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GAP Applauds UN Secretary General’s Selection of Oversight Official

(WASHINGTON) – The Government Accountability Project applauds the nomination by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon of Ms. Heidi Mendoza of the Philippines as the Undersecretary General for the Office of Internal Oversight Services at the United Nations. Ms. Mendoza joins the UN with impressive credentials as an investigator, auditor and evaluator.  She has over twenty years of experience in public service in the Philippines, as well as in international organizations. In addition, her academic qualifications are outstanding; she holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from University of the Philippines-Diliman and a second master’s degree in National Security Administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines.

Bea Edwards, GAP’s International Program Director, Stated:

“GAP is extremely encouraged to see that a good friend of whistleblowers around the world has been selected to head internal oversight at the United Nations. The infrastructure is in place to make the secretariat responsive to whistleblowers, but leadership on this issue is essential.”

In 2012, Ms. Mendoza joined the Commission on Audit of the Philippines, where she gained a reputation as a fearless oversight official who would not be intimidated in the face of threats or harassment from powerful people.  She will be an essential asset at the United Nations, where OIOS has been plagued with turmoil in recent years. Ms. Mendoza succeeds Carman Lapointe, who departed the UN in September.

Once the UN General Assembly approves Ms. Mendoza’s nomination, her five-year term as USG for OIOS will begin.

 

Government Accountability Project

The Government Accountability Project is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, GAP’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability. Founded in 1977, GAP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. GAP was consulted by U.N. management when the organization created its initial protection against retaliation policy and has advised several staff associations within the U.N. system about whistleblower protections.

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Author:
Staff