Report Contents
What OIG
Inspected OIG inspected executive direction, policy and program implementation, resource management, and information management operations at the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.
What OIG Recommends
OIG made 6 recommendations: 5 to the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and 1 to the Executive Secretariat.
In its comments on the draft report, the Department concurred with all 6 recommendations. OIG considers all 6 recommendations resolved. The Department’s response to each recommendation, and OIG’s reply, can be found in the Recommendations section of this report. The Department’s formal written responses are reprinted in their entirety in Appendix B.
What OIG Found
- The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs successfully supported Department of State policies and its overseas missions despite operating in crisis mode as it implemented multiple high-priority administration policies for the region and managed ordered departures for four missions from 2017 to 2019.
- Multiple crises and priorities challenged the staff’s work-life balance. Bureau leadership responded to these challenges by implementing new processes to help relieve workload pressures.
- The bureau developed effective interdepartmental and interagency relationships despite its heavy workload pressures and staff vacancies.
- Unclear lines of authority, staffing issues, and the separation of the Venezuela Working Group from the Office of Andean Affairs resulted in workplace stress and confusion regarding taskings and supervision.
- Bureau staff did not fully understand the status and role of the recently constituted Migration Working Group.
- The bureau’s lack of management controls for procuring information technology equipment resulted in $300,000 in unnecessary purchases.
- The bureau did not have a records management program and lacked a content management process for its intranet site.
- Spotlight on Success: The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs organized an annual grants training for its overseas mission employees to improve their management of foreign assistance and public diplomacy grants.
Report Terms
Report Recommendations
The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs should delineate the roles and responsibilities of the Office of Andean Affairs and the Venezuela Working Group with regard to the Venezuela crisis and communicate that information to all appropriate Department stakeholders.
The Executive Secretariat, in coordination with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and the Special Representative for Venezuela, should require that all Department requests for action, briefing, and information documents related to Venezuela policies for senior Department principals or interagency equivalents are coordinated through its staff.
The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs should implement management controls for its procurement of information technology equipment.
The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs should implement and enforce written service standards for the Human Resources Unit that comply with Department standards.
The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs should implement a records management program in accordance with Department standards.
The Bureau of Western Hemispheres Affairs should implement a content management process for its intranet site that complies with Department standards.