United Nations Environment Programme executive director Erik Solheim resigned on Wednesday, November 21, 2018, after an internal audit flagged heavy and costly travel that the report said was unnecessary and poorly managed.
Solheim said he would step down with effect from November 22, following what he described as deep reflection and consultation with the UN secretary general. His exit came after the final report was delivered on Saturday.
The audit said Solheim spent $488,519, or Sh49.9 million, on travel between May 2016 and March 2018. It also said he spent 529 days of his 22 months at UNEP travelling, which translated to an absence rate of 79 per cent from his duty station.
According to the report, he made frequent trips across the world, including to Paris and to his home country Norway. The Office of Internal Oversight Services, which carried out the audit, said he and other senior managers had driven up costs through extensive travel.
OIOS recommended that Solheim refund all travel costs and related staff time that were not accounted for, together with other costs UNEP incurred because of what it called uneconomical and inefficient management decisions.
In reviewing the wider travel bill, the audit found that three senior managers had generated total travel costs of $740,893, or Sh75.6 million, during the period under review. It also said Solheim had altered and re-routed his trips to include multiple stops in Paris or Oslo, increasing the expense.
Solheim had tried to defend the spending in a September email to staff, saying the work of tackling urgent environmental challenges required global commitment and unprecedented action. He also argued that meaningful results depended on close dialogue with member states, businesses and civil society.
He dismissed the leaked audit material as “draft notes” meant to inform consultations between OIOS and UNEP, and said it could contain misunderstandings or inaccuracies.
