Independent External Oversight Advisory Committee August 2021
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UNAIDS seeks several candidates of high merit, integrity and professionalism to constitute their first Independent External Oversight Advisory Committee (IEOAC). Members of the IEOAC will bring high level expertise in key oversight functions spanning external and internal audit, risk management and internal controls, financial regulations, compliance, performance and ethics and fully adhere to UNAIDs objectives to mobilise all efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. UNAIDS is committed to securing gender parity and diverse regional representation in the Committee.
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The Independent External Oversight Advisory Committee (IEOAC) will serve an essential role in the effective governance of the Joint Programme. It will support the Programme Coordinating Board in its oversight role in ensuring that UNAIDS is fit-for-purpose to lead efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The IEOAC will support the Board and the Joint Programme to be the best stewards of the resources entrusted to us. It will facilitate an environment where staff are safe, empowered, and their skills and expertise are put to the best use and make the biggest difference for the AIDS response. I welcome the opportunity, along with the Programme Coordinating Board, to work closely with the experts of the IEOAC. Winnie Byanyima UNAIDS Executive Director
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ABOUT UNAIDS UNAIDS is leading the global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Since the first cases of HIV were reported more than 35 years ago, 78 million people have become infected with HIV and 35 million have died from AIDS-related illnesses. Since it started operations in 1996, UNAIDS has led and inspired global, regional, national and local leadership, innovation and partnership to ultimately consign HIV to history. UNAIDS is a problem-solver. It places people living with HIV and people affected by the virus at the decision-making table and at the centre of designing, delivering and monitoring the AIDS response. It charts paths for countries and communities to get on the Fast-Track to ending AIDS and is a bold advocate for addressing the legal and policy barriers to the AIDS response. UNAIDS provides the strategic direction, advocacy, coordination and technical support needed to catalyse and connect leadership from governments, the private sector and communities to deliver life-saving HIV services. Without UNAIDS, there would be no strategic vision for the AIDS response. UNAIDS generates strategic information and analysis that increases the understanding of the state of the AIDS epidemic and progress made at the local, national, regional and global levels. It leads the world’s most extensive data collection on HIV epidemiology, programme coverage and finance and publishes the most authoritative and up-to-date information on the HIV epidemic—vital for an effective AIDS response. UNAIDS produces data for impact—no major report, speech or policy initiative on HIV has been launched or made without referring to data collected and released by UNAIDS. UNAIDS is a model for United Nations reform and is the only cosponsored Joint Programme in the United Nations system. It draws on the experience and expertise of 11 United Nations system Cosponsors and is the only United Nations entity with civil society represented on its governing body.
UNAIDS has helped to position, shape and scale up the response to HIV like no other organization, encouraging dialogue and bringing in communities that have been left out of decision-making. Without UNAIDS, the human rights of people living with HIV would have been held back and the voice of civil society would be heard far less often. UNAIDS has transformed policy. UNAIDS has shaped public policy on HIV at the global, regional and national levels. It has mobilized investment for sound national policy using evidence, experience and political advocacy, built health and community systems, established legal frameworks and shaped public opinion towards creating healthy and resilient societies. The UNAIDS Secretariat has offices in 70 countries, with 70% of its staff based in the field, and has a budget of US$ 140 million for 2018. The budget for the Joint Programme for 2018 is US$ 242 million. Since 1996 UNAIDS has led and inspired global, regional, national and local leadership, innovation and partnership to ultimately consign HIV to history. UNAIDS is a problem-solver. It places people living with HIV and people affected by the virus at the decision-making table and at the centre of designing, delivering and monitoring the AIDS response. It charts paths for countries and communities to get on the Fast-Track to ending AIDS and is a bold advocate for addressing the legal and policy barriers to the AIDS response. UNAIDS provides the strategic direction, advocacy, coordination and technical support needed to catalyse and connect leadership from governments, the private sector and communities to deliver life-saving HIV services. UNAIDS is the only cosponsored Joint Programme in the United Nations system. The Joint Programme is guided by its Programme Coordinating Board (PCB), a governance structure unique in its small size and its level of inclusiveness, with Member States, Cosponsors and civil society, and specifically people living with and affected by HIV, as PCB members.
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BACKGROUND In December 2020, the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) approved the creation of an independent oversight committee. The Independent External Oversight Advisory Committee (IEOAC) is an advisory body mandated to provide independent, external, expert advice to the PCB and to the UNAIDS Executive Director in fulfilling their governance and oversight responsibilities, including assessing the effectiveness of the internal control systems, risk management and governance processes of UNAIDS. The IEOAC role is to strengthen accountability and oversight within UNAIDS.
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ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES The specific responsibilities of the Independent External Oversight Advisory Committee include advising the Programme Coordinating Board and the Executive Director on: 1. the quality and the level of financial reporting, governance, risk management, and internal controls within the UNAIDS Secretariat; 2. the responses and actions taken by the UNAIDS Secretariat management on internal and external audit recommendations; 3. the independence, effectiveness and objectivity of the internal and external audit functions; and 4. the interaction and communication between the PCB, the External Auditor, the Internal Auditor, the Ethics Officer, and UNAIDS Secretariat management. The specific responsibilities of the IEOAC include advising the PCB and the Executive Director on the following: • Financial Statements and performance reporting: issues arising from the audited financial statements and performance reports produced for the PCB and their implications for UNAIDS; • Accounting: the appropriateness of accounting policies, standards and disclosure practices and any changes and risks in those; • External Audit: the scope, plan and approach of the External Auditor’s work, and follow-up on external audit recommendations • Internal Audit: the scope, plan, resources, performance of the internal audit function and the Internal Auditor, and the appropriateness of the independence of this function, and follow-up on internal audit recommendations • Risk Management and Internal Controls: the effectiveness of UNAIDS Secretariat internal control systems, including risk management and internal governance practices; • Financial regulations and rules: the operation and effectiveness of the financial regulations. • Ethics, Compliance and Investigation: the systems established by UNAIDS to maintain and promote international civil service values, and to ensure compliance with applicable norms and policies, and high standards of integrity and ethical conduct, to prevent conflicts of interest and misconduct; and the process for handling and investigating significant allegations.
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QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE Significant senior leadership experience in preferably large and complex organisations with high-level, knowledge and experience in at least one of the following areas: • Finance and audit; • Organization governance and accountability structure; • Risk management and internal control; • Ethics/anti-corruption and investigations; and • Senior-level management. Collectively, the committee will possess knowledge, skills and senior-level experience in all of the above areas. Committee members will bring: • Demonstrated knowledge and experience of the UN and/or Intergovernmental organisations. • Understanding of general legal concepts • Demonstrated ability to deliver recommendations across different levels of a multicultural organization • A track record of providing expertise in an advisory capacity to Executive level stakeholders • Previous Audit/oversight Committee experience is preferred • Excellent and synthetic communication skills in English and the ability to communicate in French would be an asset. To undertake the role effectively, members of the IEOAC should possess integrity, independent judgement, dedication and commitment to UNAIDS’ global goals and values.
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS UNAIDS is looking to fill multiple positions with the aim to enable the IEOAC to meet required geographic distribution (according to ECOSOC), gender balance, public, private and Not for profit sector experience and levels of country economic development. Members of the IEOAC should be totally independent from the UNAIDS Secretariat, the PCB, the United Nations Panel of Eternal Auditors, the Joint Inspection Unit. The appointment will be for two or three years to allow for a staggered replacement of members at the time of renewal. A Chair of the IEOAC will be sought from within the appointed candidates.
Members of the IEOAC provide their services pro bono and shall be compensated for their travel expenses related to IEOAC work. Female applicants, qualified applicants from developing countries and applicants living with HIV are especially encouraged to apply. Members of the IEOAC should be totally independent from the UNAIDS Secretariat, the PCB, the United Nations Panel of External Auditors, the Joint Inspection Unit. As a result, anyone who served in any of these instances in the past three years will not be eligible to join the IEOAC.
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HOW TO APPLY All correspondence should be via Oxford HR. To apply, proceed to click on the “Apply” button on the job advert page, complete our online application form, and submit your CV and cover letter. Please provide a CV and cover letter in two different documents, which should be prepared before applying as they will be considered in the application process. The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit. The document should be saved in MS Word in the following format: Your First Name-Your Last Name-Document Name-Date (mmyy) e.g., PatJones-CV-082021-UNAIDS or Pat-Jones-CoverLetter-082021-UNAIDS. TIMELINE Closing Date: 15th October 2021 First stage interviews: Weeks of 8th and 15th November 2021 SELECTION PROCESS All candidates will receive an update regarding their application after the closing date. We advise candidates to add the role email to their safe senders list and regularly check their spam folder. EQUALITY STATEMENT UNAIDS seeks to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and given equal opportunities to work in an inclusive environment. UNAIDS encourages all qualified candidates to apply regardless of their racial, ethnic, religious and cultural background, gender, sexual orientation or disabilities. Women are highly encouraged to apply. QUERIES If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information, or would like to have an informal discussion, please email at unaids-advisory-committee@oxfordhr. co.uk in the first instance.
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ABOUT OXFORD HR Oxford HR operates globally - mainly within the international development and charity sectors. We carry out retained executive search mandates at board and senior management levels. We also offer human resource and organisational development consultancy.
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