Appointment of COA commissioner to UN body OK’d

MANILA, Philippines - The United Nations General Assembly unanimously approved yesterday the appointment of Commission on Audit Commissioner Heidi Mendoza as Under-Secretary General of the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).

Mendoza is the first Filipino to be appointed by UN chief Ban Ki-Moon to the UN body.

Ambassador Lourdes Yparraguirre, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the UN, welcomed the appointment of Mendoza and thanked the UN regional groups for their endorsement and the member states for their affirmation of the appointment. 

“It is a great honor for the Philippines that a highly-qualified woman from the developing world was chosen to serve in a senior position in the UN,” Yparraguirre said.

The United States and the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden hailed the appointment of Mendoza to the UN body.

Speaking on behalf of the United States, Ambassador Isobel Coleman, Ambassador for UN Management and Reform, said they “look forward to working with Mendoza and are committed to ensuring a strong OIOS to carry out robust audits and effective investigations to ferret out waste, fraud and corruption.” 

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario hailed the appointment of Mendoza as UN Under-Secretary General.

Mendoza is expected to begin her term on Nov. 15. Based on UN rules, her appointment is for a fixed term of five years without renewal.