Back Office of the AuditaONU Project Provides Strategic Support for International Audits

Created to provide administrative support for audits of international agencies, the Office for Audit Support to International Agencies (EFINT), known as the Back Office, works in coordination with the units of the General Secretariat for Administration (Segedam) and the General Secretariat of the Presidency (Segepres) to meet the demands of the AuditaONU Project.

The unit has only two employees and operates within Segedam. It was named Back Office because this is the term used by other member countries of the UN Board of Auditors for support units with similar functions. As with the establishment of the teams of the Department for Auditing United Nations Operations (SecexONU), Back Office members were appointed through an open selection process.

Among its main responsibilities, the Back Office supports the issuance of tickets, passports, and visas for international missions, acting as a link between the AuditaONU project team and the responsible units, and assisting in the management of per diems and reimbursements, with a focus on transparency and regulatory compliance. It also supports the provision of equipment and the organization of the work environment, ensuring the logistical conditions necessary for auditors to focus on audit activities. In addition, it coordinates the process of identifying training needs, contributing to the continuous improvement of the teams technical skills.

The Back Office is also responsible for the integration process for new members of temporary and permanent teams. This work ranges from the initial welcome and orientation to support in requesting email accounts from the UN and partner entities, granting access to systems, and clarifying logistical and administrative questions, both nationally and internationally. More than 120 auditors have already received support from the Back Office.

In 2025, I had the honor of participating in the team that conducted an audit at UNICEF. It was TCU's first year on the Board of Auditors, so everything was new and the challenges were enormous. In this demanding context, the work of the SecexONU Back Office was simply essential to the success of our mission. The team's performance was impeccable and decisive. They took care of absolutely everything related to logistics and operational support, allowing our team to focus exclusively on what was most important: the audit itself.

The feeling we had throughout the process was that we were being taken care of 24 hours a day. It was impressive. All we had to do was send a message, and the response came immediately, even outside business hours. Any support we requested was promptly provided, and often we did not even need to ask, as they were already one step ahead, anticipating our needs. The work of the Back Office was, without a doubt, impeccable . Testimonial from Manuela de Andrade Faria, head of the TCU Department in São Paulo (SEC-SP) and leader of the management audit team.

In order to facilitate the integration of new members and centralize relevant information, the team developed the AuditaONU intranet, restricted to project participants.

International Operations

At the international level, the SecexONU Back Office maintains direct contact with the focal points of the entities being audited. The team is responsible for verifying and organizing all logistics related to accreditation, transportation, and security in the countries where the audits are conducted.

In addition, it performs triple checks to ensure compliance with all health requirements before each mission. This process involves verifying requirements with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), the focal points of the audited entities, and UN health services, ensuring that auditors are properly prepared and in compliance with current health regulations.

The support from the Back Office was technical, timely, and decisive things were simply resolved, not just pushed to me to do demonstrating that customer focus is a practical reality in that unit. It is a model of efficiency that serves as a benchmark for the entire Court . (Testimonial by Vinicius Zacarias Madela, member of the Peace Mission audit team)

The Back Office also manages the accountability of the amounts received by the TCU as a member of the UN Board of Auditors. Another essential activity is the pre-trip alignment meeting held with all teams before missions. At these meetings, checklists with key points, operational guidelines, and final clarifications are presented.

The Back Office is synonymous with peace of mind for all of us who work on the AuditaONU project, especially when we are on the threshold of missions in foreign territory and need to focus on auditing activities. The team takes care of all the details for us, issues important alerts, provides essential information about mission locations (such as the need for specific vaccines as a prerequisite for entry into some countries), makes logistical arrangements in advance so that our work flows smoothly (including verification of transportation support and on-site equipment), and handles all the bureaucratic aspects inherent to our activity. In addition, they are always assisting us in negotiations related to contracting and training opportunities, which are essential to the quality of our work . (Testimonial from Jorge Pinto de Carvalho, Court of Accounts of the Federal District - TCDF, member of the UNICEF audit team)