United Nations Reform Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-1394
Sponsor: Sen. Smith, Gordon H. [R-OR]
Introduced: 2005-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: AIDS (Disease)
Africa (Sub-Saharan)
Agriculture and Food
Algeria
Antisemitism
Appropriations
Arab-Israeli conflict
Armed Forces and National Security
Armed forces abroad
Arms control agreements
Arms control verification
Arms sales
Asia
Assassination
Auditing
Bahrain
Biennial budgets
Bribery
Caribbean area
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Comoros
Compensation for victims of crime
Competitive bidding
Congress
Congress and foreign policy
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Courts-martial and courts of inquiry
Crime and Law Enforcement
Crime prevention
Crimes against humanity
Criminal investigation
Criminal justice information
Data banks
Democracy
Developing countries
Development credit institutions
Dismissal of employees
Djibouti
Drug abuse
Drug law enforcement
East Asia
Economic assistance
Economic development
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Egypt
Election administration
Embargo
Employee rights
Employee selection
Employee training
Energy
Energy prices
Environmental Protection
Europe
European Union
Evidence (Law)
Ex-offenders
Extradition
Finance and Financial Sector
Financial disclosure
Fines (Penalties)
Food relief
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Fraud
Futures trading
Garnishment
Genocide
Government Operations and Politics
Government ethics
Government liability (International law)
Government procurement
Government publicity
Government travel
Governmental investigations
Health
History
Human immunodeficiency viruses
Human rights
International agencies
International control of nuclear power
International courts
International employees
International environmental cooperation
International military forces
Iran
Iraq
Iraq compilation
Israel
Jewish holocaust (1939-1945)
Jordan
Kuwait
Labor and Employment
Latin America
Law
Lebanon
Libya
Logistics
Mauritania
Middle East and North Africa
Military command and control
Military law
Military occupation
Military operations
Military personnel
Military training
Military withdrawal
Misconduct in office
Morocco
Nongovernmental organizations
Nuclear exports
Nuclear nonproliferation
Nuclear security measures
Oaths
Oman
Pacific area
Palestinians
Peacekeeping forces
Performance measurement
Perjury
Personnel management
Petroleum
Prejudice
President and foreign policy
Promotions
Prosecution
Qatar
Rating of employees
Record votes
Refugees
Religion
Sanctions (International law)
Saudi Arabia
Sex crimes
Sexual harassment
Smuggling
Somalia
Sovereignty
State-sponsored terrorism
Sudan
Syria
Terrorism
Transfer of employees
Travel costs
Treaties
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
United Nations
United Nations delegations
United Nations economic assistance
United Nations finances
United Nations headquarters
United Nations membership
United Nations officials
United Nations structure
United Nations technical assistance
Uranium enrichment
Victims of crimes
War crimes
Waste in government spending
Women
Yemen

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-13
text: United Nations Reform Act of 2005 - Declares that it is incumbent upon the United Nations (U.N.) to enact significant reform measures if it is to restore the public trust. 
Declares it to be U.S. policy to redirect: (1) U.S. contributions to the U.N. To achieve a shift in the funding mechanisms of 18 specified organizational programs of the U.N. from the regular assessed budget to voluntarily funded programs; and (2) a portion of funds from the Public Information and General Assembly affairs and conferences services organizational programs to pursue pursue a streamlined, efficient, and accountable regular assessed budget of the United Nations.
 
Limits the U.S. contribution to the regularly assessed U.N. budget.
 
Requires the redirection of the amount of funds assessed to the United States if, by 2008, the funding mechanisms of one or more of the 18 specified U.N. organizational programs have not been shifted from the regular assessed budget to voluntarily funded programs.
 
States that it shall be U.S. policy to actively pursue weighted voting with respect to budgetary and financial matter in accordance with the level of financial contributions of member states to the regular assessed U.N. budget.
 
Requires the Secretary of State to certify the U.N. budget at an approved level and the withholding of U.S. contributions if certifications cannot be made.
 
Sets forth required U.N.-related certifications respecting: (1) an Independent Oversight Board; (2) the Office of Internal Oversight; (3) an Office of Ethics; (4) a position of Chief Operating Officer; (5) member access to Board of Internal Auditors reports; (6) waiver of immunity; and (7) the oil-for-food program.
 
Directs that U.S. influence be used to: (1) provide for Israel's permanent inclusion in the U.N. Western European and Others Group; (2) provide a mechanism to suspend a member state engaged in genocide or crimes against humanity; (3) establish a human rights body in the U.N.; (4) establish in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) an Office of Compliance, and a Special Committee on Safeguards and Verification; and (4) reform U.N. peacekeeping operations, including opposing any new or expanded peacekeeping operations until appropriate certification.
 
Directs the Secretary to recruit U.S. citizens for positions within international organizations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-14
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 165.
action_date: 2005-07-13
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2005-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate