MARTIN O’MALLEY ANNOUNCES INTENTION TO RESIGN AS GLOBAL FUND’S INSPECTOR GENERAL

Author:

Lauren Gelfand

Article Type:

Article Number: 6

His departure in early 2015 should give the Board enough time to recruit a replacement

ABSTRACT After just over a year in his role as inspector general, Martin O'Malley has announced his intention to resign. Signature accomplishments of his brief tenure include a new system for engaging with stakeholders and the clearing of a backlog of legacy investigations.

Martin O’Malley has announced his intention to resign from his role as inspector general, effective early 2015. He cited personal reasons as driving the decision to quit the post he has held since mid-2013.

In a statement released by the Fund on 4 August, O’Malley expressed “deep sadness and regret” about the decision to curtail his six-year commitment to the Fund, whose work he called “fascinating, absorbing and noble”.

Signature accomplishments of O’Malley’s tenure include the establishment of a new system to engage stakeholders at the country and Secretariat level, and improvement in the reporting of findings and conclusions. A backlog of legacy investigations also has been cleared.

Additionally, there are many significant and critically important elements of the Office of the Inspector General workplan that have yet to be completed by O’Malley’s team, including work that will directly influence the strategic direction of the Global Fund.

In March of this year, the team committed to conducting 14 country audits (see article here). There are also 38 allegations of wrongdoing that were to be investigated by the OIG’s Investigation Unit. It is not known how many of these have been completed.

O’Malley has made it clear to the Fund that he intends to complete a number of strategically vital pieces of work prior to his departure from his post, including reviews of the Fund’s governance and its Ethics Framework. The design of the OIG’s strategic plan for 2015 and beyond, as well as of the Fund’s Combined Assurance Model, should also be drafted prior to his departure.

In a statement, Board chair Nafsiah Mboi expressed sadness on behalf of the Fund at the news of O’Malley’s departure.

“In just one year, Martin has proved himself exceptional, and has achieved a transformation of the Office of the Inspector General, performing audits and investigations with skill, professionalism and the highest degree of integrity,” she wrote.

Every effort to ensure a smooth transition, including an open and timely process to replace O’Malley, will be made in order to ensure that the OIG’s work will continue in a “fully independent, transparent and well-resourced way,” she added.

O’Malley was appointed in June 2013 to serve as inspector general. His appointment followed the termination of the previous IG’s employ in November 2012. His non-renewable term was to have lasted for six years from September 2013, when he began his work.