The Department of State is the U.S. agency primarily responsible for  leading U.S. efforts toward achieving equitable U.S. employment  representation in UN organizations. U.S. Citizens Were Underrepresented Relative to Targets at Three UN Agencies

Relative to UN agencies’ formal or informal targets for equitable  geographic representation, U.S. citizens were underrepresented at three of  the five agencies we reviewed–IAEA, UNESCO, and UNHCR. U.S. citizens  were equitably represented at the UN Secretariat, though at the lower end  of its target range, while the fifth agency–UNDP–had not established a  target for U.S. representation. U.S. citizens filled about 11 percent of  UNDP’s professional positions. Increased Hiring of Americans Needed to Meet Several UN Agencies’ Minimum Targets

We estimated that each of the four agencies with geographic targets–the  Secretariat, IAEA, UNESCO, and UNHCR–would need to hire U.S. citizens  in greater numbers than they had in recent years to achieve their minimum  targets by 2010, given projected staff levels, retirements, and separations;  otherwise, with the exception of UNESCO, U.S. geographic representation  will decline further. These barriers combined with distinct agency-specific factors to impede  recruitment and retention. Representation at Several UN Agencies

We identified the following six barriers that affected U.S. representation in  the UN agencies we reviewed, though often to differing degrees:    Nontransparent human resource practices. Recruiting U.S. candidates was  difficult because agencies offered a limited number of posts to external  candidates. Lengthy hiring process. Low or unclear compensation. Required mobility or rotation. Limited U.S. government support. For example,    Candidates serving in professional positions funded by their member  governments were more likely to be hired by the Secretariat than those  who took the Secretariat’s entry-level exam; however, the United States  had not funded such positions at the Secretariat. Representation, but Additional Options Exist to Target Professional Positions

State targeted its recruitment efforts for senior and policy-making UN  positions, and, although it was difficult to directly link State’s efforts to UN  hiring decisions, U.S. representation in these positions either improved or  displayed no trend in the five UN agencies we reviewed. State also  increased its efforts to improve overall U.S. representation; however,  despite these efforts, U.S. representation in entry-level positions declined  or did not reflect a trend in four of the five UN agencies. Additional  options exist to target potential pools of candidates for these positions. Although it is  difficult to directly link State’s efforts to UN hiring decisions, the  percentage of U.S. representation in senior and policymaking positions  either increased or did not display a trend at each of the five UN agencies  we reviewed between 2001 and 2005. According to State, the other staff have been recruiting  candidates for professional positions at career fairs and other venues;  however, a large portion of their work has been focused on providing  information to potential applicants and disseminating information on UN  vacancies and opportunities. State prepares annual reports to  Congress that provide data on U.S. employment at UN agencies as well as  State’s assessment of U.S. representation at selected UN organizations and  these organizations’ efforts to hire more Americans. Finally, State has increased coordination with U.S. agencies. Expanding marketing and outreach activities. Analyzing the costs and benefits of sponsoring JPOs. As the lead department in charge of U.S. government efforts to promote  equitable American representation at the UN, State will continue to face a  number of barriers to increasing the employment of Americans at these  organizations, most of which are outside the U.S. government’s control. Because equitable representation of Americans employed at UN  organizations has been a high priority for U.S. interests, we recommended  that the Secretary of State take the following actions:    provide more consistent and comprehensive information about UN  employment on the State and U.S. mission Web sites and work with U.S.  agencies to expand the UN employment information on their Web sites. This could include identifying options for developing a benefits calculator  that would enable applicants to better estimate their potential total  compensation based on their individual circumstances;   expand targeted recruiting and outreach to more strategically reach  populations of Americans that may be qualified for and interested in entry-  and mid-level UN positions; and   conduct an evaluation of the costs, benefits, and trade-offs of:    maintaining a roster of qualified candidates for professional and senior  positions determined to be a high priority for U.S. interests; funding Junior Professional Officers, or other gratis personnel, where  Americans are underrepresented or in danger of becoming  underrepresented.
Why GAO Did This Study

This testimony discusses ways to improve the representation of American professionals at United Nations (UN) organizations. The U.S. Congress continues to be concerned about the underrepresentation of American professionals employed by some UN organizations and that insufficient progress has been made to improve U.S. representation. The equitable representation of Americans at UN organizations is a priority to Congress in part because the United States is the largest financial contributor to most of these organizations. Moreover, according to the U.S. Department of State (State), Americans bring desirable skills, values, and experience that can have a significant impact on UN organizations' operational effectiveness. This testimony is based on a report that we issued on September 6, 2006. This testimoney will discuss (1) U.S. representation status and employment trends at five UN organizations, (2) factors affecting these organizations' ability to meet U.S. representation targets, and (3) State's efforts to improve U.S. representation and additional efforts that can be taken.

What GAO Found

The United States was underrepresented in three of the five UN agencies we reviewed, and increased hiring of U.S. citizens is needed to meet agreed-upon employment targets. Based on UN agencies' formal or informal targets for equitable geographic representation, U.S. citizens were underrepresented at IAEA, UNESCO, and UNHCR, and equitably represented at the UN Secretariat, though close to the lower end of its target range. UNDP had not established a target for U.S. representation, although U.S. citizens filled about 11 percent of the agency's professional positions. Given projected staff levels, retirements, and separations for 2006 to 2010, the Secretariat, IAEA, UNESCO, and UNHCR would need to hire more Americans than they have hired in recent years to meet their minimum targets for equitable U.S. representation in 2010. Summary While the UN agencies we reviewed faced some common barriers to recruiting and retaining professional staff, including Americans, they also faced distinct challenges. Most of these barriers and challenges were outside of the U.S. government's control. Six barriers common to UN agencies we reviewed included nontransparent human resource practices; a limited number of positions open to external candidates; lengthy hiring processes; comparatively low or unclear compensation; required staff mobility and rotation policies; and limited U.S. government support during Americans' efforts to obtain, or be promoted at, a UN job. These barriers combined with distinct agency-specific factors to impede recruitment and retention. For example, candidates serving in professional positions funded by their member governments were more likely to be hired by the Secretariat than those who took the Secretariat's entry-level exam; however, the United States had not funded such positions at the Secretariat. In addition, IAEA had difficulty attracting U.S. employees because the number of U.S. nuclear specialists was decreasing. State has increased its efforts to support the goal of achieving equitable U.S. representation at UN organizations, and additional options exist to target professional positions. State has targeted efforts to recruit U.S. candidates for senior and policymaking UN positions, and, although it was difficult to directly link State's efforts to UN hiring decisions, U.S. representation in senior and policymaking positions either improved or did not reflect a trend in each of the five UN agencies we reviewed. State also has undertaken several efforts to improve overall U.S. representation, including adding staff to its UN employment office and increasing coordination with other U.S. agencies that work with UN organizations. For positions below the senior level, State focused on "getting the word out" by, for example, disseminating information on UN vacancies through its Web site, attending career fairs and conferences, and other means. Despite these efforts, U.S. representation in entry-level positions declined or did not display a trend in four of the five UN agencies we reviewed. Additional options to target potential pools of candidates for professional positions include: maintaining a roster of qualified American candidates; expanding marketing and outreach activities; increasing UN employment information on U.S. agency Web sites; and conducting an assessment of the costs and benefits of sponsoring Junior Professional Officers (JPO), who are entry-level employees that are financially supported by their home government.