I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5375 
To provide for increased accountability and transparency in the United 
Nations. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 17, 2004 
Mr. HYDE (for himself and Mr. LANTOS) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on International Relations 
A BILL 
To provide for increased accountability and transparency in 
the United Nations. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United Nations Ac-
countability Act of 2004’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) There have been allegations of mismanage-
ment, fraud, and corruption in the United Nations 
Oil-for-Food program.
(2) The United Nations Office of Internal Over-
sight Services (OIOS) conducted audits of the 
United Nations Oil-for-Food program. 
(3) These OIOS audits identified mismanage-
ment and ‘‘uneconomical’’ arrangements in the con-
tract entered into by the United Nations for the pro-
vision of independent Oil-for-Food inspection agents 
in Iraq, and observed that the contractor providing 
inspection services in Iraq on behalf of the United 
Nations ‘‘had not fully performed its contractual du-
ties’’. 
(4) The ‘‘overall conclusion’’ of the OIOS audit 
was that ‘‘management of the Contract’’ had ‘‘not 
been adequate and certain provisions of the contract 
had not been adhered to’’. 
(5) Specifically, the OIOS audit concluded the 
contractor failed to maintain inspection agents at 
staffing levels required by the contract, overcharged 
the United Nations, engaged in ‘‘unprofessional con-
duct’’, and reported figures for goods as having ar-
rived that were vastly different than the figures re-
ported by the United Nations. 
(6) The OIOS concluded that the United Na-
tions Office of Iraq Programs needed ‘‘to strengthen 
its management of contracts’’, had failed to des-
ignate anyone in Iraq to manage the contract, and 
that in the ‘‘absence of a contract manager’’, the 
United Nations Office of Iraq Programs had ‘‘no as-
surance that the services provided were in con-
sonance with the spirit and letter of the contract’’. 
(7) It has been and continues to be the policy 
and practice of the United Nations not to release 
OIOS audit reports to member states. 
(8) The United Nations has denied the United 
States access to OIOS audits of the Oil-for-Food 
Program both during and after the life of the pro-
gram, despite repeated requests by the United 
States for access to such audits. 
(9) The ability of member states to fulfill their 
responsibilities in connection with United Nations 
programs is undermined by the nondisclosure policy 
of the United Nations barring full and timely access 
by member states to OIOS audit reports. 
SEC. 3. ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY MEASURES 
FOR THE UNITED NATIONS. 
(a) ACCESS
BY MEMBER STATES
TO OIOS AU-
DITS.—Congress urges the President to instruct the Per-
manent Mission of the United States to the United Na-
tions to use the voice and vote of the United States to 
seek to ensure the United Nations has procedures in place
to ensure that all reports prepared by the OIOS are made 
available, in a timely fashion, fully and without modifica-
tion (except to the extent necessary to protect the privacy 
rights of individuals) to member states of the United Na-
tions. 
(b) REPORT ON FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REQUIRE-
MENTS OF UNITED NATIONS OFFICIALS.—Not later than 
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Department of State shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees a report assessing the adequacy of 
financial disclosure rules and practices for United Nations 
officials together with recommendations for any needed re-
forms identified in the course of the assessment. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) OIL-FOR-FOOD PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘oil- 
for-food program’’ means the program established 
and administered pursuant to United Nations Secu-
rity Council Resolution 986 (April 14, 1995) and 
subsequent United Nations resolutions to permit the 
sale of petroleum products exported from Iraq and 
to use the revenue generated from such sale for hu-
manitarian assistance. 
(2) OFFICE
OF
INTERNAL
OVERSIGHT
SERV-
ICES.—The term ‘‘Office of Internal Oversight Serv-