WHO staff become certified fraud examiners at first of its kind training

WHO has zero tolerance to cases of fraud and corruption and is committed to maintain a firm stance in responding to materialized fraud and corruption risks. Fraud and corruption harm the Organization's reputation and effective governance and hamper the achievement of its goals. To address this, WHO adopted the Policy on prevention, detection and response to fraud and corruption in 2022. The Policy builds on anti-fraud and anti-corruption practices promoted by leading international professional bodies and peer organizations, particularly within the United Nations (UN) system. Maintaining an up-to-date anti-fraud and anti-corruption framework, WHO provides assurance to its Member States, donors and the public that integrity and accountability lie at the core of all its activities.

Since the publication of the Policy, about 200 anti-fraud and anti-corruption (AFAC) ambassadors have been certified to bring the training to staff and non-staff in the field. To elevate these efforts, a first-of-its-kind WHO training and certification course was held in September 2024 in the WHO African Region. Hosted in collaboration with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) in Kenya, it involved 30 WHO staff from across the WHO African, Eastern Mediterranean and European Regions and headquarters. This WHO-ACFE training and certification course was organized by WHO's Office of Compliance Risk Management and Ethics (HQ/CRE) at headquarters in coordination with the Global Management Cluster/Compliance Risk Management and Assurance Unit in the WHO Regional Office for Africa.

WHO staff previously certified as fraud examiners shared with participants their personal experience and the benefit of the certification for both staff and the Organization. The participants will also have an opportunity to join a global network of fraud examiners in which innovative tools, processes and best-in-class practices are shared. Attending the on-site sessions of certification for fraud examiners has been particularly valuable, as it provides a clear direction for participants on where to focus in the future. Once certified, these key WHO staff will be able to implement comprehensive strategies for deterrence, detecting and responding to fraudulent and corrupt activities. They all agreed that the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) has proven to be an exceptional resource, broadening their understanding of new scams and trends in fraud detection.

Collaboration across agencies and WHO levels

The course was opened by the WHO Head of Country Office for Kenya, Dr Abdourahmane Diallo; Regional Office for Africa Global Management Cluster Director Mr Kambou Fofana; and senior experts from the Regional Office for Africa and headquarters compliance and risk management teams. Speaking on the importance of this certification to the WHO Investment Case and WHO's transformation, Dr Diallo said, "Given the multifaceted operational environments within which we implement our programmes, staff undertaking the training to become certified fraud examiners further facilitate and increase footprint of professionals working to ensure WHO effectively mitigates and responds to any incident of risk of fraud and corruption."

The course was also opened in the presence of Mr Bert Ubamadu, Deputy Mission Director, Kenya and East Africa, United States International Development Agency (USAID). He welcomed wholeheartedly WHO's commitment to empowering and training staff to prevent, detect and respond to risks of fraud and corruption. "Any dollar lost through fraud and corruption represents the death of a beneficiary due to a crucial cause that could not be covered," he said. "This therefore requires our collective response from us as partner to WHO and from WHO to the beneficiaries through our national counterparts to ensure we reach our health outcomes."

Participant reactions

Ms Betty-divine Itangishaka, Risk and Compliance Officer at the Regional Office for Africa

"It helped me learn more about fraud prevention, detection and reporting. I will use the knowledge gained from the course when advising internal WHO teams how to strengthen their systems and controls to better prevent against fraud. If effectively implemented, prevention plays a vital role in combatting fraud in any organization. As a result, concerted efforts by experts in headquarters and the Regional Office for Africa bear fruits in producing anti-fraud champions in WHO - and I am proud to be one of them!"

Nasir Abdi Hirsi, Procurement Officer in the WHO Somalia Country office

"Here are some key benefits from the course: it has equipped me with the knowledge, expertise and skills necessary to protect and enhance the financial integrity of our budget centre. By applying these skills, we can ensure that our resources are used effectively and ethically, fostering a culture of accountability and trust."

Mr Anthony Haruna Ahmed, Administrative Officer in the WHO Regional Office for Europe

"I always need to embed a transparent, fraud-free attitude in my daily activities. I am particularly thrilled by the practical step-by-step procedures on how to access internal controls and the need to strengthen prevention over detection, together with the unquantifiable value to an organization of an effective internal control system. This will be particularly useful to me and my team. I gained useful knowledge on how to detect and conduct fraud investigation and analyse cases of other financial crimes which can be used during litigation. I would recommend the training to all finance professionals."

Mr Esayas Ande, Operations Officer at the WHO Country Office in Zambia

"I now feel more confident in my ability to safeguard my budget centre resources and reputations. Additionally, the knowledge gained will allow me to provide informed advice on potential risks and recommend mitigating controls for our budget centre's activities. This helps me to contribute effectively as a member of the Compliance, Risk Management and Ethics Committee. It has also helped me sharpen my expertise and engage with peers."

Mrs Olga Fradkina, Programme Officer at WHO headquarters (also an AFAC ambassador)

"ACFE's global approach to fraud detection and prevention aligns very well with my WHO experience at the country, regional and global levels. Being part of the ACFE gives me access to a global network of professionals and continuous resources, like tools and databases, that can assist in ongoing fraud prevention efforts. Since investigations are under the Office of Internal Oversight mandate, my role in capitalizing on the training outcomes will be in proactively managing fraud risk and strengthening internal controls in my department and suggesting further improvements to mitigate risks."

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