The future of the PTF had been uncertain. The New York Times reported in December: “The effort to scuttle the panel is not a budget matter so much as a political one, and it represents the continuing suspicion developing countries have about international intervention in their affairs.” In contrast, Imtiaz Hussain, a Pakistani diplomat, said that many in the developing world, “resent that the United Nations can find funds for initiatives pushed by wealthy countries but not anti-poverty projects favored by poor nations”, reports the Washington Post (WP). Other critics argue that although the PTF has uncovered corruption, “it has also tarnished the reputation of some honest officials who simply bent U.N. rules to quickly launch multibillion-dollar missions” ( WP).

The PTF hit the headlines in December when the WP published an article detailing a report by the task force, which identified “multiple instances of fraud, corruption, waste and mismanagement at U.N. headquarters and peacekeeping missions, including ten significant instances of fraud and corruption with aggregate value in excess of [US] $610 million.” In addition, the report notes a “collapse of ethical culture and extensive corruption in procurement in the [Congo] Mission which has existed for years,” according to Reuters. Inga-Britt Ahlenius, who, as head of the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, is responsible for the PTF, told Reuters, “We can say that we found mismanagement and fraud and corruption to an extent we didn’t really expect.”

UN spokesperson Michele Montas is quoted in AFP acknowledging that: “We are well aware that there have been problems in procurement…This is why we are moving full steam ahead with procurement reform in order to have a system that is much tighter and transparent, leaving less room for abuse.” According to Reuters, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has told reporters that he wants the UN “to be as transparent as possible in its management and procurement activities.”