Peace Corps OIG receives Award for Excellence at the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency’s 25th Annual Awards Ceremony
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Peace Corps Office of Inspector General (OIG) received an Award for Excellence at the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency’s (CIGIE) 25th Annual Awards Ceremony held at the Ronald Reagan Building Amphitheatre on October 14th. Deb Haaland, the Secretary of the Interior, delivered this year’s keynote address.
Each year, CIGIE’s Awards highlight the outstanding achievements of inspector general staff from across the federal government, including numerous examples of strong interagency cooperation among offices of inspector general to combat fraud, waste, and abuse in government programs and operations. CIGIE presented the Award for Excellence in Evaluations to a Peace Corps OIG team member, Erin Balch, for her “excellence in conducting a challenging evaluation for the Review of the Facts and Circumstances Surrounding the Death of a Peace Corps/Ghana Volunteer” In October 2019, a team of evaluators identified deficiencies that contributed to delays in the care of a critically injured Volunteer.
In turn, the Peace Corps has made improvements to its emergency preparedness and response processes for Volunteers. The agency reports it continues to make progress in closing all the recommendations identified in the report.
Acting Inspector General Joaquin Ferrao stated, “The award Senior Evaluator Erin Balch received today exemplifies the outstanding passion and care our office brings to our work every day. I am so proud of Erin and her team’s positive impact in helping Peace Corps achieve its mission.”
The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, established OIGs within federal agencies to combat fraud, waste, and abuse and to improve economy and efficiency. The federal inspector general community has more than 14,000 audit, investigation, inspection, and other professionals across 72 IGs. The tireless efforts of these professionals helped to secure thousands of criminal prosecutions and civil actions against those seeking to defraud the Government or otherwise violate the law. In fiscal year 2021, the total potential savings was approximately $74.7 billion.
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About CIGIE: CIGIE is an independent entity within the executive branch representing these 72 OIGs. CIGIE’s mission is to promote integrity, economy, and effectiveness in government agencies as well as to increase the professionalism and effectiveness of personnel in the community of inspectors general. For more information on the IG community, visit http://www.ignet.gov.