Ethics Office or
Ombudsman Office?
22 November 2008
The Secretary-General issued the latest information circular on
conflict resolution in the United Nations Secretariat in January
2004 (ST/IC/2004/4). Since that date, new offices have been
created, such as the Ethics Office.
However, at the moment, according to the report on the activities
of the Ombudsman (A/63/283), there is a
lack of clarity and even a degree of overlap in some mandates and
practices, which creates confusion and burdens the justice system.
The ACABQ ---the advisory committee which provides Member States
with in-depth analysis on all budgetary issues at the UN--- is
concerned about this problem. In its last report on the
administration of justice (A/63/545),
the Committee notes that, upon enquiry, it was informed that there
were 10 cases that had been dealt with jointly by the Office of
the Ombudsman and the Ethics Office. In such cases, the decision
to place a case before either office or to waive any requirements
for confidentiality is made by the staff member concerned alone.
The ACABQ report urges the Secretary-General to clarify the
respective roles and responsibilities of the Office of the
Ombudsman and the Ethics Office as a matter of priority and
recommends that the Secretary-General ensures that updated
information on conflict resolution be issued expeditiously.
Clarifying the role of the Ombudsman, the Ethics Office and any
other office involved in complaint resolution processes for both
the formal and informal systems, is a central issue in addressing
the risk of having unsettled disputes travel indefinitely from one
office to another.
Related
information:
A/63/283 Activities
of the Ombudsman : report of the Secretary-General
A/63/545 Administration
of justice. Report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and
Budgetary Questions
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