United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services

Office of Internal Oversight Services

United Nations Headquarters, New York City
Abbreviation OIOS
Formation 1994
Legal status Active
Head
 Under-Secretary-General
Carman Lapointe
Parent organization
 United Nations Secretariat
Subsidiaries
  • Inspection & Evaluation Division
  • Internal Audit Division
  • Investigations Division
Website http://www.un.org/Depts/oios

The United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) is an independent office in the United Nations Secretariat whose mandate is to "assist the Secretary-General in fulfilling his internal oversight responsibilities in respect of the resources and staff of the Organization."[1] Specifically, activities include internal audit, investigation, monitoring, evaluation, inspection, reporting and support services to the United Nations Secretariat.[2]

Its intended and mandated function is similar to many national government audit organisations, like the Government Accountability Office in the United States. It reports not only to the General Assembly, but also to the Secretary-General.

The current head of the OIOS, Under-Secretary-General Carman Lapointe of Canada, was appointed as Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services for a five-year term starting on 14 September 2010, succeeding Inga-Britt Ahlenius of Sweden.[3]

The office was established in 1994.[4] Its first head was Under-Secretary-General Karl Paschke.

Role and function

According to its website:

The Office submits reports to the Secretary-General that provide insight into the effective utilization of the resources of the Organization and the protection of its assets and also makes these reports available to the General Assembly. OIOS adds value by providing world-wide audit, investigation, inspection, programme monitoring, evaluation and consulting services to the United Nations Secretariat and a wide range of United Nations operational funds, programmes and tribunals. OIOS sees itself as an agent of change, committed to help client departments and offices bring about responsible administration of resources and a culture of accountability, transparency, results-orientation and risk awareness.

Under-Secretaries-General

#PortraitUnder-Secretary-GeneralDates in officeNationality
1

Karl Theodor Paschke1 January 1994 – 31 December 1999Germany German
2 Dileep Nair24 April 2000 – 23 April 2005 Singapore Singaporean
3 Inga-Britt Ahlenius15 July 2005 – 14 July 2010 Sweden Swedish
4 Carman Lapointe14 September 2010 – Incumbent Canada Canadian

References

  1. ↑ "Review of the implementation of General Assembly resolutions 48/218 B, 54/244 and 59/272" (PDF). undocs.org. UN. 5 May 2010. p. 1. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "Activities and functions of OIOS". un.org. UN. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Secretary-General welcomes approval of his nominee, Carman L. Lapointe (Canada), as Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services". un.org. UN. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "About us". un.org. UN. Retrieved 16 March 2014.

External links