• About this Portal
    • Internal Audit and Investigations Group
    • Ethics Office
    • Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Team
    • Health, Safety, Social and Environmental Team
    • Workplace Conduct Team
    • People Planning and Performance Team
    • Legal Group
    • Ombudsman Office for United Nations Funds and Programmes
    • Navigation, Support and Advocacy Team
    • Well-being Support
    • Personnel and Staff Associations
    • General
    • Internal Audit and Investigation Group
    • Ethics Office
    • Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment
    • Workplace Conduct Team
    • People Planning and Performance Team
    • Legal Group
    • Navigation, Support and Advocacy
    • Well-being Support
  • Resources
    • Report alleged misconduct (except retaliation, harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination)
    • Report alleged retaliation
    • Report health, safety, social or environmental concern
    • Report alleged harassment, discrimination, abuse of authority
    • Performance rebuttal request
    • Management Evaluation Request
    • How to Submit a Case
  • About this Portal
    Read more about the aim of the Portal and our ethical values.
    Internal Audit and Investigations Group
    Investigates allegations of misconduct and undertakes audits.
    Ethics Office
    Nurtures a culture of ethics, integrity, and accountability at UNOPS, and helps protect UNOPS personnel against retaliation.
    Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Team
    Coordinates UNOPS efforts on prevention and protection against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
    Health, Safety, Social and Environmental Team
    Develops and implements health, safety, social and environmental best practices in UNOPS' projects and operations.
    Workplace Conduct Team
    Handles allegations of harassment, discrimination, and abuse of authority.
    People Planning and Performance Team
    Responsible for managing the performance appraisal rebuttal process.
    Legal Group
    Handles key formal aspects of UNOPS internal justice system.
    Ombudsman Office for United Nations Funds and Programmes
    Offers dedicated informal dispute resolution services to all UNOPS colleagues.
  • Navigation, Support and Advocacy Team
    Helps reporters navigate and understand UNOPS' internal justice and whistleblower systems.
    Well-being Support
    Advocates for mental health through prevention and referrals to crisis or counselling services.
    Personnel and Staff Associations
    Support personnel by advocating for their working conditions.
  • General
    • Where do I report what? (Guidance on which office might be the right one for you to submit a case to.)
    • How do I report a case or concern?
    • How does confidentiality work?
    Internal Audit and Investigation Group
    • What does IAIG do?
    • How does IAIG maintain confidentiality?
    • What are some examples of evidence that I should provide?
    Ethics Office
    • What is the Ethics Office?
    • What does the Ethics Office do?
    • What does the Ethics Office NOT do?
    Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment
    • What is the role of the PSEAH team at UNOPS?
    • What are UNOPS core principles on PSEAH?
    • What is "sexual exploitation and abuse"?
    Workplace Conduct Team
    • What does the Workplace Conduct Team do?
    • What is the difference between Workplace Conduct Team and Internal Grievances?
    • What does the Workplace Conduct Team NOT do?
    People Planning and Performance Team
    • What is a performance review rebuttal process?
    • Who conducts the rebuttal?
    • What are the requirements for requesting a rebuttal?
    Legal Group
    • Can I get legal advice from the Legal Group about an administrative decision that I would like to contest?
    • Can I take my dispute with UNOPS to a national court for resolution?
    • What are my options for resolving a workplace dispute in UNOPS internal justice system?
    Navigation, Support and Advocacy
    • What is “victim/survivor support”?
    • What is a “victim-centered approach”?
    • What kind of support is offered by the Navigation, Support and Advocacy Team?
    Well-being Support
    • What does UNOPS do to promote the well-being of personnel?
    • How can I access mental health services at UNOPS?
    • What is the process for receiving Well-being Support?
  • Resources
  • Report alleged misconduct (except retaliation, harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination)
    Report alleged retaliation
    Report health, safety, social or environmental concern
    Report alleged harassment, discrimination, abuse of authority
    Performance rebuttal request
    Management Evaluation Request
    How to Submit a Case
  • FR
  • ES

The Workplace Conduct Team (WCT) handles allegations of harassment, discrimination, and abuse of authority within UNOPS. We assess these allegations and undertake fact-finding, with an aim to understand if the allegations might  amount to possible misconduct. If so, we will refer the case  to the IAIG for investigation. If the case would not constitute possible misconduct, but is rather considered inappropriate behavior that requires non-disciplinary intervention, we will propose a solution. Through this work, we help ensure a safe and respectful workplace environment.

We also support informal resolution efforts when colleagues are experiencing interpersonal conflict, either directly or by referring to the Ombudsman.

Effective 1 January 2025, the Workplace Conduct Team (WCT) will replace Internal Grievances as a dedicated team focusing on workplace conduct issues, including harassment, discrimination, and abuse of authority. Other types of grievances related to management decisions will be referred to the appropriate office or team to handle the specific matter, depending on the subject.

The WCT has a better-defined toolkit to address workplace conduct issues more appropriately to ensure an enabling workplace culture. As a concrete example, if you are in a situation where you can not resolve internal issues with a colleague, our team will support informal resolution efforts, or depending on the situation refer to the Ombudsman.

In addition, this team now reports directly to the Director of the People and Culture Group.

The WCT does not review management decisions related to performance evaluations, selection processes, contract terminations, or other management actions like reclassifications or position assignments. These types of matters fall under different procedures, such as performance rebuttal or management evaluation processes. We also do not conduct investigations or issue disciplinary sanctions.

The WCT is committed to upholding confidentiality. All team members are required to sign a confidentiality agreement to protect sensitive information. We only share details with consent of the concerned individual and on a need-to-know basis. We always strive to ensure the privacy of those involved in any allegations or fact-finding processes.

If you are facing interpersonal issues, the WCT can provide support in various ways. We may offer mediation services to help resolve the conflict in a neutral setting, or we can connect you with the Ombudsman’s Office, which specializes in conflict resolution and mediation. We may also offer strategies and support to help individuals cope with and directly address difficult issues in the office. This approach is designed to encourage a collaborative solution without escalating the issue to a formal investigation.

It is important to understand that we facilitate conflict resolution but cannot solve interpersonal issues unilaterally. Resolution requires a good faith commitment and active participation from all involved parties to reach a mutually acceptable outcome. A successful process depends on each party's willingness to engage openly and constructively. Without genuine participation from the people involved in the conflict, efforts to mediate or facilitate dialogue may not be effective.

We review allegations related to harassment, discrimination, and abuse of authority. These situations may involve bullying, microaggressions, creating a hostile work environment, or other behaviors that negatively impact the workplace atmosphere. We often address unsatisfactory behavior that may not rise to the level of misconduct but still warrants an administrative, non-disciplinary intervention.


The WCT will first listen to your concerns, assess the situation, and ensure that any action taken aligns with UNOPS victim-centered support approach. This means we will only proceed with your consent, ensuring that you agree with the steps taken. We may offer guidance, conflict resolution, or refer or escalate the matter if necessary.

The WCT will refer any allegation of unsatisfactory conduct that, following a preliminary assessment, may constitute misconduct to IAIG for a formal investigation. The preliminary assessment report will contain an evaluation of the report to determine its credibility, materiality, and verifiability, based on the facts and evidence gathered, including statements of witnesses.

IAIG holds the independent authority to accept a referral and initiate a formal investigation or decline the referral, returning the case to the WCT for informal resolution or other suitable non-disciplinary administrative actions. If IAIG declines a referral, it will provide written reasons to the WCT, which will be included in the communication of the outcome to the complainant.

We will endeavor to keep the complainant reasonably informed throughout the process, including reasons for any delays, bearing in mind the privacy and confidentiality rights of all parties involved. The complainant will be informed in writing of the outcome of the preliminary assessment, including whether the case will be investigated, referred, closed with recommendations for non-disciplinary administrative measures, or closed without further action.

Reporting a case formally to the WCT constitutes a “protected activity”. Any UNOPS personnel who reports suspected misconduct to the WCT or who cooperates with an investigation or audit has the right to be protected against retaliation resulting from this report. UNOPS personnel facing retaliation in violation of that right may seek protection against retaliation through the Ethics Office.

Many situations at work that we feel might constitute misconduct may in fact be due to interpersonal differences. We often forget that we each have a role to play in fostering a harmonious workplace where tolerance and respect are central pillars. Such situations benefit from informal resolution, rather than escalating the case to a formal review or investigation because these are lengthy processes that do not necessarily resolve the concern. Early conflict resolution benefits everyone, particularly those directly involved, as it provides an opportunity for each person to collaboratively create and agree on a meaningful solution to a situation that may be causing significant anxiety or stress.


UNOPS seeks to recruit the best talent and do so through fair and transparent processes. Generally, we receive hundreds of applications and screening processes will aim at identifying the best candidates among them. If you are certain that you should have been considered for an interview, you may consider contacting the hiring unit for clarification.

Take a look at our employment page and feel encouraged to apply to positions for which you meet the requirements. 

Discrimination is any unfair treatment or arbitrary distinction based on a person’s race, gender, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, age, language, social origin or other status. Discrimination may be an isolated event affecting one person or a group of persons similarly situated, or may manifest itself through harassment or abuse of authority.

Harassment is any improper and unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person might expect or perceive to cause offence or humiliation to another person. Harassment may take the form of words, gestures or actions which tend to annoy, alarm, abuse, demean, intimidate, belittle, humiliate or embarrass another or which create an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. It includes harassment based on any grounds, such as race, religion, colour, creed, ethnic origin, physical attributes, gender or sexual orientation. It can include a one-time incident or a series of incidents. Harassment may be deliberate, unsolicited, and coercive. Disagreement on work performance or on other work-related issues is not considered harassment and is not dealt with under the provisions of this policy but in the context of performance management.

Abuse of authority is the improper use of a position of influence, power or authority against another person. This is particularly serious when a person uses his or her influence, power or authority to improperly influence the career or employment conditions of another, including, but not limited to, appointment, assignment, contract renewal, performance evaluation or promotion. Abuse of authority may also include conduct that creates a hostile or offensive work environment which includes, but is not limited to, the use of intimidation, threats, blackmail or coercion. Discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment, are particularly serious when accompanied by abuse of authority.

Quick Links

Browse through other sections:
Internal Audit and Investigations Group
FAQ
Submit a case
Ethics Office
FAQ
Submit a case
Health, Safety, Social and Environmental Team
Submit a case
Workplace Conduct Team
FAQ
Submit a case
People Planning and Performance Team
FAQ
Submit a case
Legal Group
FAQ
Submit a case

Disclaimer

The summary content provided on this page is issued for informative purposes only and reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication. However, the summary does not amend, replace or override the applicable legal framework set out, inter alia, in the UN Charter, the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, the UN Staff Regulations and Rules, relevant administrative issuances and any specific contracting arrangements in place. UNOPS personnel should therefore not rely upon the summary information provided in the portal, as it is not intended to be an authoritative resource. Instead, they should refer to the aforementioned legal framework and their contract with UNOPS for definitive guidance.

UNOPS HQ

Marmorvej 51,

2100 København Ø

Denmark

Questions about this portal

Ethicsofficer@unops.org

Feedback on this portal

Provide Site Feedback

Login to UNOPS systems required

How can we do better?

Let us know if something is missing or you think could be better. Positive feedback is also welcome!
Go to the Feedback page