Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the Submission of the Definitive Report by the Independent Inquiry Committee on Alleged Corruption in the UN "Oil-For-Food" Programme

September 8, 2005

The Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC, or Volcker Commission) into the United Nations "Oil-For-Food" Programme (OFFP), in its definitive Report submitted on September 7 (New York time), pointed out in a comprehensive manner instances of corruption by some staff members of the UN Secretariat involved in the programme and maladministration within the Organization. The Government of Japan that has supported the United Nations in various ways nearly half a century is deeply concerned about such incidents as they have greatly shaken the confidence of the international community toward the United Nations. The United Nations should take this Committee Report seriously and must strive to recover trust by promoting reform, including reform of its own management.
Japan shares the recognition of the Committee, which asserts that the UN is in urgent need of thoroughgoing reform of its management system. Japan intends to watch the activities of the UN ever more attentively and to continue contributing proactively in the discussion on UN reform, taking into account the lessons pointed out in the report, so that the UN will be transformed into a clean and highly transparent organization.

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