Communications

The Office of the Inspector General implements a comprehensive communications strategy that, as stated in its charter, “ensure(s) its activities raise awareness of identified risks in Global Fund programs”.

There are five objectives for the Office of the Inspector General’s communications:

  • To ensure the right people know about the risks facing Global Fund-supported programs
  • To foster a culture of full transparency and accountability
  • To engage with key stakeholders and put in place necessary safeguards
  • To ensure its core products have maximum impact
  • To establish the best channels of communications for both publishing findings and encouraging whistle-blowers to speak out

The Office of the Inspector General reports on all its activities in the interests of full disclosure, accountability and transparency. All its reports are published in full.

Core Products

The Office of the Inspector General communicates its finding through four core products:

  • Audit reports
  • Investigations reports
  • Advisory reports
  • Board reports

Audit and investigation reports consist of key information arising from assurance and investigative work. They include corrective actions agreed with the Secretariat to improve Global Fund processes and systems. These actions are then tracked monthly with the Global Fund’s Management Executive Committee.

Audit reports include a four point rating system:

Rating Description
Effective No issues or few minor issues noted. Internal controls, governance and risk management processes are adequately designed, consistently well implemented, and effective to provide reasonable assurance that the objectives will be met.
Partially effective Moderate issues noted. Internal controls, governance and risk management practices are adequately designed, generally well implemented, but one or a limited number of issues were identified that may present a moderate risk to the achievement of the objectives.
Needs significant improvement One or few significant issues noted. Internal controls, governance and risk management practices have some weaknesses in design or operating effectiveness such that, until they are addressed, there is not yet reasonable assurance that the objectives are likely to be met.
Ineffective Multiple significant and/or (a) material issue(s) noted. Internal controls, governance and risk management processes are not adequately designed and/or are not generally effective. The nature of these issues is such that the achievement of objectives is seriously compromised.

Stakeholders

The Office of the Inspector General maps out key engagements and interactions with the Global Fund’s main stakeholders during the audit and investigative process. These engagements and interactions are captured in the stakeholder engagement models available for download below. These models are designed to ensure the right people know about the risks facing Global Fund-financed programs and the necessary safeguards are in place before publication of any Office of the Inspector General report.

Policies and Professional Standards

The activities of the Office of the Inspector General conform to the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing of the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Uniform Guidelines for Investigations of the Conference of International Investigators. The Office of the Inspector General’s activities are reviewed on a regular basis by an external quality assurance provider to ensure that the highest standards are maintained.