United Nations: Reforms Progressing, but Comprehensive Assessments Needed to Measure Impact

State has worked with UN member states to encourage the Secretary-General to report on the status and impact of UN reforms in the course of the United States' participation on the General Assembly's Administrative and Budgetary Committee. State informed us that as reform-related items come up for discussion during the Committee's sessions, the US Representative to the UN asks for reports from the Secretary-General and ensures that these reports indicate the status of the reform items under discussion. State noted that actions taken by the United Nations since the issuance of GAO's February 2004 Report need to be seen in the context of developments that have occurred in the intervening four-year period. In 2005, the UN convened a summit of world leaders to discuss management reforms, among other issues. The Outcome Document from that summit outlined broad UN reform efforts and called on the Secretary-General to submit specific proposals for implementing management reforms. In 2006, the Secretariat submitted proposals for reforming various management operations, including human resources, information technology, and procurement. State noted that the UN continues to report on and track progress in implementing these 2006 reform elements. For example, on procurement, the UN reported in 2007 that 10 of the 27 main procurement reform actions had been completed and 17 were in progress. The 2007 procurement report also included information on progress achieved on a number of specific reform initiatives, including on ethics and internal control guidelines and on streamlining the procurement process. UN officials told us that the next procurement reform status report will be issued during the 63rd General Assembly session.

State has worked with UN member states to encourage the Secretary-General to prioritize the completion of key reforms and to implement those short-term reform goals that fall under his authority. State reported that because reform is an ongoing process with innovations constantly being applied to existing operations, it has been pushing the Secretary-General to prioritize key reforms. For example, in March 2007, the United States Representative to the United Nations (USUN) sent a letter to the Secretary-General urging him to focus particularly on making reforms that strengthen oversight and accountability and promote ethical conduct. State also noted that it strongly encourages the Secretary-General to implement the reforms that fall under his authority. As an example, State reported that the Secretary-General has exercised his authority in a positive manner with respect to encouraging the mobility of staff. In May 2007, the UN established a managed reassignment program designed to encourage movement of personnel across functions, departments, and duty stations. State also discussed the Secretary-General's steps to enhance transparency and accountability. At the urging of the United States and other member states he strengthened the UN's whistleblower policy and expanded and enhanced financial disclosure requirements.