What is the authority of the United Nations ombudsmen and mediators?
The United Nations ombudsmen and mediators are independent from the regular United Nations management structure. Ombudsmen and mediators provide informal conflict resolution within the overall justice system of the United Nations and, by nature of their mandate, have no management function; however, they provide upward feedback and can make recommendations to the Organization. The ombudsmen of the United Nations Secretariat and UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNOPS and UNHCR have direct access respectively to the Secretary-General, the UNDP Administrator, the Executive Director of UNFPA, the Executive Director of UNICEF and the Executive Director of UNOPS and the High Commissioner for Refugees. The Office also has access to all information about staff except medical files.
