the same expectations are set, and consistent disciplinary responses applied where implementing partners’ behaviour falls short. 

New Zealand wishes to express again its appreciation for the improvements in transparency and process demonstrated by UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS and their accountability functions, which we acknowledge are the result of continuous efforts.

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