I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3155 
To promote transparency, accountability, and reform within the United 
Nations system, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 19, 2013 
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To promote transparency, accountability, and reform within 
the United Nations system, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘United Nations Transparency, Accountability, and Re-
form Act of 2013’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents is 
as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Definitions. 
TITLE I—FUNDING OF THE UNITED NATIONS 
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Sec. 101. Findings. 
Sec. 102. Apportionment of the United Nations regular budget on a voluntary 
basis. 
Sec. 103. Budget justification for United States contributions to the regular 
budget of the United Nations. 
Sec. 104. Report on United Nations reform. 
TITLE II—TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR UNITED 
STATES CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNITED NATIONS 
Sec. 201. Findings. 
Sec. 202. Definitions. 
Sec. 203. Oversight of United States contributions to the United Nations Sys-
tem. 
Sec. 204. Transparency for United States contributions. 
Sec. 205. Integrity for United States contributions. 
Sec. 206. Refund of monies owed by the United Nations to the United States. 
Sec. 207. Annual reports on United States contributions to the United Nations. 
Sec. 208. Report on United Nations procurement practices. 
TITLE III—UNITED STATES POLICY AT THE UNITED NATIONS 
Sec. 301. Annual publication. 
Sec. 302. Annual financial disclosure. 
Sec. 303. Policy with respect to expansion of the Security Council. 
Sec. 304. Access to reports and audits. 
Sec. 305. Waiver of immunity. 
Sec. 306. Terrorism and the United Nations. 
Sec. 307. Report on United Nations personnel. 
Sec. 308. United Nations treaty bodies. 
Sec. 309. Equality at the United Nations. 
Sec. 310. Anti-Semitism and the United Nations. 
Sec. 311. Regional group inclusion of Israel. 
Sec. 312. United States policy on Taiwan’s participation in United Nations en-
tities. 
Sec. 313. United States policy on Tier 3 human rights violators. 
TITLE IV—STATUS OF PALESTINIAN ENTITIES AT THE UNITED 
NATIONS 
Sec. 401. Findings. 
Sec. 402. Statement of policy. 
Sec. 403. Implementation. 
TITLE V—UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 
Sec. 501. Findings. 
Sec. 502. Human rights council membership and funding. 
TITLE VI—GOLDSTONE REPORT 
Sec. 601. Findings. 
Sec. 602. Statement of policy. 
Sec. 603. Withholding of funds; refund of United States taxpayer dollars. 
TITLE VII—DURBAN PROCESS 
Sec. 701. Findings. 
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(5) SECRETARY
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Sec-
retary General’’ means the Secretary General of the 
United Nations. 
(6) SECURITY COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Security 
Council’’ means the Security Council of the United 
Nations. 
(7) UN.—The term ‘‘UN’’ means the United 
Nations. 
(8) UNITED
NATIONS
ENTITY.—The term 
‘‘United Nations Entity’’ means any United Nations 
agency, commission, conference, council, court, de-
partment, forum, fund, institute, office, organiza-
tion, partnership, program, subsidiary body, tri-
bunal, trust, university or academic body, related or-
ganization or subsidiary body, wherever located, that 
flies the United Nations flag or is authorized to use 
the United Nations logo, including those United Na-
tions affiliated agencies and bodies identified as re-
cipients of United States contributions under section 
1225(b)(3)(E) of the John Warner National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 (Public Law 
109–364), but not including the International Bank 
for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-
national Centre for Settlement of Investment Dis-
putes, the International Development Association, 
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the International Finance Corporation, the Multilat-
eral Investment Guarantee Agency, and the World 
Trade Organization. 
(9) UNITED
NATIONS
SYSTEM.—The term 
‘‘United Nations System’’ means the aggregation of 
all United Nations Entities, as defined in paragraph 
(8). 
(10) UNITED
STATES
CONTRIBUTION.—The 
term ‘‘United States Contribution’’ means an as-
sessed or voluntary contribution, whether financial, 
in-kind, or otherwise, from the United States Fed-
eral Government to a United Nations Entity, includ-
ing contributions passed through other entities for 
ultimate use by a United Nations Entity. United 
States Contributions include those contributions 
identified pursuant to section 1225(b)(3)(E) of the 
John Warner National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2007 (Public Law 109–364). 
(11) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committees on Foreign Affairs, 
Appropriations, and Oversight and Government 
Reform of the House of Representatives; and 
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(B) the Committees on Foreign Relations, 
Appropriations, and Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate. 
TITLE I—FUNDING OF THE 
UNITED NATIONS 
SEC. 101. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) The United States pays billions of dollars 
into the United Nations system every year (almost 
$7,700,000,000 in 2010, according to the White 
House Office of Management and Budget), signifi-
cantly more than any other nation. 
(2) Under current rules and contribution levels, 
it is possible to assemble the two-thirds majority 
needed for important United Nations budget votes 
with a group of countries that, taken together, pay 
less than 1 percent of the total United Nations reg-
ular budget. 
(3) The disconnect between contribution levels 
and management control creates significant perverse 
incentives in terms of United Nations spending, 
transparency, and accountability. 
(4) The United Nations system suffers from 
unacceptably high levels of waste, fraud, and abuse, 
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which seriously impair its ability to fulfill the lofty 
ideals of its founding. 
(5) Amidst the continuing financial, corruption, 
and sexual abuse scandals of the past several years, 
American public disapproval of United Nations has 
reached all-time highs. A 2013 Gallup poll revealed 
that 50 percent of Americans believe that the United 
Nations is doing a poor job, a negative assessment 
shared by a majority of respondents from both polit-
ical parties. 
(6) Significant improvements in United Nations 
transparency and accountability are necessary for 
improving public perceptions of American support 
for United Nations operations. 
(7) Because of their need to justify future con-
tributions from donors, voluntarily funded organiza-
tions have more incentive to be responsive and effi-
cient in their operations than organizations funded 
by compulsory contributions that are not tied to per-
formance. 
(8) Catherine Bertini, the former United Na-
tions Under-Secretary General for Management and 
director of the World Food Program (WFP), has 
stated that ‘‘Voluntary funding creates an entirely 
different atmosphere at WFP than at the UN. At 
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WFP, every staff member knows that we have to be 
as efficient, accountable, transparent, and results- 
oriented as possible. If we are not, donor govern-
ments can take their funding elsewhere in a very 
competitive world among UN agencies, NGOs, and 
bilateral governments.’’. 
(9) Article XVII of the Charter of the United 
Nations, which states that ‘‘[t]he expenses of the 
Organization shall be borne by the Members as ap-
portioned by the General Assembly’’, leaves to the 
discretion of the General Assembly the basis of ap-
portionment, which could be done on the basis of 
voluntary pledges by Member States. 
(10) Unlike United States assessed contribu-
tions to the United Nations regular budget, which 
are statutorily capped at 22 percent of the total, 
there is no cap on voluntary contributions. 
(11) The United States, which contributes gen-
erously to international organizations whose activi-
ties it recognizes as credible, worthwhile, and effi-
cient, contributes more than 22 percent of the budg-
et of certain voluntarily funded United Nations Spe-
cialized Agencies. 
(12) John Bolton, Former United States Per-
manent Representative to the United Nations, has 
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