SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United Nations Ac-
countability Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION OF PAYMENT OF ARREARAGES TO
UNITED NATIONS.
Until a certification by the President of reforms in
the United Nations under section 3 is transmitted to the
Congress and the certification is approved by the Congress
through enactment of a joint resolution in accordance with
section 4, and notwithstanding any other provision of law,
funds appropriated or otherwise made available for any
fiscal year under ‘‘Contributions to International Organi-
zations’’, ‘‘Contributions for International Peacekeeping’’,
or any other account shall not be available for the payment
of any assessed contribution of the United States for prior
years to the United Nations.
SEC. 3. CERTIFICATION BY THE PRESIDENT OF UNITED NA-
TIONS REFORMS.
The certification referred to in section 2 is a certifi-
cation (with supporting documentation) by the President
to the Congress that the United Nations has implemented
all of the following reforms:
(1) ASSESSED PAYMENT REFORMULATION.—
(A) The assessed payment of the United
States to the United Nations for each year has
been lowered to 20 percent of the budget of the
United Nations, or
(B) The United Nations has reformulated
each member state’s assessed level to reflect
each state’s share of the total world gross na-
tional product.
(2) CODE OF CONDUCT.—The United Nations
has implemented a code of conduct for all employees
of the United Nations. The code of conduct shall
specify that no United Nations official, including the
Secretary General, shall be permitted to engage in
business activities outside the United Nations, or
provide any relative with access to United Nations
procurement contracts, or take bribes, directly or in-
directly, from individuals or corporations doing busi-
ness with the United Nations or from United Na-
tions member states or their representatives.
(3) INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE UNITED NA-
TIONS.—The Office of Inspector General of the
United Nations has been strengthened as follows:
(A) The United Nations has a truly inde-
pendent office of inspector general to conduct
and supervise objective audits, inspections, and
investigations relating to programs and oper-
ations of the United Nations. The office shall
be financed under a separate line item in the
budget of the United Nations and shall function
independently of the Secretary General.
(B) The United Nations has an inspector
general who is selected and elected by the Gen-
eral Assembly for a term of 3 years and whose
appointment was made principally on the basis
of the appointee’s integrity and demonstrated
ability in accounting, auditing, financial analy-
sis, law, management analysis, public adminis-
tration, or investigation. The inspector general
may be removed only for cause by the Secretary
General with the approval of the General As-
sembly.
(C) The inspector general is authorized
to—
(i) make investigations and reports re-
lating to the administration of the pro-
grams and operations of the United Na-
tions;
(ii) have access to all relevant records,
documents, and other available materials
relating to those programs and operations;
and
(iii) have direct and prompt access to
any official of the United Nations.
(D) The United Nations has fully imple-
mented, and made available to all member
states, procedures designed to protect the iden-
tity of, and prevent reprisals against, any em-
ployee of the United Nations making a com-
plaint or disclosing information to, or cooperat-
ing in any investigation or inspection by, the in-
spector general.
(E) The United Nations has fully imple-
mented procedures designed to ensure compli-
ance with recommendations of the inspector
general.
(F) The United Nations has required the
inspector general to issue an annual report and
has ensured that the annual report and all
other relevant reports of the inspector general
are made available to the member governments
of the United Nations General Assembly with-
out modification.
(G) The United Nations is committed to
providing sufficient budgetary resources to en-
sure the effective operation of the office of the
inspector general.
(4) EMPLOYEE
PROTECTION.—The existing
United Nations grievance system has been thor-
oughly reformed to permit United Nations employees
to hire outside counsel for taking their grievances up
the United Nations grievance ladder to the top Unit-
ed Nations grievance appeals level. It should also be
made amply clear for civil lawyers and judges in
each member state that United Nations officials’ im-
munity from civil process applies only to actions per-
formed in the strict fulfillment of United Nations of-
ficial duties and never to abuses in violation of an
extensive United Nations code of conduct, United
Nations employees having the right and option in
such cases any time to exit the United Nations
grievance process and sue in a civil court.
(5) PROCUREMENT REFORMS.—
(A) The United Nations has implemented
a system requiring at least 30 days prior notifi-
cation for the submission of all qualified bid
proposals on all United Nations procurement
opportunities of more than $100,000 and a
public announcement of the award of any con-
tract of more than $100,000 (except in justified
and documented emergencies).
(B) To the extent practicable, notifications
and announcements under subparagraph (A)
are made in the Commerce Business Daily.
(C) The procurement regulations of the
United Nations prohibit punitive actions such
as the suspension of contract eligibility for con-
tractors who challenge contract awards or com-
plain about delayed payments.
(6) WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION.—The Unit-
ed Nations has implemented whistleblower protection
for employees of the United Nations that—
(A) protects employees who allege or re-
port instances of fraud or mismanagement, and
(B) the independent Office of the Inspector
General has reviewed the policies and regula-
tions under subparagraph (A) and determined,
in writing, that they offer adequate safeguards
against retaliation for such employees, and that
the United Nations employee grievance system
outlined in paragraph (4)(C)(ii) has been re-
formed and the reforms implemented.
(7) NO GROWTH BUDGET.—The United Nations
has adopted a calendar year 2000–2001 biennial
budget that requires no nominal growth, in dollars,
in expenditures.
(8) DOWNSIZING.—The United Nations has
continued to downsize the number of authorized em-
ployment positions, including a reduction of not less
than 10 percent in the number of full-time perma-
nent authorized employment positions from the
number of such positions authorized on January 1,
1997. Acceptable downsizing may not include early
detachment from United Nations service with full
pay until retirement age is reached, nor may it in-
clude the hiring of consultants to replace employees
detached early with full pay or those replaced by
temporary employees on short-term contracts.
(9) SALARIES.—The United Nations has im-
posed a freeze on salaries of employees of the United
Nations which allows only for annual increases not
greater than any annual increase in the United
States consumer price index.
(10) REPRESENTATION ON ADVISORY COMMIT-
TEE
ON
ADMINISTRATIVE
AND
BUDGET
QUES-
TIONS.—The 8 member states which are the highest
contributors to the budget of the United Nations
shall be permanent members of the Advisory Com-
mittee on Administrative and Budget Questions.
(11) ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS.—Require access
by any member state of the United Nations Budget
Committee (also known as the Fifth Committee) to
any document concerning any United Nations pro-
gram that involves expenditures.
(12) ANNUAL
REAUTHORIZATION
OF
PEACE-
KEEPING MISSIONS.—The United Nations requires
an annual review and reauthorization of any peace-
keeping missions by the United Nations Security
Council.
(13) REIMBURSEMENT
FOR
UNITED
STATES
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PEACEKEEPING EXPEND-
ITURES.—The United Nations has reimbursed the
United States Department of Defense for voluntary
contributions to United Nations peacekeeping mis-
sions and the United Nations and the United States
have entered into an agreement that calls for United
Nations reimbursement for any future voluntary
contributions by the United States Department of
Defense, whether they be financial, logistical, or ma-
terial.
(14) UNITED STATES ARREARAGES.—The Unit-
ed Nations and the United States have mutually de-
termined an amount that will satisfy any and all ar-
rearages of the United States in assessed contribu-
tions for prior years.
(15) NOMINATIONS TO SECURITY COUNCIL.—
All member states of the United Nations belong to
a regional group that allows each member state to
be nominated to the Security Council.
(16) UNITED
NATIONS
TAXES.—The United
Nations has abandoned any effort to establish an
international tax or any other international fee or
assessment imposed by the United Nations (other
than the assessed contributions of member states of
the United Nations and associated organs).
(17) NONINTERFERENCE WITH RELIGIOUS BE-
LIEF, CULTURE, OR TRADITION.—Neither the Unit-
ed Nations nor any affiliated agency or entity is en-
gaged in any program or activity that threatens to
interfere with the religion, moral values, culture, or
traditions of any person or group, except insofar as
is strictly necessary for the protection of fundamen-
tal and internationally recognized human rights.
SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL OF PRESIDENTIAL
CERTIFICATION.
(a) TERMS OF THE RESOLUTION.—For purposes of
section 2, the term ‘‘joint resolution’’ means only a joint
resolution which is enacted within the 30-legislative day
period beginning on the date on which the President trans-
mits the certification (and supporting documentation) to
the Congress under this Act, and—
(1) which does not have a preamble;
(2) the matter after the resolving clause of
which is as follows: ‘‘That Congress approves the
certification of the President regarding reforms in
the United Nations.’’; and
(3) the title of which is as follows: ‘‘Joint reso-
lution approving the certification of the President re-
garding reforms in the United Nations.’’.
(b) REFERRAL.—A resolution described in subsection
(a) that is introduced in the House of Representatives
shall be referred to the Committee on International Rela-
tions and the Committee on Appropriations of the House
of Representatives. A resolution described in subsection
(a) introduced in the Senate shall be referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appro-
priations of the Senate.
(c) DISCHARGE.—If the committee to which a resolu-
tion described in subsection (a) is referred has not re-
ported such resolution (or an identical resolution) by the
end of the 15 legislative-day period beginning on the date
on which the President transmits the certification to the
Congress under section 2, such committee shall be, at the
end of such period, discharged from further consideration
of such resolution, and such resolution shall be placed on
the appropriate calendar of the House involved.
(d) CONSIDERATION.—(1) On or after the third legis-
lative day after the date on which the committee to which
such a resolution is referred has reported, or has been dis-
charged (under subsection (c)) from further consideration
of, such a resolution, it is in order (even though a previous
motion to the same effect has been disagreed to) for any
Member of the respective House to move to proceed to
the consideration of the resolution. A Member may make
the motion only on the legislative day after the legislative
day on which the Member announces to the House con-
cerned the Member’s intention to make the motion, except
that, in the case of the House of Representatives, the mo-
tion may be made without such prior announcement if the
motion is made by direction of the committee to which
the resolution was referred. All points of order against the
resolution (and against consideration of the resolution) are
waived. The motion is highly privileged in the House of
Representatives and is privileged in the Senate and is not
debatable. The motion is not subject to amendment, or
to a motion to postpone, or to a motion to proceed to the
consideration of other business. A motion to reconsider the
vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to shall
not be in order. If a motion to proceed to the consideration
of the resolution is agreed to, the respective House shall
immediately proceed to consideration of the joint resolu-
tion without intervening motion, order, or other business,
and the resolution shall remain the unfinished business of
the respective House until disposed of.
(2) Debate on the resolution, and on all debatable
motions and appeals in connection therewith, shall be lim-
ited to not more than 2 hours, which shall be divided
equally between those favoring and those opposing the res-
olution. An amendment to the resolution is not in order.
A motion further to limit debate is in order and not debat-
able. A motion to postpone, or a motion to proceed to the
consideration of other business, or a motion to recommit
the resolution is not in order. A motion to reconsider the
vote by which the resolution is agreed to or disagreed to
is not in order.
(3) Immediately following the conclusion of the de-
bate on a resolution described in subsection (a) and a sin-
gle quorum call at the conclusion of the debate if re-
quested in accordance with the rules of the appropriate
House, the vote on final passage of the resolution shall
occur.
(4) Appeals from the decisions of the Chair relating
to the application of the rules of the Senate or the House
of Representatives, as the case may be, to the procedure