State Department
Wide Range of Emergency Services Provided to American Citizens Overseas, but Improved Monitoring Is Needed Gao ID: GAO-09-989 September 24, 2009In 2008, the Department of State (State) estimated nearly 5 million U.S. citizens lived overseas, and 64 million trips were taken overseas by U.S. citizens. Since protecting and serving U.S. citizens abroad are among State's chief priorities, State must be prepared to provide emergency assistance to Americans abroad. This report describes (1) what services State provides to U.S. citizens who are the victims of crimes, suffer accidents, or otherwise need emergency services; (2) how State is prepared to assist U.S. citizens who are in need of emergency services; and (3) how State monitors the assistance it provides to U.S. citizens in need of emergency services.
State provides a number of emergency services to American citizens abroad through its network of 267 embassies and consulates in 174 countries. State's emergency services cover circumstances including deaths, arrests, medical or financial concerns, crime, and missing persons' cases. State provides emergency assistance to Americans at all hours, and provides information such as travel warnings to travelers and U.S. citizens living overseas through a variety of mechanisms, including the department's embassy and consulate Web sites. However, our review of a random sample of posts' Web sites found that only 14 percent had emergency phone numbers on the Web sites' main page. State also maintains a warden system to disseminate information from the embassy to U.S. citizens living in the country, and can send messages directly to Americans who provide contact information to the department. State has trained staff dedicated to providing emergency assistance overseas as well as in Washington, D.C. Depending on the size of the post, American Citizen Services (ACS) may be provided by multiple staff, or a single consular officer serving as the sole provider of all consular services including emergency services. Locally engaged staff are a key component of posts' provision of emergency services, as is State's ability to deploy staff where needed when emergencies arise. State provides guidance, largely through the Foreign Affairs Manual, formal on-the-job training, and other resources to ensure staff are able to carry out these services. The Bureau of Consular Affairs has a variety of mechanisms to monitor its provision of emergency services; however, all of these mechanisms have limitations and, as a result, Consular Affairs cannot be assured it is allocating its resources effectively. The ACS system, which is intended to track emergency services provided by posts, and the consular package, which provides post-specific workload information to guide consular resource allocations, both contain unreliable data. For example, reporting weaknesses and unclear guidance associated with the ACS system prevent posts from accurately monitoring and evaluating their workload or using the data to make management decisions. Although State shifts its consular resources to meet emergency demands, absent current and reliable data on the worldwide demand for emergency services, Consular Affairs may not make decisions based on a clear understanding of the global workload.
RecommendationsOur recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.
Director: Team: Phone:GAO-09-989, State Department: Wide Range of Emergency Services Provided to American Citizens Overseas, but Improved Monitoring Is Needed
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Report to Congressional Requesters:
United States Government Accountability Office:
GAO:
September 2009:
State Department:
Wide Range of Emergency Services Provided to American Citizens
Overseas, but Improved Monitoring Is Needed:
[This report was revised on October 1, 2009, to include the list of
congressional requesters on page 32].
GAO-09-989:
GAO Highlights:
Highlights of GAO-09-989, a report to congressional requesters.
Why GAO Did This Study:
In 2008, the Department of State (State) estimated nearly 5 million
U.S. citizens lived overseas, and 64 million trips were taken overseas
by U.S. citizens. Since protecting and serving U.S. citizens abroad are
among State‘s chief priorities, State must be prepared to provide
emergency assistance to Americans abroad. This report describes (1)
what services State provides to U.S. citizens who are the victims of
crimes, suffer accidents, or otherwise need emergency services; (2) how
State is prepared to assist U.S. citizens who are in need of emergency
services; and (3) how State monitors the assistance it provides to U.S.
citizens in need of emergency services.
What GAO Found:
State provides a number of emergency services to American citizens
abroad through its network of 267 embassies and consulates in 174
countries. State‘s emergency services cover circumstances including
deaths, arrests, medical or financial concerns, crime, and missing
persons‘ cases. State provides emergency assistance to Americans at all
hours, and provides information such as travel warnings to travelers
and U.S. citizens living overseas through a variety of mechanisms,
including the department‘s embassy and consulate Web sites. However,
our review of a random sample of posts‘ Web sites found that only 14
percent had emergency phone numbers on the Web sites‘ main page. State
also maintains a warden system to disseminate information from the
embassy to U.S. citizens living in the country, and can send messages
directly to Americans who provide contact information to the
department.
Figure: Emergency Services Provided by American Citizen Services:
[Refer to PDF for image: illustration and photograph]
Photograph of an embassy.
American Citizen Services and Crisis Management:
Emergencies:
* Arrest;
* Death;
* Medical evacuations;
* Repatriation;
* Victims of crime;
* Welfare and wherabouts.
Routine services (e.g. notarials, passports, consular record of birth
abroad, etc.);
Crisis Management.
Sources: GAO and State Department; Corel (clip art).
[End of figure]
State has trained staff dedicated to providing emergency assistance
overseas as well as in Washington, D.C. Depending on the size of the
post, American Citizen Services (ACS) may be provided by multiple
staff, or a single consular officer serving as the sole provider of all
consular services including emergency services. Locally engaged staff
are a key component of posts‘ provision of emergency services, as is
State‘s ability to deploy staff where needed when emergencies arise.
State provides guidance, largely through the Foreign Affairs Manual,
formal on-the-job training, and other resources to ensure staff are
able to carry out these services.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs has a variety of mechanisms to monitor
its provision of emergency services; however, all of these mechanisms
have limitations and, as a result, Consular Affairs cannot be assured
it is allocating its resources effectively. The ACS system, which is
intended to track emergency services provided by posts, and the
consular package, which provides post-specific workload information to
guide consular resource allocations, both contain unreliable data. For
example, reporting weaknesses and unclear guidance associated with the
ACS system prevent posts from accurately monitoring and evaluating
their workload or using the data to make management decisions. Although
State shifts its consular resources to meet emergency demands, absent
current and reliable data on the worldwide demand for emergency
services, Consular Affairs may not make decisions based on a clear
understanding of the global workload.
What GAO Recommends:
To ensure State has accurate, reliable data to monitor and evaluate its
provision of emergency services worldwide, we recommend the Secretary
of State direct State‘s Bureau of Consular Affairs to (1) provide
guidance on information to be entered into the ACS system to ensure
data are consistently captured and reflect workload; and (2) improve
the reporting function in the ACS system. To ensure American citizens
can easily find emergency contact information, we recommend the
Secretary of State (1) require posts‘ main Web site pages to include
emergency contact information; and (2) periodically test the accuracy
of this information. State agreed with our conclusions and
recommendations.
View [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-989] or key
components. For more information, contact Jess Ford at (202) 512-4268
or fordj@gao.gov.
[End of section]
Contents:
Letter:
Background:
State Provides a Variety of Emergency Services to Americans Abroad:
State's Ability to Provide Emergency Services Depends on Having Trained
and Experienced Consular Staff:
Consular Affairs' Mechanisms to Monitor the Provision of Emergency
Services Have Limitations:
Conclusions:
Recommendations for Executive Action:
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology:
Appendix II: Comments from the Department of State:
Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments:
Figures:
Figure 1: Bureau of Consular Affairs Organizational Structure:
Figure 2: Travel and Emergency Services Information Located on State's
Main Web site:
Abbreviations:
ACS: American Citizen Services:
Consular Affairs: Bureau of Consular Affairs:
FAM: Foreign Affairs Manual:
FSI: Foreign Service Institute:
FSO: Foreign Service officer:
LES: locally employed staff:
State: Department of State:
[End of section]
United States Government Accountability Office:
Washington, DC 20548:
September 24, 2009:
Congressional Requesters:
Serving and protecting the nearly 5 million Americans who reside
overseas as well as the U.S. citizens who take more than 64 million
trips to foreign countries each year are chief priorities of the
Department of State (State).[Footnote 1] State's 260-plus embassies and
consulates around the world have staff dedicated to assisting Americans
facing emergencies overseas, such as providing death notification to
the next of kin, or visiting Americans who have been arrested to ensure
they are being treated humanely and understand the charges against them
and the country's judicial process. In a high-profile case that took
place during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the father-in-law of
a U.S. coach was killed by a Chinese national. In response, the U.S.
embassy in Beijing aided the victim's family by coordinating assistance
with Chinese officials and the police, as well as the hospital and
funeral home; assisting with repatriating the deceased's remains; and
directing the family to the various services available to victims of
crime overseas.
Current State data indicate the number of U.S. citizens traveling,
working, and studying abroad continues to grow, leading to a growing
number of Americans who may need U.S. government-provided emergency
services during their travel. For example, State reported that about
3,500 American citizens were arrested abroad in 2004, while close to
6,000 were arrested in 2008.
This report addresses: (1) what services State provides to U.S.
citizens who are the victims of crimes, suffer accidents, or otherwise
need emergency services; (2) how State is prepared to assist U.S.
citizens in need of emergency services; and (3) how State monitors the
assistance it provides to U.S. citizens in need of emergency services.
To describe the services State provides to U.S. citizens who receive
emergency services overseas, we interviewed State officials from the
Bureau of Consular Affairs (Consular Affairs) and the Office of
Overseas Citizens Services and reviewed State guidance, specifically
the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) chapter dealing with Consular
Protection of U.S. nationals abroad. We also traveled to China,
Germany, Mexico, Thailand, and South Africa to observe how assistance
is provided through U.S. embassies and consulates. We reviewed a random
sample of embassy and consulate Web sites to identify the presence of
emergency contact information on those sites. To describe how State is
prepared to assist U.S. citizens in need of emergency services, we
interviewed Consular Affairs officials regarding the process for
determining resource allocations to posts that provide services to U.S.
citizens. We also reviewed the training, guidance, and support provided
for consular staff, and interviewed Foreign Service officers (FSO) and
locally employed staff (LES) about the training and resources available
for American Citizen Services (ACS) related activities. In addition, we
reviewed guidance and support available to assist staff, such as the
FAM, post-specific operating procedures, and the duty program; and
observed FSOs and LES overseas in five countries providing routine and
emergency services such as visiting prisoners in jail. To assess how
State monitors emergency assistance to U.S. citizens and how management
uses this information, we interviewed officials from Consular Affairs
and FSOs overseas about two consular reporting systems. In addition, we
reviewed the 2010 Consular Bureau's Strategic Plan, as well as the
Mission Strategic Plans for four of the five countries we visited. We
also interviewed all seven Regional Consular Officers who are
responsible for providing guidance to more than 90 small posts around
the world, and reviewed 43 of their trip reports, which included
findings and recommendations regarding the provision of ACS in the
countries they cover.
We conducted this performance audit from October 2008 to September
2009, in accordance with generally accepted government auditing
standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit
to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable
basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.
We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for
our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. Appendix I
contains a more detailed description of our scope and methodology.
Background:
The protection of American citizens overseas, including the provision
of emergency services, is one of State's primary functions.[Footnote 2]
Providing these services is the responsibility of Consular Affairs and
is carried out by embassies and consulates.[Footnote 3] Emergency
services available to American citizens overseas include dealing with
arrests, death cases, financial or medical emergencies, welfare and
whereabouts inquiries, and victims of crimes.
State also assists victims of terrorism, kidnapping, child abduction,
and child abuse.[Footnote 4] In addition to providing assistance to
American citizens in need of emergency services, State also provides
routine services, including issuing citizenship documentation;
overseeing federal benefit payments to American citizens living in
foreign countries; providing information on absentee voting; and
notarizing documents. These activities are referred to as American
Citizen Services, or ACS, both in Washington, D.C., and at embassies
and consulates. Before U.S. citizens can receive assistance, they must
first provide proof of U.S. citizenship.[Footnote 5] In cases where
there is uncertainty about citizenship, State regulations indicate that
consular officers should err on the side of providing services until
U.S. citizenship can be determined.
While U.S. citizens may seek assistance from State regarding American
citizens overseas, the Privacy Act of 1974 limits what written, oral,
and electronic information State can share about these citizens.
[Footnote 6] Among the protections the Privacy Act established for
individuals, subject to certain exceptions, federal agencies, including
State, are required to seek consent from a U.S. citizen before
disclosing information held in a system of record regarding that
person. Only after consent is received may information regarding a U.S.
citizen be shared with family or friends, as well as other U.S.
government agencies or private entities.[Footnote 7] Exceptions include
instances in which State deems that an American citizen's health and
safety are in jeopardy.[Footnote 8] Within Consular Affairs, the
directorate of Overseas Citizen Services in Washington, D.C., is
charged with protecting and providing services to U.S. citizens abroad.
[Footnote 9] Consular Affairs also has responsibility for several other
activities, including issuing passports and visas (see fig. 1).
[Footnote 10] Within the Overseas Citizen Services, the Office of
American Citizens Services and Crisis Management is responsible for
providing emergency and routine services to U.S. citizens, and
assistance during major crises such as the 2006 Lebanon
evacuation.[Footnote 11] The Office of American Citizens Services and
Crisis Management is organized according to regional divisions that
cover Africa; East Asia Pacific; Europe; Near East, South, and Central
Asia; and the Western Hemisphere.
Figure 1: Bureau of Consular Affairs Organizational Structure:
[Refer to PDF for image: illustration]
Photograph of an Embassy.
Bureau of Consular Affairs:
Visa Office;
Passport Office;
Office of Policy;
Overseas Citizen Services;
* American Citizen Services and Crisis Management:
- Emergencies:
* Arrest;
* Death;
* Medical evacuations;
* Repatriation;
* Victims of crime;
* Welfare and wherabouts.
- Routine services (e.g. notarials, passports, consular record of birth
abroad, etc.);
- Crisis Management.
Sources: GAO and State Department; Corel (clip art).
[End of figure]
Overseas, emergency services are provided by State's 267 embassies and
consulates in 174 countries.[Footnote 12] Emergency assistance and some
basic consular services are also provided by 46 consular agencies,
which are an extension of existing embassies and consulates and
generally service locations that are far from a post but where a large
number of U.S. citizens live or visit.[Footnote 13] For example, Mexico
has 14 consular agencies in addition to its embassy in Mexico City and
9 consulates.
Approximately 5,000 people work in consular sections at posts overseas,
according to Consular Affairs. Of these consular positions overseas,
approximately 1,450 are FSOs, 3,000 are LES, and the remaining 550 are
in other positions. Each post has a consular section that assists
American citizens with services including routine and emergency
services, and most consular sections also issue nonimmigrant visas. The
ACS sections of these posts employ a variety of consular staff--FSOs,
LES, employed family members, consular associates, consular agents, and
Regional Consular Officers--to assist American citizens. Each consular
section must have at least one FSO who provides management and
oversight to the section and administers certain emergency services
that only an FSO can provide, such as issuing a passport or a report of
death.[Footnote 14] LES perform much of the routine and administrative
services provided by the section, and often assist FSOs with emergency
services. In addition to FSOs and LES, some posts also employ family
members and consular associates. Consular agencies are not assigned an
FSO; rather they are assigned a consular agent, which is a noncareer
appointee of the Foreign Service, who acts under the supervision and
direction of the consular officer at the supervisory post.
The provision of emergency services overseas, as well as the support
provided by Overseas Citizens Services in Washington, D.C., is funded
through a mixture of sources including limited direct appropriations
and various fees collected by State. According to State, for fiscal
year 2008, Consular Affairs collected revenues exceeding $2 billion of
which it retained just over $1 billion for its operating costs, with
the remainder of the funds provided to the Department of the Treasury
or shared with other bureaus in State.[Footnote 15] The majority of
funding for Consular Affairs comes from consular service fees,
specifically Machine Readable Visa fees. These fees are collected and
retained by Consular Affairs to fund consular operations domestically
and overseas, and to fund part of the operations of the regional
bureaus.[Footnote 16] Consular Affairs was unable to provide us the
amount of funding that specifically supports ACS operations both
domestically and overseas because ACS costs are integrated into
Consular Affairs' and the regional bureaus' total costs and not broken
out separately.
State Provides a Variety of Emergency Services to Americans Abroad:
State provides an extensive range of around-the-clock services to
Americans in need of emergency assistance overseas. State also provides
emergency information, through several means, to American travelers and
citizens living abroad on travel and other information of concern, and
maintains a warden system for disseminating information, which is
particularly important in countries with poor communications
infrastructure.
Types of Emergency Services:
State provides a variety of services to assist American citizens who
face emergencies while traveling or living abroad, including assistance
to citizens involving deaths, arrests, financial and medical
assistance, accidents and crimes, and inquiries into the welfare and
whereabouts of citizens.
* Assistance in death cases: According to State, providing assistance
for the next of kin of a deceased American citizen abroad is one of the
most important and difficult tasks for FSOs abroad. Since 2003, State
has reported more than 48,000 death cases involving Americans abroad,
[Footnote 17] with more than 4,500 of those deaths attributed to
nonnatural causes.[Footnote 18] FSOs are required to endeavor to notify
next of kin of the death of an American citizen abroad as soon as
possible and issue the report of death.[Footnote 19] State regulations
and training highlight the need to provide effective service, but also
to exhibit empathy and understanding for the next of kin, who may be
unfamiliar with the foreign laws governing death and the disposition of
remains. State guidance indicates that FSOs should attempt to comply
with the family's wishes to the extent possible, but must also comply
with local regulations and laws, as well as U.S. laws, governing the
identification of remains, the disposition of remains, and autopsies.
For example, in the event that the death is a result of homicide,
suicide, or an accident, the host country is responsible for
investigating the death.[Footnote 20] In addition, posts assist with
and facilitate the disposition of the deceased's remains, while
instructions and funds for this activity are the exclusive
responsibility of the deceased's next of kin or legal representative.
* Assistance to arrestees: FSOs are charged with helping to maintain
the legal and human rights of American citizens arrested and detained
abroad, although American citizens may not be accorded the same rights
and judicial processes they would receive under the U.S. judicial
system. According to State data, approximately 25,000 American citizens
worldwide were arrested overseas from fiscal year 2003 through 2008.
The host country is generally required to inform a detained U.S.
citizen of his right to consular notification and to perform such
notification if requested if it is a party to the Vienna Convention on
Consular Relations or has a bilateral treaty with the United States.
For some countries, consular notification is required regardless of the
U.S. detainee's wishes, and consular officers are typically granted the
right to visit. Furthermore, State regulations require each post to
initially visit or contact the citizen as soon as possible following
consular notification or information about the arrest from another
source, and visit prisoners after sentencing every 6 months; develop
information on the judicial process of each country; and maintain an up-
to-date list of attorneys who have indicated a willingness to represent
American citizens.[Footnote 21] During our visit overseas, we observed
an FSO and an LES visit incarcerated American citizens on two
occasions. They asked prisoners about their health, gave them vitamins,
and asked if they needed assistance from the post. In one instance, a
prisoner requested a new passport and the officer completed the
application during the visit.
* Medical assistance: State may provide medical emergency loans to an
American citizen in need of emergency medical or dietary assistance if
the individual is destitute or incarcerated and cannot receive medical
assistance. For example, in some countries prisoners must pay for
medical assistance as well as food. According to State, approximately
5,300 citizens were provided emergency medical and dietary assistance
loans from fiscal year 2003 through 2008. In addition, in circumstances
where a citizen is critically injured or ill overseas and a local
physician determines the citizen is stable for travel, consular
officers assist families in arranging medical transportation and
provide information regarding the policies and procedures for
evacuating a citizen to the United States. State data show that over
5,000 American citizens received medical evacuations between fiscal
years 2003 and 2008. For example, at one consulate we observed an FSO
and an LES assist in the arrangement of a medical transport to the
United States for a citizen who was injured in a traffic accident. Both
the FSO and the LES worked with medical and local police officials to
coordinate the medical transport and settle any demands with the other
parties involved in the accident.
* Financial assistance: State provides loans to destitute American
citizens to return to the United States. Prior to issuing a loan, the
post is required to make attempts to find other parties, family
members, or friends who might be willing to pay the costs, including
transportation and temporary lodging. When no support can be found, the
post may provide a loan. Until the loan is repaid, the citizen is
barred from using or renewing his or her passport. From fiscal year
2003 through 2008, ACS provided approximately $5.5 million in loans for
over 4,000 cases; approximately 40 percent of the loans were repaid,
according to State officials.[Footnote 22] In addition, State may also
facilitate the transfer of funds from a family member or friend to a
destitute American through an account established at State. The "trust"
is funded by the family, and State disburses the funds to the
individual overseas. Unused funds are returned to the family.
* Assistance to victims of crime: In cases of violent crimes committed
against an American citizen, State addresses the emergency needs of the
victim. In addition, FSOs and LES provide information on the country's
criminal justice system and, in general, ensure that the victim
receives necessary services while in the country and is provided
information on assistance that is available after returning to the
United States. State created the Crime Victims' Assistance Program in
2000 because the needs of victims involved in serious or violent crimes
are notably different from other ACS cases; additionally, some states
have programs to assist these victims once they return. The program
focuses on assisting victims of serious crimes, including homicide,
sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence, armed robbery, assault,
and kidnapping. Assistance to a victim is not conditioned on the
prosecution of a crime or the certainty a crime occurred.
* Welfare and whereabouts of U.S. citizens: FSOs we met with indicated
that inquiries regarding the welfare or whereabouts of American
citizens overseas are the most common emergency assistance provided by
posts. According to State data, consular officers helped concerned
families and friends locate over 200,000 American citizens abroad
annually from fiscal year 2003 through 2008. FSOs and LES will call
local authorities, including police and immigration, as well as
airlines, hotels, and hospitals, to locate a citizen. Although FSOs and
LES may find, contact, and deliver a message to the citizen, the
officials generally cannot disclose information about that person, even
to the party that instigated the search, without the citizen's consent
due to requirements in the Privacy Act.
Emergency Assistance Provided at All Hours:
Emergency assistance to American citizens is available and provided by
posts at any time of day or night. During regular business hours, an
American citizen can come to the post and request assistance. After
hours, the duty officer, an embassy official who is on call nights and
weekends, can be reached by phone, either directly via an emergency
phone number or through the post's guard station or operator, to handle
emergencies such as death and arrest cases. Consular Affairs also
maintains a duty officer in Washington, D.C., to respond to inquiries
and emergencies both domestically and from posts during nonbusiness
hours. Additionally, Consular Affairs contracts with a call center in
Florida that handles both routine information requests and emergency
calls. Emergency service-related calls are forwarded by the center to
consular officials in Washington. According to call center data, from
October through December 2008, 92 percent of the calls were during
normal business hours and a small portion of these calls related to
emergency services.[Footnote 23] For example, 2 percent of the calls
pertained to emergencies abroad, and less than 1 percent pertained to
locating people abroad.
Travel and Emergency Information Is Provided by Consular Affairs
through Several Mechanisms:
Consular Affairs provides information to travelers and Americans living
overseas through several of mechanisms. First, Consular Affairs
provides a variety of information on its consular Web site.[Footnote
24] Second, posts maintain a warden system, which is used to
communicate with Americans living overseas. Third, in the event of an
emergency, posts can directly contact those individuals who registered
their trip with the post.
Specifically, the Consular Affairs Web site includes the following
information:
* Country-specific information such as the embassy or consulate
location and phone numbers in the host country, traffic and road safety
information, health conditions, entry regulations, crime and security
information, and drug penalties. The country-specific information is
updated semiannually.
* Travel alerts that provide information on short-term conditions that
pose immediate risks. They generally remain in place for 90 days or
less.
* Travel warnings that describe long-term conditions that make
countries unsafe or unstable, and are updated every 6 months. Warnings
recommend that U.S. citizens defer or reconsider travel to a country.
* Information for people studying overseas.[Footnote 25]
Embassies and consulates also maintain a warden system for American
citizens living overseas. Wardens are typically American citizens who
have lived in a country or region and have volunteered their
assistance. They distribute both routine messages, including
information on absentee voting or income tax information, and emergency
messages, and might help establish assembly areas and evacuation routes
if necessary. Although communication has improved with the introduction
of cell phones, e-mail, and text messaging, State nonetheless continues
to maintain its warden system to ensure it can communicate with
American citizens about events or threats that may affect their
personal security.
Consular Affairs also provides a mechanism to register one's presence
overseas. The Internet Based Registration System allows American
citizens to provide information about their travels.[Footnote 26] If an
emergency occurs or there is a disaster, and the person has registered
his or her whereabouts with the post, the post will attempt to contact
the citizen if it becomes necessary. Registering travel overseas is
optional and, according to Consular Affairs, most citizens do not
register. About 1.8 million people have used the online registration
system since it was launched in July 2004. According to Consular
Affairs officials, posts are making efforts to increase registrations
by American citizens. For example, at posts we visited, FSOs
distributed handouts with registration information to American citizens
and to travel agencies and hotels that serve American citizens, and
included registration information on their Web sites.
Embassy and Consular Emergency Contact Information Could Be Improved:
While State uses a variety of means, including Web sites, to provide
information for American citizens in need of emergency assistance,
emergency contact information is not immediately apparent on many
embassy or consulate Web sites. State's main Web site has a link on its
front page, under "Travel," that includes a subdirectory on emergency
services, which includes emergency phone numbers to call from the
United States or abroad (see figure 2).
Figure 2: Travel and Emergency Services Information Located on State's
Main Web site:
[See PDF for image: illustration]
The illustration depicts the following highlighed information from
State's Main Web site:
Steps to identify emergency assistance to Americans oveseas:
1. Click on [hyperlink, http://www.state.gov] and choose ’Travel.“
2. Under ’Travel,“ select ’Emergency services. “
Emergency services:
Emergency Assistance to American Citizens Abroad: How to Contact Us:
Overseas Citizens Services: Call 1-888-407-4747 (from overseas: 202-501-
4444) for answers related to questions concerning the:
* Death or injury of an American citizen abroad;
* Arrest/detention of an American citizen abroad;
* Victims of crime abroad;
* American citizens missing abroad.
Sources: GAO and State Department.
[End of figure]
Emergency contact information, however, is not readily available on
many individual posts' main Web site page, which, according to a senior
Consular Affairs official, is a best practice posts are encouraged to
follow. Consular Affairs guidance directs posts to provide the phone
numbers for ACS during business hours, and indicates that, if the
number is different for emergency calls during nonbusiness hours, it
should be identified as an emergency number. Based on a random sample
of embassy and consulate Web sites,[Footnote 27] we estimate that 14
percent had the post's phone number on the main page of its Web site.
[Footnote 28] In addition, none of these Web sites identified the phone
number as an emergency assistance number. In order to identify the
emergency contact information, we had to search the post's Web site.
While all of the posts in our sample had emergency contact information
posted on the ACS portion of the Web site, Consular Affairs has
experienced problems in the past with some of the information on the
ACS sites being outdated or incorrect. In one instance, an agency other
than State received welfare and whereabouts inquiries from an American
citizen who found the agency's e-mail address listed on the consulate
Web site, but the inquiries were not forwarded to the ACS section.
After the incident, the post removed the agency's e-mail address from
the Consulate Web site. In another instance, the emergency number for
the post was correct, but once the post was reached, the emergency
contact number for the duty officer did not work. In addition to post
Web sites lacking contact information, some sites also contained
incorrect information on other topics. For example, two other posts
listed incorrect information regarding the number of reports of death
abroad that can be obtained from the post free of charge.
State's Ability to Provide Emergency Services Depends on Having Trained
and Experienced Consular Staff:
State relies on a cadre of trained consular staff to provide assistance
to U.S. citizens in need of emergency services. Some staff may rotate
through the ACS section at a larger post, whereas at smaller posts, the
consular officer may be the sole provider of all consular services,
including emergency services. LES are a key component of posts'
provision of emergency services, as is State's ability to move both
FSOs and LES from post to post when emergencies arise. State provides
guidance, training, and other resources to ensure staff are able to
carry out these services.
A Post's Size, Rotational Policy, and Experience Levels Affect the
Provision of Emergency Services:
The size of a post and number of FSOs and LES assigned to the consular
section affect whether staff specialize in the provision of emergency
services or rotate among various consular activities. For example, at
large posts, such as those in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico, FSOs
and LES may specialize within the ACS section working either on
emergency or routine services. Furthermore, the FSOs and LES may be
assigned to specific emergency activities, such as making prison
visits, handling death cases, or managing welfare and whereabouts
cases. In contrast, at small posts that may have one or two FSOs, the
FSOs are more likely to be responsible for all consular-related
activities, such as ACS duties both routine and emergency, and may even
split time between sections at the post. For example, at one post we
visited, one of the two FSOs split his time between the consular and
political sections.
Larger posts may also have a rotational policy under which entry-level
FSOs--FSOs on their first or second overseas tour--work in the ACS
section for only a brief time. Although State does not have an
established mandatory post rotational schedule or policy, the posts we
visited typically had FSOs on 6-month rotations, which provided them
the opportunity to experience all the different facets of the consular
sections, such as providing ACS services, conducting visa interviews,
and issuing passports. Both FSOs and LES we interviewed indicated that
the rotating staff must complete a training period of a few weeks in
the ACS section before an FSO can perform and provide emergency
services independently. Senior-level FSOs and Consular Affairs
officials stated that the rotations are important developmental
opportunities that provide a comprehensive consular experience for
entry-level FSOs.
The experience level of FSOs performing ACS emergency services may
differ based on the size of the embassy or consulate. Larger posts
generally have a hierarchy of FSOs, some of whom have extensive
experience and can guide inexperienced officers. For example, the
embassy in Berlin has a Minister Counselor who oversees all consular
services in Germany, an FSO who is also the head of the consular and
ACS sections, and an entry-level FSO for ACS. Nine of the 12 posts we
visited had mid-or senior-level ACS FSOs that managed and interacted
with staff, and we also observed mid-and senior-level FSOs assisting
American citizens directly. In contrast, smaller posts may only have
one or two officers with limited Foreign Service experience. For
example, at many small posts in Africa, the FSOs are on their first or
second overseas assignment, according to Consular Affairs officials. To
address the lack of experience, FSOs at these posts receive guidance
from staff in Washington or from a Regional Consular Officer. Regional
Consular Officers are assigned to provide support to small posts and
conduct assessments of a post's consular operations, as well as advise,
train, and support the post's less-experienced FSOs.[Footnote 29]
LES Are Integral to Posts' Provision of Emergency Services:
LES are integral to posts' provision of emergency services, since they
generally have years of experience assisting American citizens in need
of emergency services, speak the local language, and understand the
local culture and political and legal policies. These LES are also
familiar with State's policies and procedures and, according to
Consular Affairs officials and FSOs at posts we visited, provide the
post with institutional knowledge and continuity. In general, the posts
we visited had LES who had worked in the consular section for years.
For example, in Berlin, Germany, three of the four LES had worked in
the ACS section for more than 20 years; in Beijing, China, two LES had
worked in the ACS section for 8 and 11 years respectively; and in
Johannesburg, South Africa, the senior LES had worked at the post for
25 years.
According to LES at posts we visited, a LES is often the first person
an American citizen encounters at a post, handling initial discussions
on issues ranging from welfare and whereabouts to arrests and deaths.
LES may use their local contacts to check hospitals, police, and hotels
to address a welfare and whereabouts call, or may assist with prison
visits, including sending the notification of visit request and
accompanying the FSO to the prison. According to an FSO, LES also
conduct much of the administrative work associated with emergency
services and therefore are often familiar with many of the details
associated with a case, enabling them to provide continuity concerning
case information for families and the department in spite of FSO
departures or rotations to other posts.
State Has the Flexibility to Move FSOs and LES to ACS in Emergencies:
Although not all ACS sections have a large number of FSOs and LES,
Consular Affairs reported that it has the flexibility to move these
individuals in an emergency. FSOs and LES may be moved from one part of
the consular section to the ACS section when an emergency necessitates
more resources, as was confirmed at posts we visited and consistently
reiterated by Consular Affairs officials. For example, according to the
Minister Counselor of Consular Affairs in Mexico, in response to a
hurricane in 2008, two consulates in Mexico reduced nonimmigrant visa
appointments and moved FSOs and LES within the consular sections to
respond to an increase in emergency services. FSOs from other posts may
also be temporarily reassigned to assist another post. For example,
during the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008, the Beijing post
received FSOs from 10 posts, including Japan, Latvia, and Turkey,
according to an FSO at the embassy.
State Provides Guidance and Training to Assist Consular Staff Provide
Emergency Services:
To support the provision of emergency services by FSOs and LES posted
overseas, State provides specific guidance through the FAM, which takes
into account the flexibility needed to address case-and country-
specific details, according to Consular Affairs officials.[Footnote 30]
For example, the FAM provides step-by-step procedures on making death
notifications, but also recognizes the importance of being familiar
with the laws and practices of the host country regarding such issues
as disposition of remains, autopsies, and issuance of death
certificates, as it is the host country's practices that dictate how a
death case will be handled. The FAM describes every type of emergency
service provided by ACS, and outlines what FSOs and LES can and cannot
do. While the section of the FAM dealing with emergency services is
over 800 pages long, it is online and searchable. According to Consular
Affairs officials, the department sends cables notifying posts when
significant changes to the FAM occur, and State's intranet site also
has a section dealing with updates to the FAM.
In addition to the FAM, some posts develop their own tailored guidance,
such as specific standard operating procedures, which incorporate
country-specific information, as well as handbooks for the duty
officers performing emergency assistance (referred to as a duty book).
The standard operating procedures are based on regulations and FAM
guidance, but may allow an FSO to find guidance more easily than by
searching the FAM. For example, the standard operating procedure for
arrests for the embassy in Beijing indicates which FSOs and LES are
assigned to these cases; designates the responsibilities for prison
visits and administrative tasks; describes the notification and
visitation process, including obtaining a Privacy Act waiver; and
details other specific administrative requirements. In addition, every
post is required to develop and maintain a duty book, which is intended
to contain concise instructions, advice, and references to regulations
on the types of cases or situations that may arise outside of business
hours and that the duty officer may not have prior experience
addressing, since not all duty officers work in the consular section at
post.[Footnote 31] The duty book also generally contains the phone
numbers of the ACS FSOs and often indicates that the duty officer
should call the head of the ACS section or an FSO in the consular
section if unsure how to handle a situation. Our review of duty books
from the posts we visited found that all contained instructions on
calling the head of the ACS section if the duty officer was unsure how
to respond to a call.
According to State officials, State also requires that FSOs and LES
receive training to provide emergency services, which includes both
mandatory and voluntary training for both FSOs and LES that perform ACS
duties, provided by the Foreign Service Institute either in the United
States or abroad.[Footnote 32] For example, prior to an assignment
abroad, every entry-level FSO is required to attend the mandatory 6-
week basic consular course, which focuses on all consular services and,
according to State officials, includes 6 days devoted to the provision
of ACS emergency services. According to State officials, LES must also
take certain consular courses such as the consular correspondence
course on the Laws and Regulations Regarding Overseas Citizens
Services.[Footnote 33] The course is designed to help LES understand
the large and complex body of laws and regulations regarding services
for American citizens overseas. In addition, newly hired consular
agents are required to attend ACS-related portions of the basic
consular course at the Foreign Service Institute within 6 months of
receiving their appointments. State has additional training focused
primarily on ACS, including a course on Assisting Victims of Crime and
a workshop on ACS designed for LES.
Despite the emphasis placed on formal training, the entry-level FSOs we
spoke with indicated that on-the-job training was the primary means by
which they learned what is involved in providing emergency services,
including the associated policies and procedures. For example,
according to an FSO, although the FAM provides guidance about making a
death notification to the next of kin, the challenges encountered in
the situation are difficult to understand until an FSO performs such a
notification. The FSOs indicated that on-the-job training and shadowing
of more experienced ACS officers--or, at smaller posts, learning from
Regional Consular Officers--were the most effective means of ACS
training. The Regional Consular Officers we met with indicated that
they also identify and recommend training opportunities for FSOs and
LES based on needs they identified during their site visits.
Consular Affairs' Mechanisms to Monitor the Provision of Emergency
Services Have Limitations:
The Bureau of Consular Affairs has a variety of mechanisms at the post
level to monitor its provision of emergency services to U.S. citizens.
These mechanisms include the ACS system, consular package reports,
Regional Consular Officer reviews, and consultations between Consular
Affairs and consular management at posts. However, ACS data in both the
ACS system and consular package reports are unreliable owing to
incomplete and inaccurate data case entry by posts. In addition, the
ACS system has functional problems that hamper producing accurate
reports. As a result, Consular Affairs and posts have difficulty using
the ACS system's data to plan workload and make resource allocation
decisions. Further, Consular Affairs does not have adequate information
to comprehensively monitor and evaluate its provision of services
worldwide, and therefore does not know the global demand for its
services or if it is allocating its resources effectively.
The ACS System Tracks Emergency Services Provided Overseas and
Domestically:
The ACS system is a case management tracking system that is employed
worldwide and can be accessed by posts and in Washington, D.C.[Footnote
34] Posts and staff both overseas and in Washington, D.C., use the ACS
system to maintain and organize information regarding cases and to
track their workload. The system is organized around nine categories of
service; some are routine, such as issuing a report of birth abroad or
a passport, and others are related to emergency services. Posts and
staff in Washington, D.C., use the ACS system to maintain and organize
information regarding a case. According to Consular Affairs officials,
information in the ACS system constitutes State's official record of a
case and, according to the FAM, all "significant" details regarding a
case should be entered into the system. For example, if a person is
arrested and sentenced to prison overseas, details about the case,
including when and where the arrest occurred, the charges, the length
of the sentence, and the post's first prison visit should be included
in the ACS system.
The ACS System Has Data Reliability and Functional Problems Limiting
Its Utility:
Data in the ACS system are unreliable due to incomplete and inaccurate
data case entry by posts. We found that not all ACS cases are being
entered into the ACS system. Consular Affairs officials stated that not
all the welfare and whereabouts cases are entered into the system,
which results in incomplete reporting. According to the Embassy in
Jakarta, Indonesia, the post's workload statistics for the first three
quarters of 2008 were underrepresented because several welfare and
whereabouts cases it handled had not been entered into the ACS system.
Furthermore, despite clear guidance in the FAM that posts are supposed
to close out financial assistance cases in the ACS system 72 hours
after a case has been completed, 25 percent of posts do not close out
such cases, according to the Consular Affairs officer responsible for
tracking financial assistance cases. As a result of cases remaining
open, Consular Affairs is unable to determine how much money was
borrowed, how much has been returned, and how much is still owed to the
U.S. government. For example, Consular Affairs noted that at the end of
the first quarter of fiscal year 2009, there was more than $115,000 of
authorized funds still not fully disbursed or accounted for in the ACS
system because some cases had not been closed.
The system's lack of reliable data is partly attributable to unclear
guidance regarding whether certain kinds of information should be
entered into the system. A number of the officials at posts we visited
stated there is a lack of guidance on this issue and, as a result, not
all ACS cases are being entered into the ACS system. First, the FAM
does not make it clear when reporting case information through the ACS
system is required and when it is not. For example, the FAM section
dealing with reporting cases related to court trials states that
"significant actions should be reported."[Footnote 35] However,
"significant" is not defined, which could affect the number of reports
submitted, as officers' interpretation of what is significant may
differ. Second, the FAM requires that officers report through the ACS
system on some types of cases, but not for others. For example, in
death and victims' assistance cases, as well as cases that involve
financial or medical assistance, the FAM indicates what must be
reported in the ACS system, whereas there is no reference in the FAM to
entry of data into the ACS system on welfare and whereabouts cases.
[Footnote 36] Rather, this is left to the discretion of FSOs, according
to Consular Affairs officials.
In addition to the ACS system's lack of reliable data, functional
difficulties in generating reports from the system further limit the
usefulness of its data as a management tool for the posts. Many of the
posts we visited indicated they do not use the ACS system reports to
track their workload because the system often crashes when printing
reports and the reports are not always accurate. For example, when we
asked posts in Germany and Thailand during our visits to provide us a
report listing the open and closed victims' assistance or death
statistics cases from 2003 through 2008, their computers crashed
several times while attempting to produce the reports. Posts also noted
that the reports the ACS system generates are not always accurate,
limiting their usefulness as a management tool. For example, at eight
of the posts we visited, reports for open and closed victims'
assistance cases for 2003 through 2008 were identical, even though the
cases listed in these reports should be mutually exclusive. At the
ninth post, the reports contained incorrect data--closed cases appeared
on the open case report and open cases appeared on the closed cases
report. In order to determine which cases were closed and which were
open, LES stated they relied on their local files rather than the ACS
system reports.
Many of the posts we visited created additional systems for tracking
emergency services, an inefficient use of resources necessitated by the
problems and limitations with the ACS system. In particular, a number
of the posts created spread sheets to track death and arrest cases. For
example, Bangkok kept a spread sheet with the names of American
citizens who had died and for whom next of kin were present and another
list of citizens for whom next of kin needed to be identified and
contacted, along with the name of an LES assigned to handle the case.
In addition, some of the posts we visited maintained a spreadsheet to
track prison visits for arrested and incarcerated American citizens,
since the ACS system does not produce a report containing this
information. Consular officers indicated that the prison spreadsheet
assisted the post in complying with the requirements for arrest cases,
and one consular officer stated that the spreadsheets helped the post
maintain continuity in visitations when staff turnover occurred.
Data in the Consular Package Are Unreliable and Affect Consular
Affairs' Ability to Evaluate Its Workload:
Consular package reports, which are Consular Affairs' main tool for
making resource allocation decisions for consular operations abroad,
also lack reliable data; as a result, Consular Affairs does not know if
it is effectively allocating its resources. The data in Consular
Package reports are unreliable in part because certain sections of the
reports are prepopulated with emergency services data obtained from the
ACS system, which, as noted above, is unreliable. In other instances,
we identified discrepancies in the consular package emergency services
data that could not be explained.[Footnote 37] Additionally,
limitations with the guidance regarding what information should be
entered into the consular package report hamper the data's reliability.
Problems with the consular package reports' reliability are partially
attributed to errors with the prepopulated data obtained from the ACS
system. In particular, FSOs at posts we visited informed us that data
directly transferred from the ACS system to the consular package
reports, such as the number of arrest and death cases, were often
incorrect. For example, FSOs at several of the posts we visited told us
they needed to correct arrest and death case data that had been
provided in the consular package. As a result, Consular Affairs cannot
rely on the numbers that appear in the consular package without first
having posts verify the data.
We also found variations in the consular package data that called into
question its reliability. For example, data from the consular package
system showed variations over time that Consular Affairs could not
explain, such as:
* FSOs in Tijuana, Mexico, performed over 10,000 hours of emergency
services in 2003, 644 hours in 2004, and more than 8,000 hours in 2005.
* In London, England, the number of hours spent on public inquires
fluctuated substantially over several years--from 4,861 in 2004, to 200
in 2006, to 5,160 in 2008.
* In Oslo, Norway, the number of emergency services hours performed by
both consular officers and LES dropped from 1,700 hours in 2004, to
zero in 2005, and then increased to 500 in 2006.
Discrepancies with emergency services data, such as deaths and arrests,
that Consular Affairs provided to us for fiscal year 2003 through 2008
further illustrated reliability problems with its data. [Footnote 38]
For example, State initially reported there were 5,332 arrests in
fiscal year 2007, but our analysis of the consular package data
indicated the number was 3,915. After reviewing our analysis, Consular
Affairs officials indicated that some of the differences we identified
were due to system errors, specifically that data from the consular
agencies were not included in the figures they initially provided us.
Consular Affairs reran the arrest data, and the number of arrests
decreased to 4,487 for fiscal year 2007.
Additional problems with the reliability of the data may be attributed
to limitations associated with the guidance for inputting information
into the consular package. In response to the variations in the data we
noted above, Consular Affairs officials stated that some differences
might be due to different people inputting the data from year to year
and interpreting what information should be included differently.
Consular Affairs is aware that discrepancies exist between the data
posts collect and the data in the consular package system. One reason,
according to Consular Affairs, is that workload queries to the system
conducted by posts may not be run at the same time or in the same
manner as Consular Affairs' workload queries, resulting in differences
in the data. Nonetheless, Consular Affairs has not provided clear
guidance on the appropriate time frame for running queries to address
this discrepancy. We also found that a lack of clarity about defining
certain work activities led to some activities being categorized
differently from year to year based on changes to the guidance. For
example, in 2007, a post in Sweden reported its actual workload
concerning "Other Special Citizen Services cases" remained generally
the same from fiscal year 2006, but was represented as dropping
significantly in the consular package report due to a misinterpretation
of the category's definition.
Consular Affairs has taken steps to compensate for the data limitations
in the consular packages. First, Consular Affairs sends consular
package reports to all posts and asks them to verify or correct the
data in the report. Several posts we visited indicated that they
correct the data in the consular package during the annual review
process. In addition, Consular Affairs includes narrative questions in
the consular package report where posts can supplement the workload
data by providing information about their activities and needs.
However, according to a Consular Affairs official not all questions are
repeated from year to year, making it difficult to determine how
activities or issues identified by posts one year are addressed the
next year or if the activity or issue persists. Further, according to
Consular Affairs officials, they do not aggregate the data because
posts may interpret questions differently. Nonetheless, the bureau uses
the additional information when making resource allocation decisions.
State also has problems estimating the number of work hours associated
with providing emergency services, which further contributes to the
reliability issues associated with consular package data. Consular
Affairs recognizes that ACS work hours are estimates and inherently
difficult to calculate. Unlike work hours for other consular
operations, no two emergency cases are the same and the hours spent
addressing two similar cases can vary widely.[Footnote 39] Further,
whereas some consular services, such as adjudicating a visa, usually
entail a relatively specific and predictable series of steps (an
application, interview, and adjudication), victims' assistance cases
can vary from assault and domestic violence to robbery and rape, and
the amount of time spent on cases can vary depending on the complexity
of the crime and the country in which the crime occurred. In addition,
not all hours devoted to emergency services are captured in the
consular package data since, according to Consular Affairs officials,
posts do not include the ACS work hours performed by duty officers that
provide emergency services outside of normal business hours. Consular
Affairs generally gives posts wide latitude in determining how to
estimate the time they spent annually on the provision of emergency
services, and post estimates can therefore vary widely.
To compensate for weaknesses with the work hour estimates, the bureau
is trying to develop measures that more accurately convey workload and
reflect the complexity of the various types of emergency assistance. In
addition, Consular Affairs officials stated they are developing a
measure to capture a post's outreach efforts, as it considers outreach
useful in educating American citizens on how to avoid situations that
might necessitate emergency assistance. For example, Consular Affairs
recently studied the feasibility of tracking the time consular staff
spend on providing emergency services during nonbusiness hours. The
study highlighted the significant workload associated with such
services, but also revealed that tracking this time is itself a time-
consuming process.
The Regional Consular Officer Program Provides Oversight to Selected
Small Posts:
Regional Consular Officers are tasked with monitoring and evaluating
all consular operations, including the provision of emergency services,
through periodic visits to selected small posts and reports on the
findings of those visits.[Footnote 40] Currently, there are 90 posts
covered by the Regional Consular Officer program, and Regional Consular
Officers have a minimum of 10 posts assigned to them. The Regional
Consular Officer's reports are not used to identify trends that may be
applied globally; rather they focus on individual problems at posts.
The reports also generally have a common format, which includes an
overview section and post staffing levels, followed by more detailed
information on those areas the Regional Consular Officers focused on
during their visit.[Footnote 41] Our review of 43 Regional Consular
Officer trip reports from 2008 and 2009 found varying levels of detail
regarding emergency services, making it difficult to systematically
identify problems based on these reports.[Footnote 42] Regional
Consular Officers may not always review a post's emergency services, as
their reports primarily focus on management controls and other
activities where the potential for fraud or abuse has significant
security and other ramifications, according to a Regional Consular
Officer. In addition, the officer stated that if there isn't much
written about emergency services in a report, it is because no issues
were identified during the visit.
Though Regional Consular Officers indicated they share information and
lessons learned among themselves and with their supervisor, their
reports are not systematically analyzed by Consular Affairs in order to
ascertain if consular operations could be improved worldwide. The
Supervisory Regional Consular Officer in Cairo, Egypt, is responsible
for clearing the other Regional Consular Officer's reports, and may
therefore see themes and identify vulnerabilities in the various
regions or across regions.[Footnote 43] However, according to the
Supervisory Regional Consular Officer, he has not conducted a
systematic review of the reports, and while Consular Affairs also
reviews the Regional Consular Officer reports, it does not
systematically analyze them to ascertain if consular operations could
be improved worldwide. Although the reports are not systematically
analyzed, the Regional Consular Officers themselves reported that they
meet annually to discuss their work and share lessons learned,
identifying common problems or themes. They also routinely share
information via phone calls and e-mails. Additionally, there is a
Regional Consular Officer Web site, available to all posts, which
contains such information as examples of standard operating procedures
and responses to questions posed by posts.
Consultations with Posts Provide Useful Information but Are Not
Required:
According to Consular Affairs officials, supplementing the information
provided by the ACS system, consular packages, and Regional Consular
Officer reports are consultations Consular Affairs holds with consular
and post management regarding their staffing and resource needs.
Consultations occur either when consular management visit Washington,
D.C., or when Consular Affairs officers visit posts; however, the
consultations were not mandatory or routine. Consular Affairs
recognized the value of providing these consultations, and Consular
Affairs recently standardized the practice for outgoing consular
officers, Deputy Chiefs of Mission, and U.S. Ambassadors.
Consular Affairs may also contact a post when reviewing its consular
package submission to obtain additional information regarding its
resource requests, or seek the opinion of Regional Consular Officers
regarding workload and resource allocations given their broad
perspective on such post issues. While the information gathered during
these consultations is factored into resource allocation decisions,
such consultations are not regularly conducted with all posts and
therefore cannot be used to systematically evaluate post needs.
Consular Affairs Does Not Have Adequate Information to Comprehensively
Monitor Its Provision of Emergency Services:
Consular Affairs does not have adequate information to comprehensively
monitor its provision of emergency services worldwide, largely due to
the difficulty of developing meaningful measures, and the limitations
associated with Consular Affairs' existing monitoring mechanisms, such
as the ACS system. As a result, the bureau does not know the global
demand for its services or if it is allocating its resources
effectively. The overall number of cases addressed by posts overseas
does not provide a complete picture of the level of effort expended by
posts, since the measure does not reflect the complexity of the cases.
Additionally, the number of hours spent on emergency service cases does
not provide a sense of the types of emergencies posts address and
whether or not the need for emergency services may be increasing. In
addition to the difficulty of developing meaningful measures,
mechanisms such as the ACS system and consular package, as discussed
earlier in this report, do not provide Consular Affairs with reliable
and complete data to assess the global demand for emergency services.
Consular Affairs officials informed us that the bureau has an
initiative under way to see how it might use the data it collects to
identify trends related to the provision of emergency and consular
services globally. However, as this initiative is ongoing, we were not
able to assess it.
Conclusions:
While State provides a wide range of emergency services to American
citizens overseas, State's ability to comprehensively analyze the
global demand for these services is hampered by limitations with its
data systems. For example, reporting weaknesses and unclear guidance
associated with the ACS system prevent posts from monitoring and
evaluating their workload or using the data to make management
decisions. Moreover, limitations associated with Consular Affairs'
monitoring mechanisms, combined with the inherent difficulty of
measuring emergency service activities, prevent Consular Affairs from
having a clear understanding of the global demand for emergency
services. Although State shifts consular resources to meet emergency
service demands, such as in the case of the Mumbai bombings, resource
allocation, training, and planning decisions may not be based on a
clear understanding of global workload. Absent current and reliable
data on this worldwide demand for emergency services, Consular Affairs
will continue to make resource allocation decisions based on incomplete
and unreliable data. In addition, Consular Affairs views posts' Web
sites as its main outreach mechanism; it is therefore imperative that
American citizens are able to quickly find emergency services
information on these Web sites. However, the vast majority of posts'
Web sites do not contain emergency contact information on their main
pages, forcing individuals to navigate through many Web sites at posts
to get basic emergency contact information, and increasing the risk
these individuals will not obtain these services in a timely fashion,
or at all.
Recommendations for Executive Action:
To ensure the Bureau of Consular Affairs has accurate and reliable data
from the mechanisms used to monitor and evaluate its provision of
emergency services worldwide, and therefore make informed resource
allocation decisions, we recommend that the Secretary of State direct
the Bureau of Consular Affairs to take the following two actions:
* provide guidance on the information to be entered into the ACS system
to ensure that data are consistently captured across posts and
accurately reflect workload, and:
* improve functionality in the ACS system so that Consular Affairs and
posts can use the system more effectively.
To ensure American citizens who experience an emergency overseas can
easily find and identify emergency contact information on post Web
sites, we are making the following two recommendations to the Secretary
of State:
* require posts' main Web site pages to include emergency contact
information, and:
* periodically test the accuracy of the emergency contact information
provided on the posts' main Web site pages.
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:
In written comments on a draft of this report, State concurred with our
conclusions and recommendations. State indicated that it is developing
new FAM guidance which will focus on reporting and provide clear
guidelines on what information to enter into the ACS system. State
indicated it is also working to improve the ACS system, as well as the
data system that provides information for the consular package, and it
will release a new version of the software for testing in November
2009. In addition, State indicated it is developing a new Global
Citizens Services project, which should be implemented by 2014, and is
supposed to facilitate case tracking, ease data entry requirements, and
include appropriate management tools.
State also agreed to make emergency contact information easily
accessible for U.S. citizens abroad and in the United States on post-
controlled Web sites and to periodically test the accuracy of the
emergency contact information. State also indicated it will provide
links to such information on both its main Web site and on the Bureau
of Consular Affairs Web site. Finally, the Bureau of Consular Affairs
noted it plans to undertake a major redesign of its main Web site,
[hyperlink, http://travel.state.gov], beginning in September 2009.
Ensuring better access to emergency assistance information is supposed
to be a redesign priority and should be implemented in the first
quarter of fiscal year 2010, with other changes to the site completed
over the remaining part of the fiscal year.
We are sending copies of this report to interested congressional
committees and the Department of State. In addition, the report will be
available at no charge on the GAO Web site at [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov].
If you or your staffs have any questions about this report, please
contact me at (202) 512-4268 or fordj@gao.gov. Contact points for our
Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on
the last page of this report. GAO staff who made major contributions to
this report are listed in appendix III.
Signed by:
Jess Ford:
Director, International Affairs and Trade:
List of Requesters:
The Honorable Edolphus Towns:
Chairman:
The Honorable Darrell Issa:
Ranking Member:
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform:
House of Representatives:
The Honorable Henry Waxman:
House of Representatives:
[End of section]
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology:
We examined (1) the emergency services that the Department of State
(State) provides U.S. citizens, (2) how State is prepared to assist
U.S. citizens in need of emergency services, and (3) how State monitors
the assistance it provides U.S. citizens in need of emergency services.
To describe the services State provides to U.S. citizens who are the
victims of crimes, suffer accidents, or otherwise need emergency
services overseas, we interviewed State officials from the Bureau of
Consular Affairs, including officials from the Office of Overseas
Citizens Services. We also reviewed State guidance, specifically the
Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) chapter dealing with Consular Protection
of U.S. Nationals Abroad, as well as other relevant sections of the FAM
pertaining to the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Consular Agents, the
Regional Consular Officer Program, and the Warden System. We also
reviewed the relevant sections of the Foreign Affairs Handbook,
including guidance to Consular Agents and Regional Consular Officers,
as well as Duty Officer Guidance and Crisis Preparedness. We also
reviewed additional State guidance, including cables, pertaining to the
provision of emergency services, including preparation of the report
estimating the number of Americans who might need to be evacuated
during a crisis, new procedures for death notification, closing out
financial records, and support for victims of crime overseas. In
addition, we reviewed international agreements such as the Vienna
Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on
Consular Relations and bilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties
related to criminal matters. We also reviewed Memoranda of
Understanding between State and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and
State and the Department of Justice pertaining to victims of terrorism
and crime. To identify the presence of emergency contact information
available on embassy and consulate Web sites, we conducted a simple
random sample of 70 Web sites. One of the posts was deemed out of
scope, leaving us with a final sample size of 69. We selected the
sample from a list of 239 embassies and consulates that provide
American Citizen Services (ACS) identified by State in their consular
packages. Because our sample selection was based on random selection,
it was only one of a large number of samples that might have been
drawn. Since each sample could have produced different estimates, we
express our confidence in the precision of our particular sample's
results as a 95 percent confidence interval. Based on the confidence
interval, we estimate that no less than 7 percent of the Web sites and
no more than 26 percent of the Web sites include contact information on
the main page of posts' Web sites. We traveled overseas to five
countries and 12 posts to observe how emergency assistance is provided
at posts, including Beijing and Guangzhou, China; Berlin and Frankfurt,
Germany; Mexico City, Guadalajara, Matamoras, and Puerto Vallarta,
Mexico; Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand; and Cape Town and
Johannesburg, South Africa. We interviewed ACS officials at all these
posts including the Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs in Beijing,
Berlin, and Mexico City as well as the ACS chiefs at all posts we
visited. We also interviewed other ACS officers including entry-level
officers and locally employed staff who are responsible for the
provision of ACS emergency services at their respective posts, as well
as several duty officers to learn about the training and guidance they
received prior to providing emergency services during nonbusiness
hours. Additionally, we interviewed management and budget analysts from
the Bureau of Consular Affairs, and division directors, desk officers,
and management within the office of Overseas Citizen Services, in
Washington, D.C.
To describe and assess how State is prepared to assist U.S. citizens in
need of emergency services, we interviewed State officials from the
Bureau of Consular Affairs regarding the process for determining
resource allocations to posts and other offices that provide emergency
services. We also interviewed ACS staff, Foreign Service officers,
locally employed staff, and post management including Consuls General
at several posts, and the Chargé d'Affairs and Deputy Chief of Mission
in China, to ascertain how posts manage their emergency services
workload. To assess the training provided by State we interviewed
officials from the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) and obtained records
pertaining to FSI courses that focus on ACS emergency-related services
for both Foreign Service officers and locally employed staff. We also
reviewed overseas and online training opportunities for both Foreign
Service officers and locally employed staff provided by FSI, and we
also attended FSI's training course on Assisting Victims of Crime, held
in January 2009 in Arlington, Virginia, to learn about the issues
associated with providing assistance to victims of crime overseas. In
addition, we reviewed guidance available to assist staff, such as the
Foreign Affairs Manual, post-specific operating procedures, and the
duty program. We also interviewed Foreign Service officers and locally
employed staff at all the posts we visited about the training they
received both formally and on the job, as well as the resources at
their disposal, including training and mentoring provided by Regional
Consular Officers at selected posts, guidance provided by senior-level
consular officers to entry-level officers at large posts, and new
forums for providing information, such as a consular-supported blog
focused on ACS and the Regional Consular Officer forum. We also
observed Foreign Service officers and locally employed staff overseas
at all the posts we visited, providing routine services such as issuing
passports, as well emergency services such as visiting prisoners in
jail and handling death notifications to the next of kin. In addition,
in both Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, we observed post staff
conducting prison visits. However, we did not address the overall
quality of the ACS provided by posts.
To assess how State monitors the assistance it provides to U.S.
citizens in need of emergency services, and how this information is
used to inform management decisions, we reviewed the Consular Bureau's
2010 Strategic Plan and the Mission Strategic Plans for four of the
five countries we visited, including the framework for measuring and
evaluating the bureau's goals specific to ACS emergency services. The
Bureau's Strategic Plan for fiscal year 2011 had not been released
during our review's time frame. We also reviewed State's Performance
Reports for fiscal years 2007 and 2008 and its Annual Performance Plan
for fiscal year 2009 to ascertain how it was measuring and monitoring
its ACS emergency services effort. In addition, we interviewed
officials from the Bureau of Consular Affairs about the data collected
through the ACS system, which is used to monitor the work of posts
overseas, and discussed the problems posts identified with the ACS
systems. We analyzed the annual consular package submissions from
fiscal years 2003 to 2008, which provide data and narrative responses
from all the 238 posts providing consular assistance overseas. Based on
our review of the consular package data, we identified a number of
problems with the data and provided the Bureau of Consular Affairs
examples of problems we identified. Our assessment found
inconsistencies in Consular Affairs data reporting by posts over time,
which present major problems for monitoring and management purposes;
however, we also assessed that the data give a general indication of
the differences in orders of magnitude between the various ACS services
provided worldwide over the time period in question. For example, the
Consular Affairs data recorded roughly 4,500 deaths worldwide from
natural causes during this period, compared to 25,000 arrests, compared
to more than 200,000 welfare and whereabouts cases. Due to the
weaknesses we noted in the data by post and over time, we report these
data in very general terms simply to give a relative sense of State's
activities in each of these areas. Likewise, we interviewed Foreign
Service officers overseas regarding how data provided through the ACS
system are used to monitor and evaluate their own activities.
Additionally, we interviewed all the Regional Consular Officers--in
Bangkok, Thailand; Cairo, Egypt; Frankfurt, Germany; Johannesburg,
South Africa; and Washington, D.C.;[Footnote 44]--who are responsible
for providing guidance to 90 small posts around the world, and reviewed
43 Regional Consular Officer trip reports, which included findings and
recommendations regarding the provision of ACS in the countries they
cover. For 19 of the 43 reports, State provided only those sections of
the trip reports they determined were pertinent to the provision of
emergency services. Nonetheless, during post visits, two Regional
Consular Officers allowed us to review the reports they had written in
their entirety, and based on those reviews we determined that Regional
Consular Officer reports focus mainly on management controls. In
addition, at 9 of the 12 posts we visited, we obtained copies of open
and closed victims' assistance reports. We determined that the data
presented in this report are sufficiently reliable for the purpose for
which they are presented.
[End of section]
Appendix II: Comments from the Department of State:
United States Department of State:
Assistant Secretary and Chief Financial Officer:
Washington, D.C. 20520:
September 18, 2009:
Ms. Jacquelyn Williams-Bridgers:
Managing Director:
International Affairs and Trade:
Government Accountability Office:
441 G Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20548-0001:
Dear Ms. Williams-Bridgers:
We appreciate the opportunity to review your draft report,
"State Department: Wide Range of Emergency Services Provided to
American Citizens Overseas, but Improved Monitoring is Needed," GAO Job
Code 320641.
The enclosed Department of State comments are provided for
incorporation with this letter as an appendix to the final report.
If you have any questions concerning this response, please contact
Monica Gaw, Deputy Director, Bureau of Consular Affairs at (202) 736-
9107.
Sincerely,
Signed by:
James L. Millette:
cc:
GAO - Anthony Moran:
CA - Janice Jacobs:
State/OIG - Mark Duda:
[End of letter]
Department of State Comments on GAO Draft Report:
State Department: Wide Range of Emergency Services Provided to American
Citizens Overseas, but Improved Monitoring is Needed (GAO-09-989, GAO
Code 320641):
The Department thanks GAO for its efforts in evaluating the
Department's emergency services to American citizens overseas. The
Department appreciates GAO's recognition of the services we provide to
U.S. citizens abroad who are the victims of crimes, suffer accidents,
or otherwise need emergency services. The report clearly describes our
preparedness to assist U.S. citizens requiring emergency services. We
would also like to assure Congress that protection of U.S. citizens
abroad is among the Department of State's highest priorities.
The Department appreciates the opportunity to respond to the
recommendations and thanks GAO for a thorough and positive report,
which has already helped us improve access to services and mechanisms
to monitor provision of emergency consular services in some areas, even
as GAO's engagement progressed.
Recommendation: To ensure the Bureau of Consular Affairs has accurate
and reliable data from the mechanisms used to monitor and evaluate its
provision of emergency services worldwide, and therefore make informed
resource allocation decisions, we recommend that the Secretary of State
direct the Bureau of Consular Affairs to:
1. Provide guidance on the information to be entered in the ACS system
to ensure that data is consistently captured across posts and
accurately reflects workload;
2. Improve functionality in the ACS system so that Consular Affairs
management and posts can use the system more effectively.
Response: In general, the Department agrees with the recommendation,
but also recognizes that we must trust our colleagues in the field to
use good judgment to determine what constitutes a high profile or
emergency case. In addition, we must have enough flexibility in our
reporting mechanisms to allow for quick spot reports, followed by case
entry into the ACS case-tracking database.
The Department is developing a new section in volume 7 of the Foreign
Affairs Manual, which will address the broad subject of reporting and
provide clear guidelines on what information to enter into the ACS
system. When published, the Department will introduce this change to
posts abroad by cable and through our ACS Blog and will incorporate it
into our ongoing training programs. The Department is deploying the
State Messaging and Archive Retrieval Toolset (SMART), which
consolidates cables and e-mail, provides search capabilities, and
enables collaboration. It is a user-driven system designed to support
the conduct of diplomacy by integrating commercial applications
including Communicator (IM), SharePoint, Office 2007, and Google
search. When fully deployed, it will provide more targeted message
dissemination as well as greater access to internal information.
The Department is also refining the post management, monitoring, and
oversight duties of officers in the Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) OCS
and EX offices as we improve our ACS and Consular Workload and
Statistical System (CWSS) systems. CWSS is starting validation testing
on September 17, and will roll out near the end of October (estimated
October 21).
The ACS testing and deployment schedule is an estimate only, at this
point. There are many aspects involved in the introduction of this
complex system, which makes it difficult to confirm a final timeline
now. ACS 1.06 beta testing should be complete by the end of September.
Once completed, we plan to deploy in October 2009. ACS 1.07 will begin
beta testing in November 2009, pending some issues with Facial
Recognition, with a planned deployment date of the end of the year,
assuming the beta testing is successful.
The Department is improving and refining its approach to technology in
Citizens Services work. While we are incorporating interim measures in
the existing ACS system, we are also developing a new Global Citizens
Services (GCS) project. The GCS project is a strategic effort that will
transform and modernize the systems supporting the provision of
services to U.S. citizens domestically and abroad. The new system will
be a person-centric case management system that will facilitate case
tracking, ease data entry requirements, and include appropriate
management tools. The GCS project was launched in August 2009 and is
broken into several phases, the dates and durations of which are
estimates and subject to change:
* Phase 1 - 14 months (ending 10/2010) - preliminary study and scope;
high level architecture and requirements; pre-acquisition;
* Phase 2 -- 6 months - (ending 4/2011) - acquisition;
* Phase 3 - 36 months - (ending 2014) - development of a complete GCS
solution. Phase 3 development could be staged to provide new GCS
components as early as 2013 or, perhaps, 2012. Exactly what and when
components will be phased in cannot be estimated until most Phase 1
activities are completed.
Recommendation: To ensure American citizens who experience an emergency
overseas can easily find and identify emergency contact information on
post Web sites, we recommend that the Secretary of State:
1. Require posts' main Web sites to include emergency contact
information;
2. Periodically test the accuracy of the emergency contact information
provided on the posts' main Web sites.
Response: The Department agrees with the recommendation. CA is
coordinating with our embassies and consulates abroad to make emergency
contact information easily accessible for U.S. citizens abroad and in
the United States on postcontrolled web pages, and to periodically test
the accuracy of the emergency contact information. We are also taking
measures to provide links to such information on the Department of
State web page [hyperlink, http://www.state.gov/] and the Bureau of
Consular Affairs' web page [hyperlink, http://travel.state.gov].
In addition, CA is in the planning stages of a major redesign of
[hyperlink, http://travel.state.gov]. Easier and more obvious access to
emergency assistance information is one of the many goals of this
project. The redesign will commence in late September 2009, after the
completion of a formal usability study of the site. To minimize
disruption to site users, changes will be made incrementally throughout
the site over the course of FY2010. Better access to emergency
assistance information will be prioritized and will be implemented in
the first quarter of FY2010.
[End of section]
Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments:
GAO Contact:
Jess Ford, (202) 512-4268, fordj@gao.gov:
Staff Acknowledgments:
In addition to the individuals named above, Anthony Moran, Assistant
Director; Julie Hirshen; John F. Miller; Grace Lui; Jacob Davis; Martin
De Alteriis, Assistant Director; Joe Carney, Justin Fisher, and Suneeti
Shah made key contributions to this report. In addition, the following
staff provided technical assistance: Etana Finkler and Ellery Scott.
[End of section]
Footnotes:
[1] The United States began overseas representation in 1777, 12 years
before the creation of the Department of State.
[2] American citizens are defined as any person who was born or
naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof. U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 1. Under State regulations,
nationals of U.S. territories and dependencies are also eligible for
consular protection and services; however, lawfully permanent residents
are not eligible to receive such services including the spouse and
children of U.S. citizens who are lawfully permanent residents. See
U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual Volume 7 section 012
(May 20, 2009). For the definitions of "national of the United States,"
"nationals but not citizens of the United States at birth," "outlying
possession of the United States," and "lawfully admitted for permanent
residence" see 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(22); 8 U.S.C. § 1408; 8 U.S.C. §
1101(a)(29); 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(20).
[3] In addition to protecting U.S. citizens overseas, State is also
responsible for conducting American diplomacy on behalf of the
President through U.S. representation abroad, foreign assistance
programs, countering international crime, foreign military training
programs, and helping to protect the border of the United States.
[4] In this report we are not addressing children's issues, including
child abduction and adoption, nor are we addressing mass casualty
events, acts of terrorism, or kidnapping.
[5] Proof of citizenship includes having a valid U.S. passport,
naturalization certificate, certificate of citizenship, or Consular
Report of Birth Abroad. In addition to citizenship documents, a
person's name must be cleared by the Consular Lookout and Support
System, which determines if there are any outstanding federal warrants
or any other possible bases for the denial of services. In the event
that such documents have been lost or stolen, citizenship can be
verified through the Passport Information Electronic Records System or
American Citizens Services System.
[6] The Privacy Act of 1974, Pub. L. No. 93-579, 88 Stat. 1896,
codified as amended at 5 U.S.C. § 552a.
[7] 5 U.S.C. § 552a(b) (listing conditions of disclosure).
[8] 5 U.S.C. § 552a(b)(8).
[9] State provides consular services in accordance with international
and U.S. law. This includes the Vienna Convention on Consular Affairs,
bilateral treaties between the United States and the host government,
and the following U.S. statutes and regulations: 22 U.S.C. §§ 1731,
2671(b)(2)(A)(ii), 2671(b)(2)(B), 4802(b), 2715, 2715a; 22 C.F.R. §§
71.1, 71.6.
[10] For previous GAO reports on consular operations see GAO, Border
Security: State Department Is Taking Steps to Meet Projected Surge in
Demand for Visas and Passports in Mexico, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-1006] (Washington, D.C.: July 31,
2008); and State Department: Comprehensive Strategy Needed to Improve
Passport Operations, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-891] (Washington, D.C.: July 25,
2008).
[11] For previous GAO reports on emergency planning and evacuation see
GAO, State Department: Evacuation Planning and Preparations for
Overseas Posts Can Be Improved, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-23] (Washington, D.C.: Oct. 19,
2007); and State Department: The July 2006 Evacuation of American
Citizens from Lebanon, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-07-893R] (Washington, D.C.: June 7,
2007).
[12] This includes missions to international organizations; the branch
office of embassies, U.S. interest section; and American Presence
Posts, which may not provide consular services, but may provide
emergency services.
[13] Consular agencies can also be located in places in which the
United States does not have an embassy or consulate but may wish to
have a consular presence. For example, the consular agency in the
Cayman Islands is part of the consular district of the embassy in
Kingston, Jamaica.
[14] Under some circumstances, such as during the transition of one FSO
to another post, there may be no officer to conduct official business.
Such occasions are infrequent, according to consular officials.
[15] In addition to the fees to fund Consular Affairs' operations, for
fiscal year 2009 State's Congressional Budget Justification included
approximately $3.1 million for Consular Affairs; these funds support 17
positions located in Washington, D.C., and do not include the total for
ACS operations overseas.
[16] State notifies Congress about the funds received from fees, and
retains a portion of them for its operations, rather than depositing
the fees in the Department of the Treasury and having to rely on
appropriations for such operations.
[17] While our assessment of State's Consular Affairs data found
weaknesses that we detail in objective 3, we determined that, in the
aggregate, the data can give a general indication of the relative
magnitude of the different ACS services provided between fiscal years
2003 and 2008.
[18] State identifies nonnatural deaths annually in the "Deaths by Non-
Natural Causes" report, which is required in the Foreign Relations
Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003, Pub. L. No. 107-228, § 204, 116
Stat. 1350, 1363, codified at 22 U.S.C. § 2729. According to State,
nonnatural deaths include deaths as a result of an accident, suicide,
or homicide.
[19] See 22 U.S.C. § 2715b and 22 C.F.R. § 72.5. A Report of Death is
used by the next of kin in lieu of a U.S.-issued death certificate.
[20] The Federal Bureau of Investigation is not involved in the
investigation of deaths of American citizens or citizens who are
victims of crime overseas, unless (1) the citizen deaths are the result
of terrorist activity, or (2) the host country government requests
Federal Bureau of Investigation assistance with an investigation.
[21] State has interpreted this requirement to mean that posts should
attempt to visit an arrested American citizen within 24 hours. In
circumstances in which it is not possible to visit an arrested American
citizen within 24 hours, such as when the arrest occurred in a remote
location, the officer should at a minimum make phone contact with the
prisoner within 24 hours of being notified of the arrest and should
attempt to visit the prisoner within 72 hours.
[22] State indicated that some loans are "written off," generally when
the person who received the loan died before repayment was completed.
[23] Of the 23,333 calls between October 1 and December 31, 2008,
nearly three-fourths sought routine information on topics such as
passports and consular information.
[24] The Consular Affairs Web site can be found at [hyperlink,
www.travel.state.gov].
[25] Information for people studying abroad can be found on State's Web
site, "Students Abroad" [hyperlink, http://studentsabroad.state.gov/]
[26] The Internet Based Registration System can be found on State's Web
site at [hyperlink, https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/]
[27] We drew a random sample of embassy and consulate Web sites.
Because our sample selection was based on random selections, it was
only one of a large number of samples that might have been drawn. Since
each sample could have produced different estimates, we express our
confidence in the precision of our particular sample's results as a 95
percent confidence interval. This is the interval that would contain
the actual population value for 95 percent of the samples we could have
drawn. As a result, we are 95 percent confident that the confidence
interval in this report will include the true value in the study
population. See app. I for additional information on the sample.
[28] Based on a 95 percent confidence interval, we estimate that no
more than 26 percent of the Web sites would include a phone number on
the main page.
[29] These assessments are not formal audits or inspections, although
Regional Consular Officers do make recommendations to improve consular
operations at posts.
[30] Chapter 7 of the FAM is the main guide on emergency services. The
Foreign Affairs Handbook also provides guidance, although its focus on
the provision of emergency-related activities is limited, according to
Consular Affairs officials.
[31] The basic information contained in the duty book is outlined in
the FAM. 2 FAM 113.8 addresses the requirements of the duty officer
guide.
[32] Fourteen courses offered by the Foreign Service Institute contain
ACS-related content, although not of all of them are relevant to
emergency services, such as the courses on Nationality Laws and
Regulations With Regard To Consular Procedures, and Fraud Prevention
for Consular Officers.
[33] Other LES-required courses include Nationality Laws and
Regulations With Regard To Consular Procedures.
[34] Posts wishing to edit a case that was created in another country
must request access to the case information from the post that created
the case. Consular agencies, however, do not have access to the ACS
system since they operate in unsecured locations. Information
pertaining to cases in a consular agency's area is shared with and
inputted by its supervising post.
[35] 7 FAM 450 and 455.
[36] Reporting on deaths and victims' assistance cases is required by
statute. 22 U.S.C. § 2729, 22 U.S.C. § 2715b,
[37] The Consular Package system contains data other than emergency
services data; we did not assess the reliability of the nonemergency
services data.
[38] Consular Affairs obtained the data from the system that produces
consular package reports, and the ACS system.
[39] For example, a death case in which the next of kin is present
generally requires less time to address than a death case in which the
next of kin is unknown.
[40] State's Office of the Inspector General also conducts inspections
on consular services at posts; however, the inspections generally have
focused on activities other than the provision of emergency services.
Likewise, Consular Affairs Consular Management Assistance Teams conduct
evaluations of consular post operations, generally at the invitation of
a post, and these reports generally do not focus on the provision ACS
emergency services.
[41] All of the Regional Consular Officer reports we reviewed followed
the same format.
[42] We requested all of the Regional Consular Officer trip reports
from 2003 through 2008 and were told they were not available
electronically; however, State provided us with 43 reports.
[43] The Supervisory Regional Consular Officer also had 12 countries in
the region where he conducts Regional Consular Officer reviews.
[44] The only Regional Consular Officer we did not interview in person
was the Supervisory Regional Consular Officer who is located in Cairo,
Egypt.
[End of section]
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