The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Ethics
Report allegations of misconduct
UNOPS takes all reports of alleged misconduct seriously. The Internal Audit and Investigations Group (IAIG) has sole responsibility for conducting investigations into misconduct within UNOPS. IAIG is the principal channel to receive allegations of fraud and corruption.
At UNOPS, upholding high ethical standards and acting with integrity guides everything we do – from the policies we implement to the projects we support to the communities we serve.
Our commitment to meeting the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity is fundamental to ensure we successfully deliver on our mission.
Guided by the Charter of the United Nations, we uphold the principles of independence and impartiality at all times. We proactively think about ethical issues across all areas of our work and expect all individuals working with UNOPS to report misconduct if they see something that is not right.
UNOPS Ethics Office
The role of the Ethics Office is to foster and nurture a culture of ethics, integrity and accountability at UNOPS. We do this to support our colleagues to deliver on our mission to build a more sustainable future and support communities around the world.
UNOPS Ethics Office is independent and impartial, maintaining confidentiality at all times.
We give confidential advice to both management and personnel about ethical issues which arise and how to manage them.
The Ethics Office supports UNOPS personnel around the world by:
Developing standards and supporting training and capacity building
Providing confidential advice and guidance to personnel
Protecting personnel against retaliation for reporting misconduct (OI.Ethics.2022.01 Protection against retaliation)
Administering the Financial Disclosure and Conflict of Interest Programme
Providing guidance to management to ensure that our policies, procedures and practices are aligned with and reinforce the standards of integrity called for under the Charter of the United Nations
Protection against retaliation
When reporting misconduct, all personnel have a right to protection against retaliation. UNOPS has zero-tolerance for retaliation and the Ethics Office takes its mandate to protect those who report allegations of misconduct seriously.
Retaliation discourages individuals from reporting when they report potential misconduct or unsafe acts and is a serious breach of our ethical standards. All personnel, on all contract modalities, are entitled to protection against retaliation.
Individuals who believe they may be experiencing retaliation can make a request for protection against retaliation with the Ethics Office through this form.
Speak with, speak out, speak up
All UNOPS personnel are expected to act in accordance with the UNOPS Code of Ethics, based on UNOPS Regulations, Rules and policies as well as the Standards of Conduct for the International Civil Service.
Where these standards are breached by UNOPS personnel, UNOPS seeks to address the matter, emphasizing transparency, accountability and de-escalation.
The Integrity Portal provides further information on available channels and support resources, UNOPS internal justice system and forms to report allegations of misconduct.
Key UNOPS documents related to the Ethics Office mandates are:
Human Resources, Ethics and Culture Operational Directive
Protection against retaliation Operational Instruction
Outside Activities Operation Instruction
Financial Disclosure Operational Instruction
Ethical standards of UNOPS suppliers
UNOPS requires its suppliers to adhere to the highest ethical standards, both during the bidding process and throughout the execution of a contract. UNOPS has a zero tolerance policy towards unethical behavior and corrupt practices, including bribery, extortion or coercion, fraud and collusion.
