Whom to write to?
The Office of Evaluation and Internal Oversight's Internal Oversight Division (IOD) centralizes all reports of alleged wrongdoings. You may address a complaint directly to IOD (c.f. contact details below) or through relevant UNIDO officials, depending on the situation (e.g. Director, Human Resource Management Branch, UNIDO Representative, Project Manager, line supervisor). Please note that alleged retaliation for cooperating with IOD should be reported to the Focal Point for Ethics and Accountability. In addition, complaints against IOD staff should be directed to the Focal Point for Ethics and Accountability or the Director General.
All complaints will be registered in IOD’s intake register for tracking until resolution.
What to write?
Whichever route you choose to provide information, please review your submission to ensure that it contains all the information that you have, and in particular that it includes, to the extent possible, all of the following:
§ Who is engaged? Provide name, title, contact details of all persons who you think are engaged in committing the wrongdoing.
§ What UNIDO project or operation is concerned? If you can, please include name of relevant UNIDO project, office, etc.
§ What happened? Describe the events as precisely as possible.
§ When did it happen? Dates, time, how many times, etc.
§ Where did it happen? Include not only the city and country, but if possible an actual address, the name of the building, the office number, etc.
§ Why were the disputed actions undertaken?
Please share any specific evidence (e.g. documentation, witnesses) that you are aware of or have at your disposal.
Can I remain anonymous?
Allegations may be made anonymously. If you prefer to remain anonymous, IOD will respect your wish not to give your name. It should be noted that anonymous allegations are often more difficult to pursue as there may be no way to clarify the information provided or ask questions.
If you choose to remain anonymous, please consider providing a means for IOD to contact you if further information or clarification is needed. For example, using a free web-based e-mail address (e.g. yahoo or gmail) with a pseudonym (assumed name or alias) will allow you to retain your anonymity.
What will happen?
In all cases, UNIDO will acknowledge receipt, evaluate your complaint and do its best to examine the information you provided.
After analysis, and if appropriate, wrongdoing allegations will be investigated to determine whether wrongdoing has occurred and to identify individuals or entities responsible for it.
In case of grievances regarding adverse environmental and social impacts, IOD will route the complaint to the UNIDO Compliance Officer, for preliminary screening and identification of the nature of the complaint. Depending on the nature of the complaint, the Compliance Officer will refer the matter as follows:
(i) The Compliance Officer refers perceived non-compliance with UNIDO regulations, rules, policies or procedures (“Type 1 complaint”) to IOD and works closely with IOD to ensure that allegations are evaluated and investigated promptly.
(ii) The Compliance Officer refers disputes related to appropriate design and implementation of projects which are in compliance with UNIDO regulations, rules, policies or procedures (“Type 2 complaint”) to the UNIDO Grievance Panel, which is set up to conduct preliminary evaluations and propose technical solutions. The Compliance Officer works closely with the Grievance Panel, which may refer a complaint to IOD if, during its work, it finds reason to suspect that a breach of UNIDO regulations, rules, policies or procedures may have occurred.
(iii) The Compliance Officer may refer a combination of Type 1 and Type 2 complaints to both IOD and the Grievance Panel. In such case, the Compliance Officer will clearly define the respective scope of work of the two bodies and ensure appropriate information flow and coordination.
If an allegation does not fall within its mandate, IOD will refer the report of wrongdoing to the relevant office.
Contact Information
UNIDO hotline system: UNIDO’s Online Reporting Tool will guide you in submitting your report directly to IOD.
As an alternative, you may also report to IOD as follow：
Email: oversight-hotline@unido.org
Phone: +43 1 26026 3666 (24 hour voicemail system)
Confidential fax: +43 1 26026 6831
By letter or in person:
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Internal Oversight Division (IOD) – Room D2156
Vienna International Center Wagramer Strasse 5
1400 Vienna, Austria
All mails should be marked "Personal and Confidential".
UNIDO’s Focal Point for Ethics and Accountability (only for allegations of retaliation or complaints against IOD staff)
Email: Ethics@unido.org
By letter or in person:
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Focal Point for Ethics and Accountability – Room D2276
Vienna International Center Wagramer Strasse 5
1400 Vienna, Austria