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UN Performance Problems UN Management Accountability Struggles Where is the Rule of Law? Inadequate UN Oversight Recent Developments
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The IO Watch Charter
(see the home page of this website) states that the first of the goals
that it pursues is: " - To become a repository (an
institutional memory) for reports of incompetence and mismanagement within
the UN so that every time a story or report appears about such subjects in
the media, it is not written as if it was the first such story on the
subject (and so that such reports are followed up and acted upon, rather
than merely being sensationalized for a short time)."
Once again, the UN
Secretariat leadership is forging ahead with assertions of good intentions
and hustle and bustle to establish management accountability in the UN.
But this is only the latest of a seemingly endless set of management
reform attempts within the UN over the past six decades, which later only
expire ignominiously. The preceding subsection on the 1993 Management Accountability Attempt
and the subsections here on the UN "old boys" games provide many details
on this situation, as does indeed the entire archive.
It is essential to
recall that Mr. Annan is not a "new broom", but a leader who has spent
more than eight years as Secretary-General of the United Nations. The following brief overview of
the 1997-2004 period gives the highlights (admirable Secretariat intent
and much hustle and bustle) and the lowlights (countervailing warnings
from experts, analysts and UN staff) of the non-implementation of UN
management accountability.
IO Watch
believes that Mr. Annan must be held firmly accountable for this failure,
rather than accepting without skepticism his earnest attempt to try "one
more time" in the less-than-two years remaining of his second
term. "
The
selection of a career staff member for the position of Secretary-General
carries with it a recognition of all of you, the staff of the
Organization. For we are
above all a team.
Real
reform requires an ongoing search for excellence
above all, in the
performance of our staff.
In this I will not compromise. I expect from each and every staff
member, at all levels, a total commitment to
excellence.
I expect the Secretariat to work together and at all times to
function properly.
I pledge
to you today that we will develop a new management culture in the
Organization. Our senior managers across the
world must understand their obligation to properly manage
the staff -- the human resources -- entrusted to their care. It is my intention to hold my managers
accountable for providing the full range of career
support to their staff in their day-to-day work.
We are
the United Nations, and we believe our organization can fulfil the vision
of our Charter
The excellence of our performance will turn our
detractors into supporters. We all know [that]
nobody argues
with success." "Secretary-General urges staff to strive for
excellence, stressing UN performance will turn detractors into
supporters", SG/SM/6140 of 9 January 1997, pp. 1,3, 4. [emphasis added] "The General Assembly
I.2. Regrets with deep concern that
further progress in the implementation of the adopted [human resources]
strategy has not been achieved, and urges the
Secretary-General to take the necessary action to ensure its full
implementation
; 3.
Regrets the
unsuccessful efforts to develop a management environment and
culture in the Organization that enables staff members to
contribute their maximum potential, effectiveness, and efficiency;
II.
Reaffirm[s] its resolution 48/218A
of 23 December 1993, in particular the request therein for a mechanism ensuring that
programme managers are accountable for the effective
management of human resources allocated to them,
2.
Requests the Secretary-General to enhance managerial
accountability with respect to human resources management decisions,
including imposing sanctions in cases of demonstrated mismanagement
of staff and willful neglect of or disregard for established rules and
procedures, while safeguarding the due process rights of all staff
members, including managers;
4.
Deplores the high number of exceptions to the established
procedures for the recruitment, placement, and promotion of staff, in
particular in the Office of Human Resources
Management;" "Human resources management", General Assembly
resolution 51/226 of 25 April 1997, Part I, paras. 2-3, Part II,
paras.2 and 4.
[emphasis added] "The General Assembly
Expressing deep concern about the persistence of problems and defects
observed by the Board of Auditors in the financial administration and
management of the United Nations;
11. Notes with deep concern the
incidents of fraud and presumed fraud reported by the Board of
Auditors; 12. Requests the Secretary-General and
the executive heads
to take the disciplinary actions necessary in cases
of proven fraud and to enhance the individual accountability of United
Nations personnel, including through stronger managerial
control;
" "Financial reports and audited financial
statements, and reports of the Board of Auditors," General Assembly
resolution 51/225 of 16 May 1997. [emphasis added] "I am pleased to submit
what I believe to be
the most extensive and far-reaching reforms in the fifty-two year history
of the Organization.
the Organization needs to be significantly reconfigured to do better
also so realize significant administrative efficiencies.
The report seeks
on my own initiative,
nothing less than to transform the leadership and management structure of
the Organization.
it also includes complementary measures that reside within the
jurisdiction of Member States
and several more fundamental proposals
for possible action in the longer term." "Renewing the United Nations: A programme for reform: Report of the Secretary-General," UN document A/51/950 of 14 July 1997, Letter of transmittal. [emphasis added]
"UN
employees -- who request anonymity because they fear they will suffer more
professional harm than the corrupt officials they want to expose -- have
provided numerous accounts of officials' being transferred rather than
dismissed after being caught breaking the rules. This
happens frequently in cases of sexual harassment, nepotism, and
occasionally violence, according to these accounts. Whistle-blowers are
neither encouraged nor rewarded." Barbara Crossette, "In war on corruption and waste, UN confronts well-entrenched foe", International Herald Tribune, 3 November 1997. "
staff dream of an
Organization where decisions are taken according to clear rules and
guidelines. The real
situation is far different.
We
continue to hear about the need for accountability along with stories of
physical and verbal abuse against staff against staff members by senior
officials which remain unadressed.
A steady flow of appellants in the internal justice system attests
to the faulty managerial decision-making which continues
unabated." "Standing up for our rights," UN Staff Report (New York), December 1997, p. 2. [emphasis added.] "OHRM will convene
a task force of experts
[to make a] 'clear delineation of responsibilities' [which] is expected to
lead to a reduction in micro-management. Micromanagement by intergovernmental bodies is
an index of the lack of trust between the majority of delegations and the
UN Secretariat.
[If this trend is
to be reversed] there must be a much clearer conceptualization of change,
a balanced explanation of implications, and an absolute sincerity of
purpose. The current perception of the
Secretariat among many delegations is that in terms of personnel policy it
is confused, does not understand the full implications of what is
proposed, and has a hidden agenda.
In pushing for reorientation, Ms. Salim [the
head of OHRM] speaks some home truths
'We can no longer assume that a
[20-year] staff member has developed the necessary managerial and
supervisory skills'
there is 'widespread staff distrust
of management' and the UN's 'organizational culture is one in
which advancement is generally expected on the basis of longevity rather
than performance.'" "UN personnel chief reviewing all aspects of
management in bid to simplify controls, delegate authority,",
International Documents Review, 16 February 1998, p. 2. [emphasis added.]
"In a rather scathing [1998] report, the
General Assembly's Advisory Committee on Administrative and Financial
Questions (ACABQ) has dismissed the 'concept paper'
submitted by the
Secretariat on 'Reducing and refocusing of non-programme costs.'
Rather than call for yet another report, the ACABQ suggests that a
practical move at this stage might be to 'set aside a preoccupation with
concept and theory
to concentrate on
specific new measures to increase
the efficiency and confirm the results arising out of the implementation
of new measures as well as those initiated prior to the current
exercise." "Advisory Committee rejects "non-programme costs"
report", International Documents Review, 16 March 1998, page
5.
[emphasis added]
"The job of secretary-general at the United
Nations is not unlike that of a medieval pope
Much depends on character and momentum. Kofi Annan has shown that he has
plenty of the former.
Until recently [he] also seemed to have
momentum on his side. But his
successful diplomatic crusade in Iraq
[is] unraveling
the UN's
monitors have been hustled out of Congo
the hard-won peace in Angola is
at vanishing point
[and] the
[UNHCR] faces unexpected allegations of
corruption.
Sooner or later
the UN will have to change
into the 'narrower and deeper' organization reformers have always wished
it would be. Mr. Annan is nervous about the idea of a much
narrower UN
[Yet] If he wants to change the UN, the
diplomatic Mr. Annan will have to try to force his club members to accept
changes that most of them do not want.
The failure by most popes to face
up to the abuses within their own organizations opened up the way to
reformation of a more devastating type. Or as one insider puts it: "If the
UN's friends do not reform it, its enemies
will.'" "Reforming the United Nations: Pope Kofi's unruly
flock", The Economist, August 8th, 1998, pp. 17-19. "
The
new management culture has shown significant improvements over the
reporting period; Far-reaching
initiatives are under way to introduce increased delegation of authority
and accountability, but in this regard
a lot more needs to be done.
Better guidance,
precise instructions, and more management training must be provided. Equally crucial but infinitely more complex will be
the efforts to instil a sense of accountability among staff
members." "Report of the Secretary-General on the activities
of the OIOS", UN document A/53/428 of 23 September 1998, "Preface",
3d and 4th paras.
[Note: The comment is from the first head of the
Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), Mr. Karl Paschke, in his 1998 annual report.] ""Accountability for
the use of all resources put at one's disposal is integral to an
organizational culture of empowerment. Staff members at all levels
must
be held accountable for delivering assigned outputs on a timely and
cost-effective basis
and for upholding the values and principles of the
organization.
The prime
responsibility for taking action to remedy accidental and intentional
performance failures will lie with supervisors and managers at all levels.
Staff
Administration: Vision An
organization which manages its human resouces
by delegating, to the maximum extent
possible, the authority, responsibility and accountability for the the
day-to-day management of human resources to the line managers.
line
managers will be delegated authority to implement human resources
policies on behalf of the Secretary-General.
" "Human resources management reform: Report of the Secretary-General," UN document A/53/414 of 13 October 1998, paras. 6, 7, 25, 29. "'We are
too complicated and too
slow. We
are over-administered
and have too many rules and too many
regulations'
[Mr. Annan] told staff on 29 October. [He called] for
simpler
procedures and more authority for managers
Managers have limited responsibility over their
human and financial resources.
This leads directly to the erosion of accountability at all levels
of the Organization
" "Staff become focus of United Nations
modernization: New management culture key to revitalization," United
Nations Focus Series, No. 4, November 1998, pp. 2-3. [emphasis added] "The General Assembly
IV
Delegation of
authority and accountability
3.
notes that no
comprehensive system of accountability and responsibility has been
established;
10.
Reiterates its request to the
Secretary-General
[in resolution 51/226 of 25 April 1997] to enhance managerial
accountability with respect to human resources management
decisions, including imposing sanctions in
cases of demonstrated mismanagement of staff and willful
neglect of or disreard for established roles and procedures, while
safeguarding the right of due process of all staff members, including
managers." "Human resources management," General Assembly
resolution 53/221 of 23 April 1999, paras. IV. 3, 10. [emphasis
added.]
"The
United Nations of today
is a better
Organization in many respects than, say, five years ago, and enhanced
oversight has played its part in that change. However,
further improvement
is still
necessary in many ways.
Internal controls are not strong enough yet; accountability
continues to be blurred and misunderstood; delegation of authority
must be effectively executed; and human resources management is in need of
further reform
" "Report of the Secretary-General on the activities
of the OIOS", UN document A/54/393, of 23 September 1999, 3d from last para. [emphasis added.] [Note: The comment is from the first OIOS
head, Mr. Karl Paschke in his final annual report in
1999.] "In recent years, the United Nations has had
fundamental problems. In 1994
there was an overall failure of its human resources system to staff
critical posts with the right people.
The United Nations has substantially
restructured its leadership and operations and partly
implemented a merit-based and performance-oriented human capital
system
However,
the overall objectives of the reform have not
yet been achieved. Specifically, the United Nations has not yet
implemented reforms to focus its programming and budgeting on managing the
Secretariat's performance. These initiatives would enable Member
States to hold the Secretariat accountable for results and are key
to the success of the overall reform because they institutionalize a shift
in the organization's focus from carrying out activities to accomplishing
missions.
the U.N.
reform is an interrelated process and requires that all core elements be
in place to succeed." "US General Accounting Office, "United Nations:
Reforms are progressing, but overall objectives have not been achieved",
GAO/NSIAD-00-169, 15 pages, of
May 10, 2000,
especially summary and pp. 2-3 and 9-15, and "United Nations: Reform initiatives have
strengthened operations, but overall objectives have not been achieved",
GAO/NSIAD-00-150, May 10, 2000, 84 pages. [emphasis added] "The present report
outlines changes in the
policy and management culture of the Organization which will allow
for the effective implementation of the comprehensive system of
accountability now established.
In conclusion, the Secretary-General is
confident
that the comprehensive system
of accountability now in place ensures that accountability mechanisms are
effectively used, are seen to be used, and ensure that staff at all levels
are held accountable for their actions
and inaction." "Accountability and responsibility: Report of the
Secretary-General", A/55/270 of 3 August 2000, Summary, paras. 1-2,
47-48.
[emphasis added.] "While
there is currently a comprehensive system of [internal] justice in place,
its highly formalized nature leads to protracted and lengthy proceedings
that are in the interest of neither justice nor of the staff or
management. At present,
the decision makers whose administrative decisions are questioned are very
rarely directly involved in defending the cases. This has resulted in the
perception that the system shields managers from being held accountable
for their decisions." "Human
resources management reform: Report of the Secretary-General," UN document
A/55/253 of 1 August 2000, para. 51.
[emphasis added.] [Note: the report did not bother to
attempt to rebut this perception.]
"The
jurisdictional immunity of the Organization legally obligates it to have
just and effective internal processes to deal with grievances and appeals
by staff, and with disciplinary cases. A just and effective system is also
an indispensable aid to maintaining staff morale, as well as enforcing
accountability." "Accountability and responsibility: Report of the
Secretary-General, UN document A/55/270 of 3 August 2000, para.
39. "Challenges to implementation
No amount of money or resources can
substitute for the significant changes that are urgently needed in the
culture of the [United Nations].
People everywhere are fully entitled to consider that [the United
Nations] is their organization, and as such to pass judgement on
its activities and the people who serve in it. Furthermore, wide disparities in staff quality
exist and those in the system are the first to acknowledge it; better
performers are given unreasonable workloads to compensate for those who
are less capable.
Unless the United Nations takes steps to become a true
meritocracy, it will not be able to reverse the alarming trend of
qualified personnel, the young among them in particular,
leaving the Organization. Moreover, qualified people will
have no incentive to join it.
Unless managers at all levels, beginning with the
Secretary-General and his senior staff, seriously address this problem on
a priority basis, reward excellence and remove incompetence, additional
resources will be wasted and lasting reform will become
impossible." Report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations [the "Brahimi report"], UN document A/55/305 -- S/2000/809 of August 21 2000, p. xiv. [emphasis added] [Note: The full document is available at http://www.un.org/documents/ under the A document number. Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi has most recently served as the UN Secretary-General's special envoy in Afghanistan and in Iraq.]
"The United Nations has been hit by an
unprecedented wave of fraud, waste and corruption. Officials at its antifraud
investigation unit say they are expecting to have to run more than 350
inquiries by the end of the year -- nearly twice the total for 1998
The revelations will embarrass Kofi Annan, the
UN Secretary-General, who is to welcome national leaders
to the
'Millenium Summit' in New York next week.
Annan is hoping to convince
skeptical heads of state that the UN has provided value for money and that
its role should be expanded.
One senior investigator said last week that the
UN investigations unit's workload was greater than ever. 'We are seeing more and more frauds
and abuses of authority.'
" Jason Burke, et. al., "UN rocked by flood of fraud
cases: Officials were 'addicted to luxury", The Observer International
(UK), September 3, 2000. [Note: any press such interviews with OIOS staff
seem to have come to an abrupt end after this article appeared, as
discussed in the section on Internal Oversight: The
OIOS which follows.]
"How do you ensure that DPI isn't seen as a
propaganda tool, yet that it serves the UN's
objectives? By telling the truth! Information isn't propaganda
unless you doctor it to distort reality or hide inconvenient facts. We don't do
that. I think you'll admit that under
Secretary General Kofi Annan we have the most transparent United Nations
imaginable
" Pranay Gupte, "Q & A: Shashi Tharoor: 'Why information matters at the UN'," Earth Times, May 2001, p. 16.
"The General Assembly
VII Delegation of
authority and accountability
2
Emphasizes that the administrative
and managerial discretionary powers of the Secretary-General should be in
conformity with the relevant provisions of the Charter
and mandates
given by the General Assembly;
4.
Emphasizes that any delegation of
authority should be in accordance with the Charter and the regulations and
rules
;
7.
Requests the Secretary-General to continue to improve
accountability and responsibility
as
well as monitoring and control mechanisms
;
8.
to report
[in 2002]
on the progress achieved, including with regard to management
irregularities;
10.
Decides to further consider the issue of a robust monitoring
capacity in the Office of Human Resources Management
and [requests] an
analytical and thorough report thereon [in 2001]. " "Human resources management," General Assembly resolution 55/258 of 27 June 2001, "Section VII.
"[The General
Assembly
XI. Administration of
justice 8. Requests the Secretary-General to
establish a clear linkage between the administration
of justice and the system of accountability when the
decisions of the Administrative Tribunal result in losses to the
Organization due to management irregularities; 9. [and]
to take urgent measures
to recover financial losses caused
to the Organization by wrongful
actions or gross negligence of senior officials of the
United Nations, particularly as a result of the judgments of the
Administrative Tribunal
" "Human resources management," General Assembly resolution 55/258 of 27 June 2001, section XI. [emphasis added.] "An extraordinary thing is happening this week
at the United Nations.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan is to be re-elected virtually by
acclamation.
Outside [the] UN few knew much about him. But in the early 90's he had
become head of the UN peacekeeping department and came to the attention of
the major powers, particularly in Bosnia
. Within the UN system his reforms have been
important although limited by the perennial self-interest of the members.
The personnel system is
still a disaster, which he must now tackle resolutely.
" William Shawcross, "Another five years at the UN helm for Annan, of course," International Herald Tribune, June 27, 2001. [emphasis added] "Kofi Annan's election to a second and last
term should normally allow him to help establish the United Nations as
the centerpiece of an emerging system of global management
that is efficient, just and accepted as legitimate by all peoples and
nations.
Decisive action should not continue to be
postponed in regaining
the motivation and professional quality of the United Nations in its
earlier years
Also, much would be achieved if UN programme managers were allowed
to manage -- yes, manage -- their own budgets and
personnel. Not
only would their motivation increase immediately, but they could be
held accountable for failure to achieve agreed
objectives." Enrique ter Horst, "A re-elected Secretary-General can give the world the facts," International Herald Tribune, 6 July 2001. [emphasis added] [Note: Mr. ter Horst was a former UN
Assistant-Secretary-General, who served under several UN
Secretary-Generals, including Mr. Annan]
"The human resources programme
pursued over
the past four years is an integrated one, intended to build the
Organization's human resources capacity and its ability to attract
[the
highest quality staff.]
Any major culture change requires time
Evidence of cultural change is
already, however, beginning to be seen in a number of ways
The next few years will see the consolidation
and institutionalization of the changes introduced to date
The Secretary-General will give due attention
to the request by the General Assembly that he continue to improve
accountability and responsibility in the reform of human resources
management, as well as monitoring mechanisms." "Human resources management reform: Report of the Secretary-General," UN document A/57/293 of 8 August 2002, paras. 6, 11, 12. "One of my
priorities in my first term was to improve the Organization's
professional capacity and to promote
a new culture of performance, accountability and trust. We have made significant
strides
I am confident that these measures will bear fruit in the
years to come
I have put great emphasis on establishing clear
lines of responsibility and ensuring that managers are held accountable
I am confident that [our] new
system of recruitment, by giving managers primary responsibility for staff
selection, will lead to a new level of accountability and
empowerment.
I
intend to adopt additional measures to cut unnecessary layers of
bureaucracy. At present, the Organization
recruits highly qualified individuals for management functions -- yet its
procedures do not allow them to manage a budget, procure what
they need for everyday activities or authorize travel for their
staff. As decision-making authority is devolved to
programme managers, the roles and responsibilities of the central service
provider, the Department of Management
will need to be reviewed.
Action 32.
In order to continue efforts to improve
management: (a) a thorough review will be conducted
of delegated authority
to increase the capacity and
flexibility of managers to manage
" "Strengthening of the United Nations: An agenda for further change: Report of the Secretary-General," UN document A/57/387 of 9 September 2002, paras. 174, 188-190. [Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a statement
to a global forum on Fighting Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity, in
Seoul, Korea in May 2003] ... emphasized that
'The United Nations itself has launched an
Organizational Integrity
Initiative designed to promote professional ethics, improve accountability
and better protect our resources and reputation.
After all, if United Nations agencies are
advocating integrity and good governance, we ourselves have a duty to lead
by example and practice what we preach.'" "Global Forum III: Ongoing challenges, shared responsibilities", US Agency for International Development, Newsletter of the Americas' Accountability/Anti-Corruption Project (AAA), No. 33, p. 1.
"The General Assembly
II Human
resources management reform 4.
Requests the Secretary-General to
report to the General Assembly
[in 2004] in a comprehensive manner on the achievements of the human
resources management reform, when sufficient information will be available
on the experiences of the Secretariat with
implementation
; 5.
conduct a study [by the OIOS] on the
impact of
[the reform]
6.
ensure that all future reports
on the implementation of the
reform focus on the results of such
measures; 10.
ensure the accountability of
programme managers in the staff selection process, in close
collaboration with the [OHRM], and to report thereon [in 2004
];"
"Human resources management," General Assembly
resolution 57/305 of 1 May 2003, Section II.
"The General Assembly
4.
regrets the
serious delays in the appeals process, and requests the Secretary-General to
ensure full cooperation and
accountability in the internal system of justice of the manager whose
decision has been challenged, at all stages of the process;
24.
Reiterates
its
request to
establish a clear linkage between the administration of
justice and responsibility and accountability [in the UN
Secretariat when decisions of the UNAT result in losses
due to
management irregularities]
; 26.
Requests the Secretary-General
to expeditiously finalize and
issue an administrative instruction on the implementation of
Section XI, paragraph 9 of General Assembly resolution 55/258." "Administration of justice in the Secretariat,"
General Assembly resolution 57/307 of 22 May 2003. [emphasis
added.] [Note: Section XI, para. 9 of Resolution
55/258 of June 2001, already cited above, had called upon the
Secretary-General to "take urgent measures ... to recover financial losses caused to
the Organization by wrongful
actions or gross negligence of senior
officials
" Clearly, he had other things to
do.]
"An independent panel [appointed by
Secretary-General Annan and led by Martti Ahtisaari, a former president of
Finland] said today that the UN's security systems were
'dysfunctional'
Mr. Ahtisaari said,
'Everybody bears responsibility, the Member States, who are asking the UN
[to act] and of course the Secretary-General himself -- the buck
stops always with the Secretary-General.'
The panel labelled as a major deficiency a
'lack of accountability for the decisions and positions taken by UN
managers with regard to the security of UN staff.' 'The United Nations', it said, 'needs a new
culture of accountability in security management.'
"Iraqi bombing panel finds UN security systems dysfunctional, in need of reform," UN News Service, 22 October 2003. [emphasis added] [Note: Mr. Ahtisaari is also a former UN Under-Secretary-General for management and served the UN in the field as well.] "The U.N. Secretary General launched two reform
agendas, in 1997 and 2002, to address the U.N.'s core management
challenges -- poor leadership of the Secretariat, duplication
among its many offices and programs, and the lack of accountability
for staff performance.
In 2000, GAO reported that the reforms
were not yet
complete. What GAO found
First, the Secretariat has taken positive
steps to strengthen its human capital management, but reforms in
this area are ongoing and additional challenges remain. Second, the U.N. has begun to
adopt results-oriented budgeting, but its monitoring and evaluation
system does not measure program impact.
UN reform faces several challenges. For example, the Secretariat
does not conduct comprehensive assessments of the status and impact of
U.N. reforms. In addition, the reform agendas
lack clearly stated priorities, interim goals, and target dates for
overall completion.
Other challenges include
resistance to change from program managers and possible resource
constraints. U.S. General Accounting Office, United
Nations: Reforms progressing, but comprehensive assessments needed to
measure impact, GAO 04-339, February 2004, "Highlights" page.
[emphasis added] [Note: the
complete report is available at www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-339
"In 2002, the
[OIOS] found that
[UN] program managers and
department and office heads were not complying with U.N.
regulations
and
nearly half of programme managers were not regularly regularly
monitoring and evaluating program performance. In addition, program managers were
not held accountable for meeting program objectives because U.N. regulations prevent
linking program effectiveness and impact with program managers'
performance. U.N. officials told us that a more
mature program monitoring and evaluation system is needed before programme
managers can be held
responsible.
The Secretary-General tasked the
OIOS to
develop a strategy to
systematically evaluate and monitor programme results and to introduce
information systems needed
and
[it] expects to have a complete
system by
2006.
"According to [UN]
officials, some program managers and staff
have resisted implementing certain reform initiatives.
The Secretariat is providing training to all
departments to
assist
managers
in
conducting self-monitoring and evaluation exercises to comply with
performance-oriented budgeting and overcome resistance. Managers' support is critical
for the
institutionalization of reforms in the long
term."
Given that the Secretary-General
does not provide regular,
comprehensive reports on the overall status and impact of reforms,
it is difficult to hold staff
accountable for implementing these reforms and their impact is
unclear. In addition, the 2002 reform
agenda did not specify
goals or establish expected time frames
Adopting key practices
such as
systematic monitoring and evaluation
could facilitate the achievements
of the Secretary-General's overall reform goals. As the U.N.'s largest financial
contributor and a proponent of reform, the United States would also
benefit from the adoption of these practices. U.S. General
Accounting Office, United Nations: Reforms progressing, but
comprehensive assessments needed to measure impact, GAO 04-339,
February, 2004, pp. 22-23, 35-36. The report is available at
www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-339
.] [Note: IO
Watch finds all this to be accurate, long-entrenched, and truly amazing in
the 21st century. Does no one
care? At least the staff do
-- see the next item.]
"A new
survey of
[UN staff
perceptions of integrity has found that] while structures for reporting
and combating corruption
exist, most staff members are either unaware of how to use them or afraid
to do so for fear of high-level
retaliation. 'The UN
has a 'phone book' of rules and regulations which are totally useless as
they are never practiced', a staff member is quoted as
saying
[Another
says,] 'Senior leaders caught
in serious breaches of ethics should be punished, not promoted as usual.'
The new
[study's]
most negative findings have to do with ingrown
leadership and the lack of response to reports of corruption.
'Get rid of the old
boy network,'
one
staff member
[says.] 'That network is wide,
tenacious and powerful.
So long as you can
wind your way into that network, you are OK.
Opposing
the network is certainly the end of a UN career.'" Warren Hoge, "Report criticizes the way UN fights corruption", International Herald Tribune, June 16, 2004. [Note: The actual survey is "United Nations organizational integrity survey", Final Report, prepared by Deloitte Consulting LLP, June 2004.] "Dear Colleagues,
According to the [UN staff integrity] survey, staff generally perceive that breaches of integrity and ethical conduct are insufficiently and inequitably addressed by the disciplinary system. At the same time, | |||
