U.S. Is Underrepresented in Three of Five UN Agencies and Increased Hiring of Americans Is Necessary to Meet Employment Targets

U.S. citizens are underrepresented at three of the five UN agencies we  reviewed: IAEA, UNESCO, and UNHCR. Given projected staff levels,  retirements, and separations for 2006-2010, these agencies need to hire  more Americans than they have in recent years to meet their minimum  targets for equitable U.S. representation in 2010. U.S. citizens  are equitably represented at the UN Secretariat, though at the lower end of  its target range, while the fifth agency—UNDP—has not established a  target for U.S. representation. U.S. citizens fill about 11 percent of UNDP’s  professional positions. While Common Barriers to Increasing U.S. Representation Exist, UN Agencies Also Face Distinct Employment Challenges

A combination of barriers, including some common factors as well as  agency-specific factors, adversely affects recruitment and retention of  professional staff, including Americans, at each of the five UN agencies. Barriers common to most UN agencies we reviewed include  nontransparent human resource practices, a limited number of positions  open to external candidates, lengthy hiring processes, comparatively low  or unclear compensation, required mobility and rotation, and limited U.S.  government support. For example, candidates  serving in professional UN positions funded by their member governments  are more likely to be hired by the Secretariat than those who take the  Secretariat’s entry-level exam; however, the United States has not funded   such positions at the Secretariat. IAEA has difficulty attracting U.S.  employees because the pool of American nuclear specialists is decreasing. State Has Increased Efforts to Promote U.S. Representation, but Additional Options Exist to Target Professional Positions

State targets its recruitment efforts for senior and policy-making UN  positions, and, although it is difficult to directly link State’s efforts to UN  hiring decisions, U.S. representation in these positions has either  improved or displayed no trend in the five UN agencies we reviewed. State  also has increased its efforts to improve overall U.S. representation,  including adding staff to its UN employment office and increasing  coordination with other U.S. agencies; however, despite these efforts, U.S.  representation in entry-level positions has declined or did not reflect a  trend in four of the five UN agencies we reviewed. U.S. Missions Share U.S. These steps include maintaining a roster of  qualified candidates, expanding marketing and outreach activities,  increasing and improving UN employment information on U.S. agency  Web sites, and analyzing the costs and benefits of sponsoring JPOs. GAO staff who made major contributions to this report are listed in  appendix V.

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

In this report we reviewed (1) U.S. representation status and employment  trends at five United Nations (UN) organizations, (2) factors affecting  these organizations’ ability to meet U.S. representation targets, and (3) the  U.S. Department of State’s current efforts to improve U.S. representation  and additional steps that could be taken. We reviewed five UN organizations: the UN Secretariat; International  Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural  Organization (UNESCO); Office of the United Nations High Commissioner  for Refugees (UNHCR); and UN Development Program (UNDP). These five agencies together comprise approximately  50 percent of total UN organizations’ professional staff. Calculating U.S.
Why GAO Did This Study

The U.S. Congress continues to be concerned about the underrepresentation of U.S. professionals in some UN organizations and that insufficient progress has been made to improve U.S. representation. In 2001, GAO reported that several UN agencies fell short of their targets for U.S. representation and had not developed strategies to employ more Americans. This report reviews (1) U.S. representation status and employment trends at five UN agencies, (2) factors affecting these agencies' ability to meet employment targets, and (3) the U.S. Department of State's (State) efforts to improve U.S. representation and additional steps that can be taken. We reviewed five UN agencies that together comprise about 50 percent of total UN organizations' professional staff.

What GAO Found

The United States is underrepresented at three of the five United Nations (UN) agencies we reviewed, and increased hiring of U.S. citizens is needed to meet employment targets. The three agencies where the United States is underrepresented are the International Atomic Energy Agency; UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. U.S. citizens are equitably represented at the UN Secretariat, though close to the lower end of its target range. The UN Development Program has not established a target for U.S. representation, although U.S. citizens fill about 11 percent of its professional positions. Given projected staff levels, retirements, and separations, IAEA, UNESCO, and UNHCR would need to increase hiring of Americans to meet their minimum targets for U.S. representation in 2010. While the five UN agencies face some common barriers to recruiting and retaining professional staff, including Americans, they also face their own distinct challenges. Most of these barriers and challenges are outside of the U.S. government's control. The common barriers include nontransparent human resource practices, limited external hiring, lengthy hiring processes, comparatively low or unclear compensation, required mobility, and limited U.S. government support. UN agencies also face distinct challenges. For example, at the Secretariat, candidates serving in professional UN positions funded by their governments are more likely to be hired than those who take the entry-level exam; however, the United States has not funded such positions. Also, IAEA has difficulty recruiting U.S. employees because the number of U.S. nuclear specialists is decreasing. Since 2001, State has increased its efforts to achieve equitable U.S. representation at UN agencies, and additional options exist. State has targeted efforts to recruit U.S. candidates for senior and policymaking UN positions, and although it is difficult to link State's efforts to UN hiring decisions, U.S. representation in these positions has improved or displayed no trend in the five UN agencies. U.S. representation in entry-level positions, however, has declined or did not reflect a trend in four of the five UN agencies despite State's increased efforts. Additional steps include maintaining a roster of qualified U.S. candidates, expanding marketing and outreach activities, increasing UN employment information on U.S. agency Web sites, and assessing the costs and benefits of sponsoring entry-level employees at UN agencies.