Office of Internal Oversight

The Office of Internal Oversight (OIO) assists the Director-General in the management of the OPCW’s resources through Audits, Evaluations, Quality audits, Inspections, Investigations and Monitoring.

OIO’s mission is to enhance and protect organisational value and improve OPCW’s operations by providing risk-based and objective assurance, advice, and insight. OIO helps OPCW achieve its objectives by applying a systematic approach to evaluating and enhancing the adequacy and effectiveness of risk management, internal control and governance processes, so as to add value by improving the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of operations.

The Office provides State Parties and the Director-General with reasonable assurance that financial, operational, confidentiality and security controls are adequate and complied with as well as that the management of resources and programmes is efficient and effective. In its work related to audits (both internal audits and confidentiality audits), the Office follows the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing (issued by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), United States of America).

The evaluation function of the OPCW is part of the internal oversight mechanism of the Organisation and is managed by the Office of Internal Oversight (OIO). Our mission is to promote accountability through independent, credible and useful evaluations of the OPCW programmes and activities. The Office follows the Evaluation Standards prescribed by the United Nations Evaluations Group (UNEG).

The OIO also reviews the Quality Assurance policy and strategy in order to maintain a comprehensive programme aimed at meeting the requirements of the following international standards, which are subject to the assessment of the RvA: ISO/IEC 17025:2017 (General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories); and ISO/IEC 17043:2010 (Conformity assessment—General requirements for proficiency testing).

As Oversight of QMS in the accredited parts of the Technical Secretariat has been entrusted to the Office of Internal Oversight, OIO is responsible for establishing and maintaining the accreditation of the quality assurance regime for the OIO itself, the OPCW Laboratory and on-site analytical procedures. Although the focus is on the OPCW Laboratory, OIO is responsible for managing two accredited processes: certification of OPCW Central Analytical Database and On-Site Databases and certification of preparation and testing of GC-MS inspection equipment

In addition, OIO carries out oversight audits covering quality assurance, conducted in accordance with current ISO auditing standards, and assess “the analytical network, including the OPCW quality assurance/quality control programme for on-site analysis, the OPCW Laboratory, together with the designated and other laboratories performances”.

In addition, by placing the responsibilities of the Quality Manager (currently SEIQAO) in the Oversight Function, the OIO is the process owner for the set of processes related to the daily management of QMS.

The OIO exercises operational independence in the conduct of its duties under the authority of the Director-General.