« Adult Stem Cells and Liver Disease | Main | Sudan Peace Deal Ceremony Opens in Nairobi »

Critics Question Trust in the United Nations Tsunami Relief Effort

The oil-for-food Iraqi relief effort, with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the helm, ended in a complete debacle as members of the security council took bribes and engaged in widespread corruption. The most recent report reveals:

Internal audits conducted by the United Nations of its oil-for-food program revealed lapses in U.N. oversight that allowed contractors to overcharge by hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to copies obtained by The Associated Press.

While UN auditors did uncover this years ago, it remains unclear what steps, if any, the UN took to correct its systemic corruption.

The Tsunami disaster relief will involve the management, oversight and distribution of billions of dollars that are desperately needed by the suffering. Following criticism by the UN for being "stingy", the United States began a relief coalition that was motivated by the crisis but yet was tainted by the obvious political posturing. "It's a chance for the Islamic world and the rest of the world to see American generosity, American values in action," U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell explained. "America is not against Islam, or against Muslim countries."

The coalition also lacked support and was quickly disbanded and given over to the United Nations, who will be solely responsible for the oversight of the relief efforts.

Annan's critics had questioned this week whether the United Nations should be entrusted with the huge flow of aid money while an independent panel appointed by Annan himself was still investigating the Oil-for-Food scandal. [Washington Times]

Following his tour of the Tsunami devastation, Annan is now pressing nations to give $1 billion for immediate distribution and use by the UN for relief. For the sake of Tsunami victims, it is critical that member nations hold the UN accountable and ensure that the monetary aid makes it through the vast UN bureaucracy to those who truly need it.

Update:

Captains Quarter's responds to a New York Times article on UN corruption during the oil-for-food scandal. "Small wonder that Jan Egeland yesterday announced that the tsunami-relief efforts being directed by the UN would release financial disclosures on a regular and ongoing basis during its run. The revelations from OFF show that UN management cannot be trusted to run aid programs competently under normal circumstances."

Posted by tim at January 8, 2005 9:41 PM

Articles Related to International:

Cows in Exchange for Chelsea? - Aug 05, 2005
The Failure of International Welfare to Africa - Jul 31, 2005
Muslim Activists, Italian Government Persecute Critic Oriana Fallaci - May 26, 2005
Soviet Collapse a Tragedy - Putin says - Apr 25, 2005
Threat to Christian Radio in South Africa - Mar 22, 2005
Can the United States Trust UN Inspectors? - Feb 16, 2005
North Korea's Nukes - Feb 10, 2005
Oil-for-Food Report Reveals UN as Conduit of Corruption - Feb 04, 2005
Kennedy Calls for US Withdrawl from Iraq - Jan 27, 2005
Tsunami Death Toll Hits 272,000 - Jan 14, 2005

Comments

The U.N.'s "lack of oversight" in the oil-for-food program sounds like the Pentagon's lack of oversight on some of the companies it's doing business with in Iraq

Posted by: Munir Umrani at January 8, 2005 10:50 PM