Oversight of multilateral cooperation

UN development system and international development finance institutions have comprehensive oversight and monitoring mechanisms to ensure that the quality of the activities is safeguarded also in high-risk working environments.

Multilateral organisations’ oversight and audit activities include, among other things, systems for reporting misuse of funds and the protection of whistleblowers, risk-based audit planning and training of personnel to prevent corruption, misconduct and misuse.  The efficiency and effectiveness of development cooperation activities is assessed annually through inspections, reports and evaluations.

In the UN, the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) is responsible for the organisation's audits and internal oversight. The Office reports directly to the Executive Board of the organisation. The internal audit reports are publicly available on the websites of the specialised agencies of the UN.

In international development finance institutions, the operational integrity is supervised by independent oversight units focusing on anti-corruption work and inspections. They investigate reported cases of misuse, monitor procurement processes and issue recommendations for improvement of practices. Development banks cooperate to prevent corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing, for example by exchanging information about companies involved in the abuse of funds and by imposing joint sanctions on them.

Member States, such as Finland, monitor the use of funding and practices by participating in the work of the Executive Boards of UN funds and agencies and development finance institutions, which exercise the highest decision-making power in these organisations. In addition, the practices and responsibilities concerning the oversight and risk management of special grants awarded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are specified in detail in funding agreements. For example, Finland is committed to following donors’ jointly agreed Good Humanitarian Donorship principles, which have been approved also by the European Commission, the OECD Development Assistance Committee DAC and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

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