In September 2005, World Leaders gathered
at the United Nations to review progress toward the Millennium
Development Goals and to consider a package of reforms for
the UN. Since then, significant progress has been made toward
those reforms, including:
Peacebuilding Commission. The
United States Institute of Peace’s report on UN reform
called for a better means of ensuring the peace in post-conflict
areas. Last year, the United Nations created a Peacebuilding
Commission to facilitate the transition from civil war to
national unity and bring together regional actors and businesses
with a vested interest in promoting peace.
Human Rights Council.
Just over a year ago, the Secretary-General called for the
UN to replace the Human Rights Commission with a smaller,
better-constructed Human Rights Council. While Member States
did not go as far as the Secretary-General might have liked,
the UN has replaced the old Commission with a new, smaller
Council that will meet throughout the year, require a prohibitive
General Assembly vote for admission, and review all Council
members’ human rights records.
Democracy Fund. At
the suggestion of the United States, the United Nations created
this fund to help promote the spread of democracy around the
world. The fund has received over $49 million in pledges and
will begin making grants by the summer of 2006.
Setting Zero Tolerance for Peacekeeping
Abuse. In recent years, several United Nations peacekeepers
have been criticized for engaging in sexual abuse and exploitation.
In response, the UN has conducted a system-wide review that
has, thus far, resulted in the dismissal or repatriation of
170 personnel and the repatriation of two entire units. The
Department of Peacekeeping Operations has adopted a zero tolerance
policy and is systematically revising personnel contracts
and troop-contributing nations’ agreements to enhance
accountability for wrongdoing.
Reviewing and Revamping UN Oversight Mechanisms.
The UN has upgraded and created a number of mechanisms to
improve UN oversight – from beefing up resources to
the UN’s principal oversight office (OIOS) to recruiting
Price Waterhouse Coopers to recommend broader improvements.
The General Assembly has also endorsed in independent oversight
body to adequately monitor the financing, scope of coverage,
and reporting of all UN oversight systems.
Strengthening Human Resources. The Secretary-General
has put forward a plan to create one international civil service
for the entire UN system, including a proposal for a one-time
staff buyout to improve personnel structure and quality, a
streamlined contracts process with specific conditions for
service, a more mobile workforce, and better career development
opportunities. Member States are expected to discuss these
proposals in September.
Increasing Accountability. In December, the
UN created a new Ethics Office and established whistleblower
and financial disclosure policies that exceed U.S. standards.
These measures can do much to ensure that all UN representatives’
actions are subjected to direct oversight. The new whistleblower
policy, for example, will allow employees who have evidence
of wrongdoing to take their cases to the press without fear
of recrimination from their superiors.
Modernizing the Institution
and its Management. The UN’s Under Secretary-General
for Management, Chris Burnham, is in the midst of creating
the first-ever, UN-wide, accounting and information technology
systems.
Reviewing the UN’s Past
and Current Missions. At the request of the Member
States, the Secretary-General has created a centralized electronic
database of all missions and mandates that the United Nations
has ever been tasked to perform by Member States. This is
a crucial first step in setting priorities for future UN activities.
Reviewing Procurement Systems.
The United Nations has launched several reviews of
its procurement systems, including a forensic audit and criminal
investigation of peacekeeping procurement, and is soliciting
recommendations for oversight improvements from Price Waterhouse
Coopers.
