VOLUNTARY PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE AND DECLARATION OF INTEREST STATEMENTS
"Because I believe in leadership from the top, I have made complete, public disclosure of my assets -- in a way that no SG has done before. I have been loud and clear about honesty: our UN will not tolerate corruption or abuse of power."
Secretary-General's remarks to UN Senior Officials at Turin Retreat, Italy (Friday, 31 August 2007)
The UN Ethics Office is mandated to administer the financial disclosure programme in accordance with the Secretary-General's bulletin on financial disclosure and declaration of interest statements (ST/SGB/2006/6), which came into force on 01 May 2006.
The primary purpose of the UN financial disclosure programme is to ensure that potential conflicts of interest arising from staff members' financial holdings, private affiliations or outside activities can be identified, and advice provided as to how best to manage any potential conflicts of interests in the best interests of the UN.
Staff members are required to complete and submit their confidential financial disclosure or declaration of interest statement on an annual basis (every March) in respect of the previous calendar year. The following categories of staff are required to participate in the programme:
- All staff members at Director level (or L/6) and above;
- All staff members who are procurement officers, or whose principal duties are the procurement of goods and services for the UN;
- All staff members whose principal duties relate to the investment of the assets of the UN, the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund or of any accounts for which the UN has fiduciary or custodial responsibility;
- All staff members who have direct access to confidential procurement or investment information; and,
- All staff members of the Ethics Office.
Since taking office in 2007, Secretary-General Ban-Ki moon has made public his annual financial disclosure statements following their submission and review (please click here for more). The Secretary-General has also encouraged his senior officials (at the grade of Under Secretary-General [USG] and Assistant Secretary-General [ASG]) to follow his lead and make public, on a voluntary basis, their confidential financial disclosure or declaration of interest statements.
Public disclosure is not a requirement of the UN Financial Disclosure Programme and is done so on a voluntary basis. Both Staff Regulation 1.2 (n), as amended by GA Resolution A/RES/60/238, andST/SGB/2006/6 Section 8 state that the statements shall remain confidential and may only be used by other parties with the authority of the Secretary-General.
However, public disclosure is considered to be an important voluntary initiative as it demonstrates that UN staff members understand the importance of the general public and UN Member States being assured that, in the discharge of their official duties and responsibilities, staff members will not be influenced by any consideration associated with his/her private interests.
Please note that given the multi-cultural environment of the UN and the often security sensitive locations where UN staff are either working or come from, full public disclosure may not always be a viable or sensible option for certain staff members.
For more detailed information on the 'Policy on Voluntary Public Disclosure by UN staff members' and the principles applied therein, please click here.
To view the public disclosure statements of the current UN Senior Officials, please click on the relevant year below: