The Secretariat operates in an accountable, transparent, compliant and risk management-driven manner including through organizational learning and a culture of evaluation The Secretariat will continue to work towards a stronger culture of accountability, aiming to achieve best-in-class status for its accountability functions, including by implementing best practice policies and procedures that support robust tracking, monitoring, efficiency and transparency of all core business integrity operations, and by strengthening the relevant dimensions of WHO?s accountability and internal control frameworks.
The Secretariat will continue to strengthen, promote and foster ethical principles as the basis of the work of WHO, improving its adherence to internal controls and its compliance with the regulatory framework, while also, in accordance with risk appetite, identifying and mitigating risks to the Organization?s objectives and mandate that could affect the Secretariat?s performance. Emphasis will be placed on the prevention of fraud and corruption risks, the strengthening of systems to protect against abusive conduct (i.e. harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination and abuse of authority), and the creation of a safe working environment that ensures that misconduct is readily reported without fear of retaliation.
The Secretariat will continue to strengthen its ethical framework through the implementation of the new policy on preventing and addressing abusive conduct, and by its staff-friendly automatic process for declarations of interest.
The Secretariat will continue to conduct due diligence and risk assessments in accordance with the Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors, further strengthening the capacity of staff members to engage more while managing risks.
The Secretariat will build a robust and ?smart? compliance strategy, whereby effective controls are established and monitored in a harmonized way across the three levels of the Organization in order to mitigate risks without hampering the delivery of results. This will include enhancing detection procedures by leveraging technology and data systems to enhance the dynamic monitoring and strengthening of compliance, country programme management and administrative reviews, or other assurance activities aimed at identifying best practices and areas for improvement.
The Secretariat will continue to enhance its capacity for audits and investigations, including the capacity to respond to audit observations at the country level, particularly in country offices based in challenging operating environments. It will continue to conduct advisory reviews and assessments of WHO country offices, technical units at headquarters and in regional offices and cross-cutting areas of shared concerns, with the aim of improving the effectiveness of the processes that regulate risk management, control and governance. In the context of the investigation of allegations of suspected misconduct, the IOS will implement revised policies and procedures to reflect best-in-class practices and strengthen resources to improve the timeliness of the processing of cases and justice for those involved. Strengthened leadership, governance and advocacy for health