The UNOPS Sustainable Infrastructure Investments and Innovation (S3i) Chief Executive is currently on administrative leave due to an investigation into possible misconduct. We are unable to comment on this ongoing process for legal reasons.

UNOPS accepts there are current challenges with the S3i initiative, including outstanding payments by S3i partners as reported by UNOPS to the UN Board of Auditors.

We take this situation very seriously and are taking all appropriate actions to address the issue. Full details are a matter of public record and available in the records of our governance and oversight bodies.

Note to editors

Administrative leave is a temporary measure. This decision taken by the UNOPS Executive Director is a precautionary step in order to allow an administrative process to be conducted fairly and in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations. It does not constitute a disciplinary measure.

The S3i initiative is separate from UNOPS regular project activities and decisions on S3i by the UNOPS Executive Board since 2015 can be found here: 2015/12, 2016/12, 2016/19, 2017/16, 2017/26, 2019/12, 2020/8, 2020/20, 2021/10, 2021/20, 2021/21, 2022/1 and 2022/5, alongside UN Board of Auditors’ reports: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020

No further comments will be provided at this time as this could influence and jeopardise the integrity of due process.