Progress Towards an Accountability System in the United Nations Secretariat

A/RES/71/283No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 133Review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations, published in 2017.

What other versions does this mandate have?

10 versions · 2012–2023

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/77/280

2023A/RES/77/280Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations SecretariatLatestCompare with previous version
2020A/RES/74/271Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations SecretariatCompare with previous version
2019A/RES/73/289Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations SecretariatCompare with previous version
2018A/RES/72/303Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations SecretariatCompare with previous version
2017A/RES/71/283Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations SecretariatCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

7 topics

Accountability Fraud Internal Oversight Performance Appraisal Programme Evaluation Results-Based Management Risk Management

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2018.

2018A/72/773Seventh progress report on the accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat : strengthening the accountability system of the Secretariat under the new management paradigm report of the Secretary-General

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

20 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the sixth progress report of the Secretary-General on the accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat;1

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;2

Stresses, as one of the essential components of accountability, the importance of compliance with the Charter of the United Nations, its resolutions and the regulations and rules;

Also stresses the indispensable roles of external and internal oversight mechanisms, carried out through regular audit reviews and the issuance of pertinent recommendations, and that the full and timely implementation of the recommendations of oversight bodies, which are aimed at strengthening the performance of managers in monitoring the activities for which they are held accountable, is an essential part of any effective system of accountability;

Welcomes the ongoing work of the High-level Committee on Management of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination related to the preparation of a single set of definitions, to be agreed upon across the United Nations system, of what constitutes fraud, as well as suspected or presumptive fraud, and requests the Secretary-General, in his capacity as Chair of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, to foster this work so as to expedite the completion of this set of definitions and to report thereon in the context of the seventh progress report;

Also welcomes the establishment of the Anti-Fraud and Anti-Corruption Framework of the United Nations Secretariat and the update of the policy on protection against retaliation, and requests the Secretary-General to strengthen them and to report on their implementation and the impact of measures taken in the seventh progress report;

Requests the Secretary-General to conduct a comprehensive fraud risk assessment by mid-2017 in order to better implement internal controls and policies on fraud at Headquarters and in the field missions, and to provide an update in the context of the seventh progress report;

Also requests the Secretary-General to update the legal instruments for engaging third parties, such as vendors and implementing partners, with particular attention to anti-fraud clauses and provisions;

Notes the progress made in implementing the enterprise risk management system throughout the Organization, including in peacekeeping operations, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure the comprehensive implementation of the system in all peacekeeping operations and to provide the General Assembly with updates in the context of the seventh progress report;

Acknowledges the importance of further developing the guidelines for the preparation of agreements with donors and implementing partners, including updating the Financial Rules of the United Nations;

Welcomes the updated policy on protection against retaliation, and emphasizes the need for clear communication and effective implementation and enforcement of the policy in order to ensure a culture of protection and enhance accountability within the Organization;

Requests the Secretary-General to enhance the processes and responses of the Organization to ensure that it encourages the reporting of serious misconduct, protects whistle-blowers from retaliation and intervenes to prevent retaliation from occurring;

Reaffirms that results-based management and performance reporting are essential pillars of a comprehensive accountability framework;

Notes that the Secretary-General did not include in the sixth progress report a detailed plan, with a fixed time frame and clear milestones, for the implementation of results-based management in the regular functioning of the Organization, and reiterates its request that he include such a detailed plan in the seventh progress report;

Recalls paragraph 7 of its resolution 70/255, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to use the tracking mechanism to monitor the status of the implementation of relevant General Assembly resolutions on administrative and budgetary matters and to include comprehensive information on the implementation of such resolutions in the biennial programme performance report;

Reiterates that both senior managers’ compacts and the staff performance management system are important tools for the accountability system, and requests the Secretary-General to incorporate in these tools specific, measurable and time-bound performance goals so that they may become meaningful and powerful instruments of accountability;

Emphasizes that the timely submission of documents is an important aspect of the Secretariat’s accountability to Member States, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to ensure the continued inclusion in the senior managers’ compacts of a related managerial indicator and to report on this issue in the seventh progress report;

Stresses the need for the Secretary-General to address the deficiencies in the current delegation of authority system through the promulgation of well-defined roles and responsibilities of individuals at all levels to whom authority is delegated, systemic reporting mechanisms on monitoring and exercise of delegated authority and actions to be taken in cases of mismanagement or abuse of authority;

Recalls paragraph 23 of its resolution 70/255, and reiterates its request that the Secretary-General include in his next annual progress report substantiated evidence of the results of action taken to strengthen the accountability framework and an assessment of the delivery of key transformational initiatives, their impact on the accountability framework, including enterprise risk management, anti-fraud and anti-corruption controls, and the additional action necessary to further strengthen accountability within the Secretariat;

Requests the Secretary-General, in this regard, to brief the Fifth Committee during the main part of the seventy-second session of the General Assembly on progress made in the preparation of the seventh progress report.

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