Inspector General Reports

This limited scope review is a follow up to our 2012 country program evaluation of Peace Corps/Peru. This report focused on five findings from the 2012 evaluation related to programming, training, and safety and security. We found that the post had appropriately responded to each of our 2012 recommendations, and the actions taken had a positive effect on the issues identified in 2012. There are no recommendations in this follow up.

This evaluation focused on the appropriateness of programming, training, and evaluation; the adequacy of Volunteer support; and the effectiveness of post leadership and management. While there are many areas of strength for this post, there are 22 recommendations. The majority are directed at the areas of programming, site development, and training.

This semiannual report informs Congress of the Peace Corps Office of Inspector General's work for April 1, 2017 through September 30, 2017.

Inspector General Kathy A. Buller's statement before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform concerning Recommendations and Reforms from the Inspectors General.

These challenges illustrate the most significant areas the Office of Inspector General (OIG) believes need improvement for the Peace Corps to effectively manage its resources and minimize the potential for fraud, waste, and abuse occurring in its operations. Addressing the issues related to these challenge areas will enable the agency to increase operational efficiencies and improve mission effectiveness.

The objectives of this performance audit were to assess the completeness, timeliness, quality, and accuracy of Fiscal Year 2017, Second Quarter financial and award data submitted for publication on USAspending.gov in accordance with the DATA Act and to assess the Peace Corps’ implementation and use of the Government-wide financial data standards established by the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of the Treasury. While the Peace Corps took steps to implement and use the Government-wide data standards, problems with completeness and accuracy hinder the Peace Corps’ ability to provide reliable data, achieve full transparency to the public, and comply with Federal accountability requirements.

The objective of this review was to perform an independent assessment of the Peace Corps’ information security program, including testing the effectiveness of security controls for a subset of systems as required, for FY 2017. Our results demonstrate that the Peace Corps lacks an effective information security program because of problems related to people, processes, technology, and culture. The Peace Corps needs to embrace a risk-based culture and place greater emphasis on the importance of a robust information security program by involving senior leadership, ensuring agency policies are comprehensive, and prioritizing the time and resources necessary to become fully compliant with Federal laws and eliminate weaknesses.