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Open Recommendations (121 total)

Sexual Harassment: Actions Needed to Improve Prevention Training for Federal Civilian Employees

GAO-24-106589
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State The Secretary of State should implement the department's plan to evaluate its required sexual harassment prevention training to identify needed improvements. The evaluation should also include an assessment of training content and implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

State Department: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Workplace Diversity and Inclusion

GAO-22-105182
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State The Secretary of State should develop and implement additional actions to enhance accountability for workplace DEIA goals, including for managers and supervisors, such as analyzing the effectiveness of accountability mechanisms. (Recommendation 2)
Open
State concurred with this recommendation. In November 2023, State officials noted, among other things, that the department deployed new DEIA-specific competency requirements for Civil Service employees and supervisors in the 2023 performance management cycle. These competencies include employee responsibility for advancing and integrating the department's DEIA goals, cultural sensitivities, respect for individual differences, and building diverse collaborative networks, according to State. Supervisor performance goals also include modeling behavior that supports a culture of inclusion and impartial treatment of all colleagues while adhering to equal employment opportunity standards and practices. State also noted that the department issued new decision criteria for Foreign Service tenure and promotion that includes performance objectives for diversity and inclusion in the 2022-2023 evaluation cycle. Every Foreign Service employee is required to use concrete examples to demonstrate how they have advanced DEIA to be competitive for promotion, according to State. State also told GAO that it tries to provide transparency to the workforce by sharing how the discipline program holds employees accountable who engage in harassment, discrimination, or other negative behaviors. We will continue to monitor State's progress on implementing this recommendation

President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief: State Should Improve Data Quality and Assess Long-term Resource Needs

GAO-21-374
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State The Secretary of State should ensure the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator develops a documented plan with a timeline for implementing data improvements to fully track and verify PEPFAR program-level budget data, including data used for reporting to Congress, to ensure that these data are complete and accurate. (Recommendation 2)
Open
State accepted our recommendation. In its November 21 letter State stated that starting with funds appropriated for FY 2021 and for funds appropriated in subsequent fiscal years, its system will keep track of the current status of all appropriated funds, allowing for more accurate status of funds in real-time. On February 14, 2023 State informed GAO that actions have been taken, such as improvements to the FACTS Info Next Gen system, and statements of procedure drafted for several processes, which are expected to be finalized in 2023. On March 6, 2024 State officials told GAO they are working on addressing the recommendation but have not provided supporting evidence to close the recommendation.

Human Trafficking: Department of State Collaborates with Partner Governments on Child Protection Compacts but Should Strengthen Oversight

GAO-23-105390
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State The Secretary of State should ensure that the Director of the TIP Office references the need to establish CPC performance indicator targets in key guidance documents, such as the CPC framework. (Recommendation 4)
Open
State concurred with this recommendation in its October 2023 letter providing updates on recommendation progress. GAO will work with the TIP Office to request documentation to address this recommendation.

Consular Affairs: State May Be Unable to Cover Projected Costs if Revenues Do Not Quickly Rebound to Pre-Pandemic Levels

GAO-22-104424
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State The Secretary of State should ensure the Bureau of Consular Affairs measures the statistical variability of unit costs to improve the transparency of the cost estimates used in the fee-setting process. (Recommendation 2)
Open
As of March 2024, State provided us with documentation showing its refined CODaC survey sampling methodology and newly-established data quality standards in FY 2023 that accounts for and reduces statistical variabilities in survey data to improve accuracy of unit cost estimates. State also informed us that, moving forward, they will continue to measure statistical variability of unit costs on an annual basis. We have asked for State to update their projections for a post-COVID environment, including any effects due to the impact of inflation in 2023 and beyond, to close this recommendation.

Cybersecurity: State Needs to Expeditiously Implement Risk Management and Other Key Practices

GAO-23-107012
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State The Secretary of State should direct the CIO to update the department's continuous monitoring strategy to define and document minimum frequency requirements for continuous monitoring of security controls and ensure the implementation of these requirements across department systems. (Recommendation 7)
Open
The State Department concurred with this recommendation. In February 2024, the department stated that its Continuous Monitoring Strategy of Assessment and Authorization defines security monitoring frequencies for metrics and risk management. State has not yet provided evidence of its corrective actions. We will continue to monitor the department's progress and update the recommendation's status when we receive evidence of State's corrective actions.

State Department: Additional Actions Needed to Address IT Workforce Challenges

GAO-22-105932
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State The Secretary of State should direct the Under Secretary for Management to ensure that the IT workforce planning processes and documents in development are completed and updated regularly for the Foreign Service. (Recommendation 2)
Open
The Department of State (State) concurred with the recommendation. In December 2023, State provided the IT Strategic Workforce Plan that included information on Foreign Service IT workforce issues and plans to update the strategic plan every two years. As of March 2024, the department has completed the 2023 workforce plan but has not demonstrated that it established a process for updating its IT workforce planning documents for the Foreign Service regularly. To fully implement this recommendation, State will need to provide evidence that it has established a process for updating its IT workforce planning documents for the Foreign Service.

State Department: Additional Actions Needed to Address IT Workforce Challenges

GAO-22-105932
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State The Secretary of State should direct the Under Secretary for Management to update State's domestic competency and staffing monitoring tools and incorporate the results of these tools in updated workforce planning documents. (Recommendation 3)
Open
The Department of State (State) concurred with the recommendation. In December 2023, State noted that it developed a competency model for Civil Service IT employees and provided the results of the domestic competency study. However, as of March 2024, the department had not yet provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate that it had incorporated any findings into the following year's IT Strategic Workforce Plan and other documents. To fully implement this recommendation, State will need to provide evidence that it has incorporated the domestic competency study into the following year's IT workforce planning documents.

International Military Students: DOD and State Should Assess Vetting Implementation and Strengthen Information Sharing

GAO-24-106421
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State The Secretary of State should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Consular Affairs, and the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor—in collaboration with the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, and the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy—clarify roles and responsibilities for sharing information on issues related to international military students. This should include roles and responsibilities for policy updates, data sharing, and analysis. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

State Department: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Workplace Diversity and Inclusion

GAO-22-105182
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State The Secretary of State should create a plan to improve State's barrier analysis process that ensures all steps of the process are followed. (Recommendation 3)
Open
State concurred with this recommendation. As of November 2023, State's Office of Diversity and Inclusion was leading a DEIA Data Working Group that was developing guidance to facilitate various State bureaus' ability to conduct their own barrier analyses, according to State. State told GAO that the package includes a Standardized Operating Procedure to guide the department's barrier analyses, a template for Memorandum of Understandings that will be signed between the group and State elements that conduct barrier analyses, and a DEIA data request and user rules of behavior form to ensure ethical data use across the department. State's Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the working group are also working to ensure any guidance distributed on State's new barrier analysis process incorporates Equal Employment Opportunity Commission advice and guidance. We will continue to monitor State's progress on implementing this recommendation.
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