22 September 2003
The United States Promotes UN Reform
Reforms Secured Via U.S. Diplomatic Engagement Detailed
The State Department released a fact sheet September 22 outlining examples of how U.S. diplomatic engagement has secured UN reforms.
Following is the text of the fact sheet:
(begin fact sheet)
The United States Promotes UN Reform
"The United States helped found the United Nations. We want the United Nations to be effective, and respectful, and successful."
-- President George W. Bush
57th UN General Assembly, September 12, 2002
Fulfilling the UN's Purposes
The United Nations has many success stories, but it also has had failures and has sometimes wasted valuable resources. In keeping with the President's September 2002 call to the UN to live up to its ideals and core purposes, the United States is encouraging the UN and its specialized agencies to operate more efficiently. By doing so, the UN will be able to contribute more effectively to peace, stability, development, and health in the world, and be ready to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
Standards
To fulfill their intended purposes, UN bodies must count upon leaders and members who reflect the ideals to which the organization is devoted. Nations that violate the norms for which the UN stands or that are under UN sanctions should not be elected to limited membership bodies, such as the UN Security Council or the UN Commission on Human Rights. Nor should these nations be elected to leadership positions in any UN body.
Stewardship
As the United States strives to make the work of the UN more effective, it is important to maintain objective scrutiny of its management and finances and to promote meaningful reforms that make it more efficient. Increasing the influence and responsibility of the UN's most populous and largest contributing nations in the UN budget process would lead to better stewardship. As the proposed UN regular budget for the biennium tops $3 billion for the first time, the United States must continue to seek strict adherence to budget discipline. The cost of new or expanded activities must be offset by terminating low priority and poorly performing programs.
Results
In the General Assembly and the biennial budget process, the United States will push for budgeting that rewards programs that achieve desired results. This approach will require setting standards for success; making regular assessments about whether programs meet those standards; and terminating agencies, departments, and programs that are ineffective or unnecessary.
UNESCO
The President's decision to rejoin UNESCO recognizes that this institution has reformed in areas the United States has sought ever since it withdrew, which include achieving sounder management; streamlining its activities; and living up to its mandates, including press freedom. As the U.S. rejoins, it will continue to support reform as well as to promote international cooperation in education, science, culture, and free access to information.
Streamlining
The work of the United Nations can be made stronger by making it leaner. Many nations agree that the General Assembly's agenda and committee structure could be more focused and streamlined. The U.S. supports the rapid implementation of the Secretary General's reform proposals, for example, to make the Department of Public Information more effective and useful by relying more on information technology and less on paper and excessive personnel.
Appointing Americans
We encourage the hiring of more American citizens throughout the UN system, particularly where they are under represented in terms of an agency's own target levels. Vigorous engagement of more Americans will contribute toward UN agencies' efforts to achieve results and fulfill their founding purposes.
Examples of UN Reforms Secured Through U.S. Diplomatic Engagement
1. In the UN Secretariat, World Health Organization, International Labor Organization, and the Food and Agriculture Organization:
-- Establishment of Inspectors General positions;
-- Initiation of program evaluation and results-based budgeting;
-- Rebalancing of financial responsibilities, including
- reduction of the U.S. regular budget assessment rate to 22% and
- reduction of the UN peacekeeping assessment rate for the U.S. to about 27%;
2. Return of the U.S. as an expert on the UN budget committee;
3. Commencement of UN personnel evaluation and human resources reform; and
4. Elimination of waste and anti-freedom ideology from UNESCO.
(end fact sheet)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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