“At the Regional Service Centre Entebbe (RSCE), we are committed to fostering a culture of integrity by protecting our resources—our Centre and our people—from fraud.” Said Elise Metougue, Chief of Legal, Audit Response and Risk Management Unit at the Centre during a town hall to mark the start of the International Fraud Awareness Week.

This year, the week is celebrated under the theme “Strengthening Integrity: Protecting Careers and Preventing Fraud” from 11-15 November. The RSCE will be spotlighting fraud prevention, with activities aimed at educating personnel on how to protect RSCE, its staff, and the United Nations from fraud.

The UN has a zero-tolerance policy for fraud and corruption involving staff, personnel, and third parties.

Speaking at the town hall that was attended by 352 staff members, Ms. Nalini Contreras, Deputy Director RSCE pointed out the consequences of fraud to the organization and highlighted the importance of fraud prevention.

“Fraud is not just a threat to the United Nations—it is also a threat to individual careers. It can lead to the loss of career opportunities, cause professional reputations to be tarnished, and can result in termination or separation from the organization.” she said.

During her remarks, Ms. Contreras led the staff in an oath of integrity to safeguard their careers and the reputation of the Centre.

The town hall was a powder keg of information as staff listened to presentations covering topics such as understanding fraud, emerging fraud trends in the UN, generative AI and its role in fraud, and lessons learnt from SIU fraud investigations. A representative from the United Nations Federal Credit Union (UNFCU) also detailed measures to protect members from fraud and addressing member-driven fraud. The first day of the campaign underscored that every member of staff has a role to play when it comes to fraud risk mitigation.

The second day of the week featured a fraud awareness café delivered to 192 staff members virtually and led by Ghandi Shukry, Chief of Service, Conduct and Discipline, MONUSCO.

Mr. Shukry spoke on the framework for reporting fraud and other ethical violations within the UN as well as the disciplinary processes when fraud is reported. Borrowing from his vast experience with conduct and discipline, he cited various examples of misconduct within the organization and fielded questions from staff on several issues related to staff misconduct and fraud.

The programme for the week is expected to feature a discussion on medical insurance fraud, one of the leading drivers of fraud within the UN, on Thursday and a wrap up on Friday with a quiz on the Profile of a Fraudster.