The Foreign Service Journal, September 2006

therefore make its support of the next U.N. head contingent on a pledge to continue to waive the diplomatic immunity of any employee accused of corruption and an agreement to strongly pursue administrative re- forms designed to clean up the cur- rent mess and sustain honest, effective operations thereafter. Otherwise, in a few months or years it will be business as usual — anything goes. • The position of under secretary- general for management has tradition- ally been reserved for a U.S. official. Washington should ensure that re- mains the case. • Washington needs to remain firm over time in its commitment to finan- cial reform of the United Nations. This will require the appointment of U.S. ambassadors who will pay atten- tion to the issue and be strong in its pursuit. The days of single-issue con- centration on political matters should be over. Ambassador John Bolton is setting a positive and useful standard in this regard. • The U.S. government should make it very clear that it will not sup- port any moves to give the G-77 a larg- er role in the Security Council until and unless the group agrees to signifi- cant reforms in the U.N.’s Budget Committee. Some form of propor- tional representation favoring those who pay the bills would be a good place to start. Financial and adminis- trative processes must also be rational- ized. • Finally, neither the president nor Congress should flinch fromwithhold- ing funds on a targeted basis as lever- age to correct U.N. abuses. For sever- al years in the 1970s and 1980s, UNESCO campaigned to limit press freedom worldwide. The U.S. refused to fund that agency, and eventually its campaign for press control ended. Let me close by stressing that the United Nations does useful work in many areas. And yes, if the U.N. did not exist, the international community 20 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 6 S P E A K I N G O U T The U.N. procurement office has been under fire for years for rigging bids and taking bribes. Get Your Finances In Line With SDFCU Online You can depend on State Department Federal Credit Union for the ultimate in security and convenience with SDFCU Online banking. This FREE service allows you to access your Credit Union accounts via the Internet anytime, from anywhere in the world. Just go to www.sdfcu.org and click the SDFCU Online logo. You can conduct the following Credit Union business: Transfer funds between accounts Check current account balances View your account history over the last 15 months View check images View and pay your credit card bill online Pay Bills and much more!* See just how easy SDFCU Online is! Visit us at www.sdfcuonline.org and check out the easy demo! If you’re interested in becoming a member of State Department Federal Credit Union, give our Member Service Center a call at 703- 706-5000 , or outside the D.C. Metro area at 800-296-8882 . You can also email us at sdfcu@sdfcu.org . SDFCU Online puts us at your service, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whenever you need us the most. Sign up today! *The Bill Payer service is available at no charge for Capital Club members. Otherwise, there is a low monthly fee of $3.95 for unlimited transactions.