The U.S. Agency for International Development has failed to provide consistent, comprehensive oversight of its multilateral partners — such as the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and the World Bank — according to a new investigation released by the agency’s oversight body, the Office of Inspector General for USAID.
Though multilaterals — which were referred to in the report as public international organizations, or PIOs — receive billions of dollars from USAID, the OIG said the agency’s standards of scrutiny were low.
“By not performing appropriate pre- and post-award due diligence, USAID limits its insight and ability to oversee this PIO funding, potentially leading to serious issues including diversion of funds or goods,” the report stated.