Mandate

The mandate of the Office of the Inspector General is found in articles 116 to 121 of the General Standards to Govern the Operations of the General Secretariat

GENERAL STANDARDS TO GOVERN THE OPERATIONS OF THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT
CHAPTER VIII
EVALUATION AND CONTROL OF FINANCIAL AND BUDGETARY MANAGEMENT

Article 116. Evaluation by the General Secretariat.  The Secretary General is responsible for establishing a formal evaluation system for the programs, services, and activities of the OAS.  < /br> Before April 1 of each year, the General Secretariat shall present reports on these evaluations to the Councils, as well as to units, and other dependencies as it sees fit. The recipients of these reports shall present their comments and suggestions so that these may be taken into account in the preparation of the proposed program-budget for the following year. < /br> The Secretary General shall present to the Permanent Council, before the end of each year, a plan of activities for inspection, audit, and review of the activity programs of the Organization for the next two years, in accordance with these General Standards, and shall update it annually. The Permanent Council may request the inclusion of specific inspections or audits, once it reviews the plan.

 

GENERAL STANDARDS TO GOVERN THE OPERATIONS OF THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT
CHAPTER IX
ADVISORY SERVICES, AUDITING, AND FISCAL CONTROL

Article 117. Internal Audit.  The Secretary General shall establish appropriate internal auditing procedures to verify compliance with standards and regulations in force, especially, through systematic and selective examination of official transactions and operational procedures related to the resources administered by the General Secretariat.  To that end, he shall issue an Executive Order regulating such activities.
The Office of the Inspector General shall be the dependency responsible for applying these procedures and exercising the aforementioned functions.

Article 118. The Inspector General.  The Inspector General is responsible for carrying out the audit and inspection functions mentioned above.  To that end, he shall enjoy the freedom of action needed to initiate, perform, and report on the audits, inspections, and evaluations required to ensure the correct use and administration of the Organization's resources and to safeguard its assets.
The Inspector General should have the ideal character, skills, and experience necessary to fulfill these functions, based on integrity and proven ability in one or more of the following disciplines: accounting, auditing, financial analysis, law, management skills, public administration, or investigation.
The Secretary General shall submit names of candidates for the post of Inspector General, including those proposed by the members of the Permanent Council, to the Board of External Auditors for an opinion as to their qualifications. The Secretary General shall select the Inspector General from among those candidates certified as qualified by the Board of External Auditors.

Article 119. Audit Reports.  The Secretary General shall instruct the Inspector General to present reports on the evaluations, audits, and investigations he carries out and then submit a list of these activities to the Permanent Council.  The reports could be made available to the Permanent Council.
The Inspector General's reports shall be presented quarterly and annually, with particular emphasis on the proposals made by the Board of External Auditors and on the adequacy of the resources allocated to auditing and inspection functions.
In special situations called to the attention of the Inspector General by the Permanent Council, the Secretary General shall instruct the Inspector General to inform the Council of the outcome of its request.

Article 120. Obligation to Act.  The Secretary General shall have thirty days in which to respond to the Inspector General's reports or to take steps to ensure compliance with his recommendations.  If no observations are put forward within that period of time, the Inspector General shall assume that his report has been accepted and shall proceed to request implementation of his recommendations.

Article 121. Meetings.  The Inspector General shall meet as necessary with the CAAP and with  CEPCIDI, as appropriate, in order to exchange information and views on matters that fall within their purview.

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