View source for Inga-Britt Ahlenius

{{Short description|Swedish auditor and public servant (born 1939)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Inga-Britt Ahlenius
| image               = Inga-britt-ahlenius.jpg
| imagesize           = 200px
| alt                 = 
| caption             = Ahlenius in 2011
| order               = 
| office              = [[United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services#Under-Secretaries-General|Under-Secretary-General for OIOS]]
| term_start          = 15 July 2005
| term_end            = 14 July 2010
| predecessor         = [[Dileep Nair]]
| successor           = [[Carman Lapointe]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1939|4|19|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Karlstad]], Sweden
| birthname           = 
| nationality         = 
| party               = 
| occupation          = [[auditor]], [[public servant]]
}}
'''Inga-Britt Monica Stigsdotter Ahlenius''' (born 19 April 1939) is a Swedish [[auditor]], [[public servant]] and former [[Under-Secretary-General]] for the [[United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services]] (OIOS).<ref name=ne>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Inga-Britt Ahlenius |encyclopedia=[[Nationalencyklopedin]] |language=Swedish |url=http://www.ne.se/inga-britt-ahlenius |accessdate=17 January 2011}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

Ahlenius was born in [[Karlstad]], Sweden. She holds a degree in business administration from the [[Stockholm School of Economics]] and started her career working in the economic secretariat of Sweden's largest commercial bank, [[Handelsbanken]].

Between 1968 and 1993 she held various posts at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Finance in Sweden, including as head of the Budget Department from 1987. Since 1993 she has been a member of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ivawebb.se/Members/member_detail.asp?ID=12 |title=Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences: Ahlenius, Britt |access-date=2010-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083851/http://www.ivawebb.se/Members/member_detail.asp?ID=12 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

She served as Auditor General of the [[Swedish National Audit Office]] from 1993 to 2003.

There was some controversy when her term as Auditor General was over where she made several statements to media including that some of the government's proposed changes to the Audit Office would limit its ability to act independently. In connection with this the minister of finance claimed "she wished another assignment", which she claimed was on his initiative and that she in reality was [[Termination of employment|fired]]. After this the parliament took the responsibility of assigning Auditor General.

Later in 2003 she served as Auditor General of [[Kosovo]].<ref name=ne /> The previous controversy from 2003 was noted by Swedish media since Mrs. Ahlenius was proposed for the position by the [[United States]] and not by her native [[Sweden]].

During her terms as Auditor General she held several international positions. She chaired the [[INTOSAI]] Auditing Standards Committee for eight years, and was chairman of the Governing Board of the European Organization for Supreme Audit Institutions ([[EUROSAI]]) during 1993 to 1996.

Ahlenius was also a member of the Committee of Independent Experts that was called for by the [[European Parliament]] with a mandate to examine the way in which the [[European Commission]] detects and deals with fraud, mismanagement and nepotism. Their report led to the resignation of the commission.

Ahlenius was appointed [[Under-Secretary-General]] for [[United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services]] for a five-year term starting on 15 July 2005. After this assignment, her open critique of [[Ban Ki-moon]]'s leadership has been severe.<ref>[http://www.swedishwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5499&Itemid=3 "Swedish diplomat blasts UN chief Ban Ki-moon."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716173904/http://www.swedishwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5499&Itemid=3 |date=2011-07-16 }} ''The Swedish Wire'', July 22, 2010.</ref> ''Mr Chance'', the title of Ekdal's and Ahlenius's book, is an ironic reference to ''Chance the Gardener'', the character in novel and 1979 comedy-drama film [[Being There]].<ref>Per Runesson: [http://www.dalademokraten.se/Opinion--Kultur/Bokrec/2011/01/27/FN-chef-utpekad-som-nolla/  "FN-chef utpekad som nolla."] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130418024411/http://www.dalademokraten.se/Opinion--Kultur/Bokrec/2011/01/27/FN-chef-utpekad-som-nolla/ |date=2013-04-18 }} [UN chief singled out as simpleton.] ''[[Dala-Demokraten]]'', Januari 27, 2011.</ref>

Commenting on the [[2015 FIFA corruption case]], Ahlenius suggested side-stepping [[presumption of innocence]] and that the accused should prove their innocence.<ref>"Dom ska bevisa för den nya ledaren att [de] är oskyldiga och inte har nånting att göra med det fiffel som ett antal ledamöter ju redan är åtalade för.", ("They should prove to the new leader that [they] are innocent and have nothing to do with the corruption some are already charged with.") "[http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=1650&artikel=6181488 Vad krävs för att få bukt med korruptionen inom FIFA?]", ''P1-morgon'' kl 09:15, [[Sveriges radio]], 4 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.</ref>

==Bibliography==
*Niklas Ekdal with Inga-Britt Ahlenius: ''Mr Chance: – FN:s förfall under Ban Ki-moon [Mr Chance—the UN's decay under Ban Ki-moon]''. Stockholm 2011. {{ISBN|978-91-7337-271-8}}.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228000250/http://www.un.org/News/ossg/sg/stories/ahlenius_bio.asp |date=February 28, 2008 |title=The Biography of Inga-Britt Ahlenius }}, [[UN]].
*[http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/0009/13/Ahlenius.html Ännu inget nytt jobb för Ahlenius], [Ahlenius still jobless], ''[[Aftonbladet]]'', 13 September 2000. 
* {{cite web |url=https://www.dn.se/ekonomi/statens-hardaste-kritiker/ |title=Statens hårdaste kritiker |last1=Schück |first1=Johan|date=29 September 2005 |website=[[Dagens Nyheter]]|access-date=September 9, 2015|language=swedish}} 
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahlenius, Inga-Britt}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:20th-century Swedish civil servants]]
[[Category:Swedish women civil servants]]
[[Category:Swedish officials of the United Nations]]
[[Category:Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Stockholm School of Economics alumni]]