Audit of Peace Corps/Volunteer Safety and Security Program

We recommend that the Director reevaluate the organizational structure related to the safety and security functions and establish clear lines of authority to ensure the Office of Safety and Security can manage the agency’s safety and security program.

We recommend that the associate director for safety and security work with the associate director of global operations to review the roles and responsibilities of the safety and security desk officers and clarify the differences between the safety and security desk officers and Peace Corps safety and security officers to eliminate unnecessary duplication and ensure the Office of Safety and Security has oversight over all safety and security functions in accordance with the Peace Corps manual section 130.

We recommend that the associate director of global operations develop standard operating procedures for the safety and security desk officer position based on the revised roles and responsibilities.

We recommend that the associate director for safety and security work with the associate director of global operations and the chief financial officer to develop a process to involve the Office of Safety and Security in posts’ budget planning for safety and security expenses and in formulating the recommendation to the Director for posts safety and security needs.

We recommend that the Director ensures that Peace Corps develop and implement a process that adequately tracks Peace Corps safety and security officer recommendations and ensures that corrective actions are taken in a timely manner. The process should define roles and responsibilities of responsible personnel and hold them accountable for implementation.