United Nations Development Programme: This Is The Reality Of The Projects Of The Stabilization Program In The Liberated Areas, 25 JAN

 United Nations Development Programme: This Is The Reality Of The Projects Of The Stabilization Program In The Liberated Areas

Wednesday 24, January 2024 18:02 | Political Number of readings: 123   Baghdad / NINA / The United Nations Development Program in Iraq responded to the article recently published in the British newspaper The Guardian regarding the stabilization program for liberated areas of the United Nations Development Program in Iraq.

The official spokesman for the United Nations Development Program said in a press statement today, Wednesday, “We take all allegations seriously and investigate them expeditiously. We will take firm and appropriate measures if any of these allegations are proven true.”

He added, “The United Nations Development Program has zero tolerance for fraud and corruption, and this applies to all UNDP employees, non-UNDP employees, suppliers, implementing partners, and responsible parties, but zero tolerance does not mean there are no risks,” noting: “The program “UNDP has been transparent with donors, partners and the general public about the risks and operational challenges that have followed years of conflict in Iraq.”

He explained, “Any allegation of bribery, corruption or fraud is comprehensively evaluated and, where appropriate, investigated by the Independent Audit and Investigations Office of the United Nations Development Programme.”

He stated that: “With regard to the stabilization program for liberated areas, based on the complexity of the program and its broad scope of work, and also in accordance with best practices, the United Nations Development Program has implemented a series of additional monitoring and control measures in addition to standard protocols, which include, among other things, “establishing an operations service center.” A specialist for the stabilization program for liberated areas in 2015 to manage procurement issues and complex operational operations, including providing due diligence and oversight

. Conducting direct verification operations for projects on the ground, and providing support to third-party monitoring teams, in addition to other tasks, and the presence of an investigator from the Independent Audit and Investigations Office dedicated to monitoring this project, who is responsible for conducting investigations related to all allegations related to the stabilization program for liberated areas in a way. Comprehensive.”

He continued to say, “Project audits were conducted every year for the period 2019-2022, and these audits included projects at a cost amounting to more than one billion US dollars from the financial allocations allocated to the projects of the Stabilization Program for the liberated areas, and the Independent Audit and Investigations Office also carried out “We will comprehensively audit country office operations in 2023.”

He stressed, “All audits of the Independent Audit and Investigation Office are available to all citizens on its website, and in this regard, the Independent Audit and Investigation Office has dealt, over the past eight years, with more than 130 cases related to the work of the Stabilization Program for the liberated areas, and these cases or cases were submitted.” “By our employees and third parties, from external oversight bodies to the Independent Audit and Investigations Office, the UNDP administration took swift action in response.”

He went on to say: “In our work in Iraq within the stabilization program for liberated areas, we have a strict set of procedures to manage the risks that accompany working in such a difficult environment. We continue to strengthen these procedures in close cooperation with independent evaluation and investigation offices.”

Regarding the stabilization program for the liberated areas, he explained that: “In 2015, at the request of the Government of Iraq and with the assistance of the international donor community, the United Nations Development Program in Iraq established the Stabilization Program for the Liberated Areas to implement a program characterized by steady and accelerated steps to carry out reconstruction activities that provided benefit.” To millions of Iraqi citizens so far.”

He added, “The program has enabled the return of nearly five million displaced Iraqis out of six million, who would have remained stuck in displacement camps for many years had it not been for these purposeful projects. Through the completion of more than 3,600 projects, the Iraqi communities in which they live have become About 8.3 million people are now able to obtain basic services that have been rebuilt or rehabilitated, including schools, hospitals, water and electricity networks, housing, and roads.”/End 5   https://ninanews.com/Website/News/Details?key=1102926