Better World Campaign Executive Director Peter Yeo’s Statement on the Ongoing Efforts to Bring Reform and Transparency to the UN

Peter Yeo, Executive Director of the Better World Campaign, offered the following statement today in response to news of outgoing United Nations Under-Secretary-General of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) Inga-Britt Ahlenius’ end-of-assignment report criticizing efforts to reform and enhance accountability at the UN:

“During Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s tenure, we have seen some real progress toward reform and accountability at the United Nations. To quote the Secretary-General, ‘business as usual is not an option,’ and under his leadership, there has been a series of transparency and accountability initiatives put into action: the strengthening of the Ethics Office and of whistleblower protection; the implementation of a new internal justice system; the establishment of a framework to address misconduct in peacekeeping missions; and the strengthening of the independent oversight bodies, including the establishment of the Independent Audit Advisory Committee, which is chaired by David Walker - the former head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

“It would be unhelpful to allow this back-and-forth to become a distraction to reform efforts at the UN.  We must look past any previous disagreements to what is most important – the OIOS Office must have a chief in place who is committed to reforming the UN.

“We look forward to the appointment of a new head of OIOS, which the Secretary-General’s spokesman has indicated will happen shortly. With a new OIOS chief and a team of dedicated staff in place, the UN can step up its progress toward a stronger more accountable organization to help address the world’s most pressing problems.” 

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About the Better World Campaign:
The Better World Campaign (BWC) works to foster a strong, effective relationship between the United States and the United Nations (UN) through outreach, communications, and advocacy. We encourage U.S. leadership to work constructively through the United Nations and to strengthen the United Nations’ ability to carry out its invaluable operations around the world. And we engage policy makers, the media, and the American public to increase awareness of and support for the United Nations.

Media Contact:
Heather Wong
Communications Director, Better World Campaign
hwong@betterworldcampaign.org
202-862-6310