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YASUYOSHI CHIBA
UN Environment executive director Erik Solheim
The head of the UN body that leads on sustainability and green issues has been criticised for extensive and expensive air travel.
A draft internal audit, obtained by the Guardian and seen by the BBC, says that Erik Solheim’s actions risked the reputation of UN Environment.
The report says he incurred costs of $488,518 (£373,557) while travelling for 529 out of 668 days.
There was “no oversight or accountability” to monitor this travel.
Mr Solheim says he has paid back the money where “instances of oversight” occurred.
Missing reports
The audit was carried out by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).
Across UN Environment, around $58m was spent on travel in the two years up to 2018.
OIOS points out that the amount of money UN Environment spends on travel essentially doubled over the three years between 2014 and 2017.
While all UN staff are expected to complete “mission reports” within two weeks of travel, OIOS…
