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Review of New Country Entry Guidance for Conflict-Affected Countries

Report Information

Date Issued
Report Number
IG-19-05-SR
Report Type
Review
Component
Agency-wide
Description
The Peace Corps works in countries with histories of civil wars, ethnic clashes, cross-border conflicts, rebel incursions, foreign occupations, genocide, violent protests, and repressive dictatorships. These conflicts often have on-going impacts. This review evaluated the adequacy of Peace Corps guidance on new country entries and re-entries in conflict-affected environments.We found that the Peace Corps needed to more fully assess the conflict status of countries under consideration for opening, re-opening, or expanding a Peace Corps program. The agency should also address gaps in the current “New Country Assessment Guide” and the “New Country Entry Guide” to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the agency’s processes and procedures for opening posts in conflict-affected environments.
Participating OIG
Peace Corps OIG
Agency Wide
Yes (agency-wide)
View report on Oversight.gov

Recommendations

Disclaimer: Open/Closed recommendations are updated semiannually.

We recommend that the associate director of the Office of Global Operations centralize and consolidate reports, notes, and information collected during new country assessments.

We recommend that the associate director of the Office of Global Operations develop and issue guidance to address the need to recruit and hire staff with the appropriate experience to work in a conflict-affected environment.

We recommend that the associate director of the Office of Global Operations revise the “New Country Entry Guide” to include additional provisions for the training and support needs of staff working in conflict-affected environments.

We recommend that the associate director of the Office of Global Operations revise the “New Country Entry Guide” to provide for longer timelines, where appropriate, and additional resource requirements to support staff involved in completing start-up activities in conflict-affected countries.

We recommend that the associate director of the Office of Global Operations revise the “New Country Entry Guide” to include more guidance related to the appropriate use of regional staff or other temporary duty staff to assist with start-up operations in conflict-affected countries.