Independent Audit Advisory Committee Holds Seventy-First Session, 2-5 December

The Independent Audit Advisory Committee of the United Nations held its seventy-second session from 2 to 5 December, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. All the members of the Committee, namely: Anton Kosyanenko, Chair; Suresh R. Sharma, Vice-Chair; Dorothy Bradley, Jeanette Franzel and Eric Osae were in attendance.

The Committee's seventy-second session was highlighted by the successful tenth meeting of the representative of the United Nations System Oversight Advisory Committees. The meeting was chaired by Anton Kosyanenko, Chair, Independent Audit Advisory Committee, with Rakesh Nangia, Chair, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Audit and Evaluation Advisory Committee as Co-Chair. In attendance were the Chairs and/or representatives of 23 United Nations entities' audit and oversight committees. The meeting included a robust exchange of information on good practices and strategic visions for future audit advisory and oversight within the United Nations system.

In addition, the Independent Audit Advisory Committee held meetings with:

• Catherine Pollard, Under-Secretary General of Department of Management, Strategy, Policy and Compliance, on various issues including the impact of UN80 and the challenges posed by the current financial situation.
• Fatoumata Ndiaye, Under-Secretary-General for the United Nations Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), and her senior managers, primarily on the OIOS workplan on peacekeeping operations for 2025/2026 and programme and budget proposal for oversight of peacekeeping operations for 2026/27.
• Chandramouli Ramanathan, Controller and Assistant Secretary-General, on OIOS's proposed budget for the support account for the period 2026/27 and risks posed by the current financial situation and the impact of the UN80 initiative.
• Shireen L. Dodson, UN Ombudsman and Assistant Secretary-General, on the increasing importance of informal resolution mechanisms in the broader oversight landscape.
• Juraj Strasser and Kim Xuan Nguyen, Director and Deputy Director of the United Nations Ethics Office, on its annual workplan and the effectiveness of the protection against retaliation programme.

The Independent Audit Advisory Committee unanimously elected Suresh Raj Sharma as the Chair, and Jeanette Franzel as the Vice-Chair for 2026.

The next (seventy-third) session of the Independent Audit Advisory Committee is scheduled for 18-20 February 2026 in New York.

For further information on the work of the Independent Audit Advisory Committee, please visit the Committee's website at: www.un.org/ga/iaac; or contact the Committee's Executive Secretary, Moses Bamuwamye, at e-mail: [email protected], or tel.: +1 212 963 0788.