Statement on Transparency Initiatives at the UN

Ambassador Joseph M Torsella
U.S. Representative for UN Management and Reform 

New York, NY

September 14, 2011

We are 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. The second 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. The United States has called for both of these steps for years.

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. The United States will continue to push for immediate full public disclosure. Every agency in the UN system is a public institution and should open its doors to public scrutiny.

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