The National Institute for Disaster Risk Management (INGD) announced on Thursday 21 September that it will introduce a complaint mechanism to put an end to “alleged misconduct and misconduct” by its agents and raise the level of transparency during humanitarian assistance operations.
According to the INGD director for the southern part of the country, Cândido Macute, this is an application for collecting complaints, which will be managed via a hotline distributed by the Disaster Risk Management Committees.
“At the top of INGD’s concerns are the diversion of products destined for vulnerable people, poor assistance and abuse on the part of the agents involved in the humanitarian management and assistance process. However, as soon as any anomaly is detected in the context of operations, the application will enable action to be taken to hold the perpetrators of irregularities accountable,” he explained.
He also said that the INGD is aware of some less-than-optimal phenomena during the assistance process, but in most cases the offences are not reported, which puts people in a vulnerable situation.
“Every time we go into the field we come across unpleasant situations. This mechanism is to guarantee rapid communication so that INGD management can take action,” she emphasised.
Recently, the president of INGD, Luísa Meque, expressed concern about the lack of ethics in the management of funds and public resources allocated to humanitarian assistance, and called on the institution’s staff to improve their mastery of the internal control system and administrative and financial procedures.
