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There were too many trips to Paris. And that did not help save the environment.
This is one of the conclusions of an internal audit that resulted in the resignation on Tuesday of Norwegian diplomat Erik Solheim, former head of his program at the helm of the United Nations Environment Program. The investigation, conducted by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services, criticized the Environmental Protection Agency for its "culture of insufficient compliance with internal controls and existing rules" on the use of technologies. some information. public funds.
Mr Solheim said in a statement that he had decided "with a heavy heart" to withdraw after receiving the final audit results on Saturday. He admitted to having committed no wrongdoing and, in a statement, stated that he remained "determined to do what I consider to be in the best interests of United States Environment and the Mission." for which we are here. "
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, without mentioning the audit, said Tuesday he had accepted the resignation of Mr. Solheim. In a statement later in the day, Guterres described Solheim as "a key player in bringing the world's attention to critical environmental challenges."
The careful examination of Mr. Solheim and his travel expenses took place at a time when the resources of the global body were being reduced, to the point that some donors of the environmental program have decided to withhold funds pending the results of the final audit.
The audit, which was seen by The Times, revealed "an uneconomical route of flight routes, opting for more expensive airlines, and implementing telework arrangements not falling under the existing policy of flexibility work". office.
The question in particular was his frequent trips to Paris and Oslo. The audit revealed that Mr. Solheim, qualified as a "senior executive" in the audit, had spent 79% of his time away from the agency's headquarters in Nairobi and had incurred $ 488,519 in travel expenses over a period of time. 22 months.
According to the audit, He selected flight routes that unnecessarily passed through Oslo and Paris and did not report on what he had done in those cities for a total of 72 days. The audit revealed that the travel arrangements were "non-economic" and contravened the UN travel rules.
"The audit revealed that" most trips redirected to both cities were made before or during weekends or holidays. " The audit revealed that immediately after taking office in July 2016, Mr. Solheim had gone to Paris for a one-day meeting, but had stayed for a month, counting nine days as annual leave. He then toured six cities in North and South America. His travel expenses for the entire trip exceeded $ 14,000.
Separately, he traveled through Oslo to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, just two hours from Nairobi. On another occasion, he traveled to Paris between two meetings in Washington and New York. He reimbursed $ 7,022 for travel expenses to the world body after an internal investigation into this trip.
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