NEW UN AUDIT REVEALS MASSIVE IRREGULARITIES AT UNFPA
|
Autor: ----
|
Fuente: C-FAM (Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute)
|
According
to
its
own
audit
report
for
2002,
the
UN
Population
Fund
(UNFPA)
continues
to
exhibit
long-standing
management
deficiencies.
The
report,
written
by
UNFPA
and
released
at
last
week's
UNFPA
Executive
Board
meeting
in
New
York
City,
highlights
a
large
number
of
serious
lapses
in
both
financial
matters
and
program
oversight.
The
UNFPA
audit
team
investigated
41
UNFPA
country
offices,
and
in
almost
every
category
of
financial
management,
more
than
half
of
the
offices
were
found
to
be
deficient.
With
regard
to
general
financial
controls,
27
out
of
41
country
offices
were
either
"partially
satisfactory"
or
"deficient."
24
out
of
41
country
offices
did
not
fully
comply
with
budgeting
regulations.
In
20
out
of
41
country
offices,
funds
for
projects
had
not
been
spent
appropriately.
Of
61
office
audits
received
by
the
UNFPA
audit
team,
only
five
were
complete.
According
to
the
audit
document,
58
of
61
country
offices
did
not
seek
"solutions"
to
"adverse
findings"
in
their
own
financial
reports.
The
audit
suggests
that
there
is
no
reliable
way
to
assess
the
activities
of
UNFPA,
the
national
programs
that
it
funds,
or
the
programs
of
nongovernmental
organizations
(NGOs).
In
fact,
in
19
out
of
41
country
offices,
programs
were
initiated
without
prior
agreements
from
governments
or
NGOs
concerning
UNFPA
regulations.
Since
UNFPA
works
with
NGOs
that
perform
and
advocate
for
abortion,
there
thus
appears
to
be
no
way
to
ensure
that
UNFPA
is
not
funding
abortions
through
its
programs.
Last
year,
UNFPA
shipped
ten
million
faulty
condoms
to
Tanzania,
and
it
seems
that
quality
control
problems
remain
unresolved.
According
to
the
audit
document,
"Controls
over
inventory
were
generally
found
to
be
inadequate."
In
fact,
40
out
of
41
country
offices
did
not
manage
their
inventory
of
goods
satisfactorily.
The
audit
also
established
that
19
out
of
41
country
offices
did
not
properly
monitor
programs,
thereby
bringing
into
question
UNFPA
claims
of
program
effectiveness.
The
audit
concluded,
"The
availability,
accessibility
and
reliability
of
data
were
problematic
in
all
countries
to
varying
degrees,
limiting
the
extent
and
quality
of
analysis."
The
audit
suggests
that,
where
there
is
reliable
data,
it
does
not
support
UNFPA's
assertions
of
success.
For
instance,
"The
condition
of
the
facilities
was
also
an
obstacle
to
providing
quality
services.
In
Central
Asia,
the
majority
of
medical
facilities
did
not
have
adequate
gynaecological
equipment,
electricity
or
running
water,
and
required
major
repairs
and
refurbishing."
The
audit
also
concluded
that
the
".prevention
and
management
of
sexually
transmitted
infections
(STIs),
including
HIV/AIDS,
were
the
weakest
of
the
three
main
reproductive
health
components
in
many
countries,
although
STIs
were
rising
and
fast
becoming
one
of
the
main
public
health
problems."
When
the
audit
was
released
to
the
Executive
Board,
even
the
delegate
from
pro-UNFPA
Norway
acknowledged
that
"deficiencies
abound"
at
the
population
control
agency.
|
