Progress Towards an Accountability System in the United Nations Secretariat

A/RES/72/303View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 134 Review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations, published in 2018.

What other versions does this mandate have?

10 versions · 2012–2023

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

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2023	A/RES/77/280	Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat	1,443	29%Compare
2020	A/RES/74/271	Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat	1,594	48%Compare
2019	A/RES/73/289	Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat	1,308	38%Compare
2018	A/RES/72/303	Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat	1,082	37%Compare
2017	A/RES/71/283	Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat	1,162	29%Compare

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

12 reports · 2013–2025

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2025	A/80/468	Fifteenth progress report on accountability : strengthening accountability in the United Nations Secretariat report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/70/255
2024	A/79/696	Fourteenth progress report on accountability : strengthening accountability in the United Nations Secretariat report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/70/255
2023	A/78/678	Thirteenth progress report on accountability : strengthening accountability in the United Nations Secretariat report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/70/255A/RES/77/280
2021	A/76/644	Eleventh progress report on accountability : strengthening accountability in the United Nations Secretariat report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/70/255
2021	A/75/686	Tenth progress report on accountability : strengthening accountability in the United Nations Secretariat report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/74/271

What subjects does this mandate have?

5 subjects

Accountability Internal Oversight Performance Appraisal Programme Evaluation Results-Based Management

What’s in this document?

19 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the seventh progress report of the Secretary-General on the accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat: strengthening the accountability system of the Secretariat under the new management paradigm;1

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

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;

Recalls paragraph 6 of its resolution 71/283, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to intensify his efforts to ensure implementation of the provisions thereof, including outreach activities to staff at all levels on the content of the Anti-Fraud and Anti-Corruption Framework of the United Nations Secretariat³ and of the policy on protection against retaliation;⁴

³ST/IC/2016/25, annex.

⁴ST/SGB/2017/2/Rev.1.

Welcomes the efforts of the Secretary-General towards a strong culture of accountability throughout the Secretariat, acknowledges that a culture of accountability stems from the leadership of an organization, and stresses that an effective accountability system is central to successful management of the Organization;

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;

Recalls paragraphs 8 and 10 of its resolution 71/283;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to make efforts aimed at improving the culture of accountability in the Secretariat, including by continuing to encourage, inter alia, a conducive environment for the reporting of fraud, waste and misconduct, and to continue to take appropriate measures for the protection of whistle-blowers and the prevention of retaliation;

Recalls paragraph 17 of the report of the Advisory Committee, notes with regret that implementation of, follow-up to and reporting on compliance with the resolutions of the General Assembly that pertain specifically to the accountability system remain inconsistent, and reiterates that this information should be included in performance reports on the programme budget;

Reiterates that the timely submission of documents is an important aspect of the accountability of the Secretariat to Member States, notes the ongoing efforts to address the underlying challenges related to documentation, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to ensure the continued inclusion in the senior managers’ compacts of a related managerial indicator;

Recalls paragraph 27 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to provide more details on the measures taken to combat sexual harassment in the Organization and to report thereon in the context of his next report on human resources management;

Also recalls paragraph 35 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General, in the context of his eighth progress report on the accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat, to include comprehensive information on the outcome of his efforts related to streamlining and simplifying the internal policy framework on accountability;

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

Recognizes the importance of results-based management and the need to strengthen the capacity of the Secretariat for programme monitoring and reporting, and requests an update on measures taken in the context of the eighth progress report;

Notes the development of the action plan for the implementation of results-based management in the United Nations Secretariat, 2018–2021⁵ as a critical element of the accountability system, and requests an update on progress made towards the implementation of the action plan in the context of the eighth progress report;

⁵A/72/773, annex II.

Emphasizes that evaluation and self-evaluation are essential managerial tools and that senior managers have the responsibility to use evaluation and self-evaluation findings to improve performance and learning, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to continue to take concrete measures to enhance in-house capacity for self-evaluation, including self-evaluation support within the Secretariat, taking advantage of the existing knowledge and expertise of oversight bodies to ensure that all efforts are made to avoid the duplication and/or overlapping of efforts;

Stresses the need for the Secretary-General to address the deficiencies in the current system of delegation of authority 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, risk mitigation and safeguard measures, and actions to be taken in cases of mismanagement or abuse of authority;

Notes the measures taken to strengthen senior managers’ compacts, and requests the Secretary-General to include information on the effectiveness of these compacts as instruments of accountability in the context of future progress reports on accountability in the United Nations Secretariat;

Recalls paragraph 19 of its resolution 71/283, and requests the Secretary-General to include in future progress reports an overview of the status of accountability in the Secretariat, including information on the impact of specific accountability measures.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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