Head of International Organizations and Conferences Department Meets Senior Advisor for UNDP Administrator

The acting head of the International Organizations and Conferences Department Dr. Fadhil Alrahim, received Ms. Sharon Kinsley, head of the delegation assigned by the UNDP Administrator to visit Iraq, for the purpose of reviewing and auditing the work mechanisms of the United Nations Development Program in Iraq, following a report published by the British newspaper The Guardian, in which it claimed that there were cases of financial and administrative corruption in a number of projects implemented by UNDP in Iraq since 2015, as part of the “Funding Facility for Stabilization” programme

During the meeting, they reviewed initial results reached by the assessment and audit team that visited Iraq from 6-16 February 2024, for the purpose of verifying the integrity of the work mechanisms of the United Nations Development Program in Iraq, as Dr. Alrahim indicated that the Iraqi government, while its appreciating the support provided by the international organizations to the program “Funding Facility for Stabilization”, they are following with great concern the investigations conducted by the United Nations agencies concerned with combating corruption, calling on those agencies to cooperate and coordinate with the Iraqi Integrity Commission, which has started to conduct similar investigations to detect any corruption in the projects of the UNDP, noting that Iraq reserves the right to take legal action against those involved in corruption cases if proven.

On her part, Ms. Kinsley clarified that the duties of the delegation she heads were limited to reviewing and auditing the integrity of the work mechanisms of the UNDP, and the United Nations Office of Audit and Investigations OAI, is concerned with conducting a comprehensive investigations into the allegations of the British newspaper, expressing her thanks to the Iraqi government for providing the necessary facilities for the UN delegation to accomplish its duties, noting that the delegation has completed collecting initial information about the program’s work mechanisms, the suspicions raised by the British newspaper The Guardian, and that it will submit its report to the Administrator of the United Nations Development Program before the end of February.