Devex 54d ago

This week, we take you inside a Devex exclusive: the $60 million fiasco at the United Nations, a complex story with an equally complex set of characters, including Vitaly Vanshelboim, whose rise and fall left a black mark on a key U.N. agency. Once revered as a financial wizard, Vanshelboim was the man credited with pulling UNOPS back from the brink of bankruptcy. However, as our investigation reveals, behind the diplomatic prestige and profits lay a shadow world of secret side deals, luxury cars, and a $60 million trail of broken promises. Now, as the former U.N. assistant secretary-general faces a reckoning from a Spanish prison cell, we discuss the lingering question: For a system that prides itself on rigorous oversight, is this incident a one-off or emblematic of something deeper? To dig into this story and others, Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger sits down with Managing Editor Anna Gawel and Senior Global Reporter Colum Lynch for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. Request an invitation to attend Devex Impact House @ WHA in Geneva: https://pages.devex.com/devex-at-wha-79.html 00:00 Introduction and Leadership Changes at One Campaign 02:58 Investigation into Vitaly Vanshelboim's Allegations 05:50 UNOPS and Impact Investing: A Cautionary Tale 08:43 The Prison Interview: Insights from Vanshelboim 11:37 Current Legal Status and Implications 14:49 Systemic Issues within UNOPS and Internal Oversight 17:44 Reflections on the UN's Future and Impact Investing 20:33 Conclusion and Final Thoughts