UNITED NATIONS, May 18: The United Nations announced a series of management reforms on Tuesday in response to the charges of mismanagement in oil for food scandal, sexual exploitation and its staff concerns about world body’s leadership. Detailing the reforms at a press briefing, Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette announced appointment of a US State Department official, Christopher Bancroft Burnham, as UN’s management chief, replacing Ms Catherine Bertini, who is an American.

Mr Burnham is currently the acting undersecretary of state for management at the State Department. The package also includes protection for whistle blowers, an anti-fraud and corruption policy, a unified standard of conduct for peacekeepers to prevent sexual abuse, and expanded financial disclosure requirements for senior officials.

“Unprecedented challenges” faced by the UN had shown that the world body must immediately reform those areas that were in the Secretariat’s purview and were not dependent on approval from member states, Ms Fréchette said.

Noting that reform has been on the UN agenda since 1997, she said: “The UN must take real action now where it is in the Secretary-General’s authority to do so directly, particularly in the critical areas of management, oversight and accountability.”

“We hope that the September Summit will signal a willingness on the part of Member States to tackle the fuller review we are advocating in the report,” Ms Fréchette told reporters, referring to a meeting of world leaders to discuss Mr Annan’s document.

The major criticisms have come from the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) looking into the UN’s Oil for Food programme for Iraq and headed by former US Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.