Human Rights: State Department's Commitment to Accurate Reporting Has Increased
NSIAD-90-224
Published: Sep 26, 1990. Publicly Released: Oct 29, 1990.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of State's processes and procedures for preparing its annual country reports on human rights practices.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of State | The Secretary of State should direct embassies to distribute the human rights reports on their host countries as widely as possible to individuals and groups involved in human rights issues. |
In a December 26, 1990 cable to posts, State directed embassies to distribute the reports to as many interested individuals and groups as possible.
|
| Department of State | The Secretary of State should solicit comments on the accuracy, objectivity, and balance of the reports' presentation from nongovernmental organizations. |
In a December 26, 1990 cable, State directed embassies to expand efforts to obtain comments from a variety of human rights organizations.
|
| Department of State | The Secretary of State should ensure compliance with existing report review procedures to coordinate the final draft country reports with the contributing embassies before issuance. |
Both the Bureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs and regional bureaus began monitoring report review procedures to ensure compliance with coordination requirements.
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Agency reportsEmbassiesForeign governmentsGovernment publicationsEmployee trainingInternational relationsQuality assuranceHuman rightsDiplomatsHuman rights violations