We found that 60  percent of the 88 reform initiatives in the 1997 agenda were in place,  compared with 38 percent of the 66 reform initiatives in the 2002 agenda. In particular, the Secretariat made the most progress on the 1997 reforms  to  restructure U.N. operations to provide more unified leadership and  coordination across departments, programs, and offices; institute a new human capital management system that sets expectations  and rates staff performance; and   adopt results-based budgeting. However, we found that approximately 40 percent of these  reforms are not fully in place. Secretariat Will Need to Take Additional Steps to Achieve the Secretary General’s Overall Goals

More than one-quarter of the Secretary General’s completed reforms, such  as developing a written plan or establishing a new office, only represent  the first steps in achieving longer-term and more important goals. Reforms in Four Key Areas of U.N. Operations Are Progressing, but Overall Impact Is Still Not Clear

We found that the U.N. has implemented many reforms in four key areas:  (1) human capital management, (2) performance-oriented budgeting, (3)  public information activities, and (4) the human rights program. In addition, although the Secretariat has an overall reform strategy  in place, this strategy does not include specific time frames to complete  reform actions. This  review is not yet complete. We found that the office has implemented  reforms to address its management deficiencies. Secretary General Does Not Have Authority to Implement Reforms of Human Rights Activities outside Secretariat

The Secretary General’s reform agendas called for the Secretariat’s human  rights office to develop a strategy to strengthen its financial and human  capital management and internal oversight procedures, among other  things. Recommendations for Executive Action

To promote full implementation and accountability of the Secretary  General’s overall reform actions, we recommend that the Secretary of  State and the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United  Nations work with other member states to encourage the Secretary  General to  report regularly through an existing U.N. reporting mechanism on the  status and impact of the 1997 and 2002 reforms and other reforms that  may follow;   differentiate between short- and long-term reform goals and establish time  frames for completion for those reforms that are not in place; and   conduct assessments of the financial and personnel implications needed to  implement the reforms. Specifically,  we assessed (1) the overall status of U.N. reforms proposed in 1997 and  2002 by the Secretary General; (2) the Secretariat’s efforts to implement  reforms in four key areas: human capital management, performance- oriented budgeting, public information activities, and the human rights  program; and (3) the challenges facing the implementation of U.N.  reforms.
Why GAO Did This Study

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 Secretary General had reorganized the Secretariat's leadership and structure, but that the reforms were not yet complete. As the largest financial contributor to the United Nations, the United States has a strong interest in the completion of these reforms. GAO was asked to assess the (1) overall status of the 1997 and 2002 reforms, (2) implementation of reforms in four key areas, and (3) potential challenges to reform.

What GAO Found

As of December 2003, 60 percent of the 88 reform initiatives in the 1997 agenda and 38 percent of the 66 initiatives in the 2002 agenda were in place. In general, reforms under the Secretary General's authority were progressing more quickly than those requiring member states' approval. Since 1997, the Secretariat has implemented reforms to provide more unified leadership and coordination across departments and offices. However, the Secretariat has implemented other reforms, such as developing a written plan or establishing a new office, that are only the first step in achieving the Secretary General's overall goals. Reforms in four key areas of U.N. operations are in various stages. 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. Third, although the Secretariat reorganized its public information department, reforms of library management and publications are not fully in place. Fourth, the Secretariat's human rights office implemented the majority of its management reforms but does not have the authority to implement reforms outside the Secretariat. U.N. 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.