UNDP WATCH: Can United States clean up the UN alone?

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UNDP WATCH
The trouble does not lie in believing in new ideas, but running away from old ones....John Maynard Keynes

SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2008 Who do you think is responsible of

UNDP's current situation?
Can United States clean up the UN alone?
Kemal Dervis
Ad Melkert
A UNDP WATCH EXCLUSIVE
by Leon Kukkuk Vote   Show results

Whilst the “United Nations Transparency &

Accountability Initiative” is something that Votes so far: 14
Days left to vote: 6
needs to be welcomed and supported I
think there are a number of important
issues regarding the nature and origin of
this initiative that need to be addressed in De PvdA zou er goed aan doen om
order to make it fully effective. oud-minister en partijgenoot
Herfkens uit de partij te zetten,
omdat zij ten onrechte 280
The first and most important concern is that it is an American duizend dollar huurtoeslag
initiative. One of the major obstacles in the way of true UN reform is ontving toen zij voor de VN in
the manner in which it is seen by many as a purely American concern, New York werkte.
and particularly – and even more disturbingly and inaccurately – as a Eens
purely partisan Republican concern. This is being used very Oneens
effectively by UN management to detract from the central imperative
of UN reform - that the UN and its agencies must start working Vote   Show results
effectively in those countries and communities where UN
programmes, peace keeping missions and emergency relief are being
implemented. Votes so far: 16
Days left to vote: 4

An article “Running Amok with John Bolton” by Mike Whitney and

published by OpEdNews.com on 11March 2006 demonstrates this
attitude very concisely. Blog Archive

▼ 2008 (90)
The article starts with a valuable and probably valid critique of John
Bolton. “[H]e has lived up to his reputation as a "loose cannon" that ▼ January (90)
represents neither the American people nor the values espoused in Samaras hits Dervis "below
the UN Charter.” Probably true. the belt"
VS: affaire rondom Herfkens is
It then goes further to provide a politically motivated link of dubious slecht voor VN
value to the widely recognized need of UN Reform and the much Breaking News: Ad Melkert
narrower concerns regarding John Bolton’s appointment: “Under the has received Rental subs...
banner of "Reform", he has affected a number of changes that will
Melkert-Herfkens affair has
forever alter the composition of the UN and eradicate its last vestiges
damaged Dutch reputati...
of legitimacy. In a year or so the United Nations will be just another
American NGO doing the leg-work for the multinational corporations. Melkert-Herfkens: Dutch MPs
That’s good news for Bolton and his friends at the American debate the affair
Enterprise Institute, the ideological headquarters for America’s Global Staff Forum: Make
imperial incursions.” The author may have a point. yourself heard
Nederlanders doen het
This quickly deteriorates to claims about John Bolton (and the New blijkbaar slecht bij de
York Times) “carping about the fictitious "oil for food" scandal” and Vere...
the opinion that “critique of UN failures reads like an extended PvdA zet Herfkens niet uit de
passage from the "Rubaiyat"; great reading, but mostly hot air.” partij

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UNDP WATCH: Can United States clean up the UN alone? Page 2 of 7

Всемирный банк намерен

Really?
последовать
рекомендациям, ...
In order to promote the central tenant of his argument - that John
World Bank Introduces New
Bolton was not a particularly intelligent appointment to the UN - with
Measures to Strengthen
which many people, including myself, (and the US Congress) agree -
G...
the author also expects us to accept, without providing any supporting
argument, that the considerable body of evidence of UN failures July 2007: Message from the
extending back several decades is mostly “hot air.” Staff Council to the A...
"Eveline Herfkens broke the
This harks back to one Mark Malloch Brown – a man who either knows UN/UNDP rules" - says ...
nothing of corruption or pretends not to know what it is - who Chicago Tribune: Improve aid
dismissed all concerns of UN failures as insignificant affairs dreamed plan's methods, UN to...
up by ignorant and ill informed “middle Americans;” likewise spoke of
UNDP = Uncontrollable Nabob
the “so-called” Oil-for-Food scandal and shamelessly promoted his
with Deep Pockets
own failure as UNDP Administrator as “the most dramatic internal
Iraq deputy PM blames
transformation in the history of UNDP” by paying some fool half a
corruption on UN
million Dollars to write a book saying that this is so.(If UNDP “Reform”
was really such a success, many people, including perhaps myself, AFP: - North Korea 'used UN-
would voluntarily have written books about it.) linked accounts for we...
Wall Street Journal Editorial:
It is vital that the “United Nations Transparency & Accountability Turtle Bay Tale
Initiative” becomes and remains depolarised and divorced from Ros-Lehtinen: - "Time has
internal American politics and the equally valid, but essentially come for change at
separate, debate regarding the role of the United States as a member UNDP ...
of the UN, and rest on a platform that impartially includes as many
Coleman investigates another
countries, organisations and concerned individuals as possible. U.N. program: Evidenc...
Probe: UN Program Open to
The United States mission to the UN should use its influence to break
NKorean Abuses
the complete silence regarding reform from other contributing
countries to the UN and bring them aboard this initiative. Many of U.S. report finds N.Korean
these countries are as democratic as the United States. They likewise abuses of U.N. agency
use taxpayer money to fund the UN, but unlike the United States they The fight over EVELINE - get's
are not nearly as wealthy and if anything, less capable of simply to mano-a-mano insi...
throwing money away. Countries that come to mind are Great Britain, More Procurement data vanish
Japan, Norway and the Netherlands (all major contributors to UN inside UNDP labyrinth...
agencies through voluntary contributions.)
UNDP's Treasury Division
failed in 2007 Audit
It is equally vital that the countries where the United Nations do most
Krishan Batra a failed attempt
of its work and where the impact of corruption is felt the most
to change staff opi...
acutely also come aboard. Given our young democracies, the social
challenges of dealing with high unemployment and growing poverty Secret Audit Document shows
levels and economic exclusion are major areas where the major deficiencies and...
international community can play a role. Memorial ceremony for
victims of the Algiers
We want to see how the United Nations and its agencies interact with attac...
their own employees as well as with communities and how they Top Belgium Watchdog at
address developmental impacts. In particular, we are interested in its UNDP’s Executive Board
overall investment in communities and if this is done in a sustainable off...
manner. We are concerned about the moral and ethical considerations
CORIMEC Scandal: It was not
that the United Nations need to take into account. Central to all of a "judgement call"
this is how the United Nations can address negative social, economic
UNDP Uzbek employee left to
and governance impacts in a sustainable and empowerment manner.
his fate

We also hope to empower governments in addressing the impacts of Finger-pointing after attack
outside intervention and to empower local communities to play a on U.N.
more active engagement and monitoring role. The emphasis on Algeria Angered by U.N. Plans
upward accountability to donor administrations has demonstrated its for Bombing Inquiry

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UNDP WATCH: Can United States clean up the UN alone? Page 3 of 7

Department Envoy Speaks

detect (much less to correct) corruption.Strengthening the
the...
accountability toward intended beneficiaries is the most effective way
Procurement Scandal in
of limiting corruption.
Burundi: Donors skeptic
of ...
A very critical precondition for this accountability link to function is
the empowerment of disadvantaged populations with regard to CORIMEC: Did Krishan Batra
decisions on the use of resources. Taxpayers in donor countries can approve the contract wi...
only achieve so much, and often it is very little. La ONU investiga el papel de
Herfkens
At the same time, beneficiaries in recipient countries – especially Armut-Bekämpfung Deluxe
where they are poor and marginalised populations – are almost by
New UN Ethics Guidelines
definition not well positioned to hold their own governments to
Greatly Misleading
account, and even less so donor governments and even less so
arrogant and belligerent institutions such as UNDP. Eveline Herfkens a porté un
grave préjudice au Pvd...
Secondly, during the course of 2007 Ambassador Mark Wallace had 'Massale irritatie bij PvdA over
written letters to a number of UN Agencies (UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF) Herfkens'
regarding the status of reforms. Even though he received encouraging While Dervis tries to figure
responses it has to be taken into account that the UN is very good at out who's fault was t...
producing positive documents and innovative guidelines. They are Who broke the rules on
absolutely hopeless at implementing them. There are many reasons Herfken's case?
for this. It is possible to touch only very briefly on some of this here.
UN investigating conduct of
senior Dutch official
Any anti-corruption initiative should be concerned with institutional
relational analysis alongside conventional activities analysis. U.N. Ignores Its Own
Procurement Ban
It should start from the assumption that management and donors will A Culture of Impunity at the
not voluntarily act in the interest of society, the environment or avoid United Nations
benefiting at the expense of others. This initiative should challenge Positie Herfkens bij VN in
the common notion of what constitutes international responsibility gevaar
and arrive at a new way of looking at how responsible management
Poverty Czar at UNDP
practices can contribute effectively to the values of the United Herfkens Said to Accept
Nations. $7000...
Presse néerlandaise du
All policy interventions have their own limitations, and the fact that
vendredi 11 janvier 2008
many UN operations still confuse social responsibility with
philanthropy or hand outs, has resulted in numerous problems Dimitri Samaras the first
associated with omissions, deliberate cutting of corners, and overt victim of TUZLA investig...
and covert misrepresentations. Swedish Government cuts
UNDP Funding
What is striking about UN reports is what the United Nations does not Liquid rules
report on – the omissions in reporting on negative impacts, failed
UN official's rent deal, MPs
policies, inappropriate and outdated intervention philosophies and
want answers (Parliam...
ignorance. Evaluations are paid for by donor agencies and in that
Kamervragen over affaire-
sense are not independent. Evaluations undergo substantial revisions
Herfkens
prior to being placed in the public domain. Beneficiaries themselves
who may wish to determine that their views, complaints or De Derde-Wereld-graaiers van
suggestions have been recorded are typically not in a situation to de PvdA en de VN
access these documents. De zaak-Herfkens
Kamer stort zich op vermeend
While in some cases information exists and access is guaranteed, it is Herfkens-schandaal
not always in a format that can be analyzed and that allows
A Dutch-woman in New York
constructive and corrective action to be taken. Corruption thrives in
(Dutch Government was
environments where information is either too segmented or
pa...
aggregated, is not comparable and prevents meaningful conclusions on
financial resource utilization from being drawn. It is difficult, and AD Melkert the most corrupt
Dutch Politician speak...
often impossible, for a local community, NGO or public interest group
to determine exactly what an UN intervention has been ‘programmed’ Corruption Dutch Style ......

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UNDP WATCH: Can United States clean up the UN alone? Page 4 of 7

SCANDAL IN UNDP SRI LANKA:

to do in a particular area, how decisions are made on investments and
project to transform th...
who gets paid how much to do what. The practical enactment of very
Corrumperen met Eveline
high and important principles, or ethics, have no meaning other than
Herfkens
when they are translated into action.
Elsevier: Oud-minister
The United Nations do claim to have systems to help reinforce its Herfkens thuis na
values, to assist staff and organizations in meeting performance conflict ...
standards and to ensure that it works effectively and efficiently, but Ali Alzatari cancel 11:00
the systems are patchy and self-policed if policed at all.One of the meeting of ACP - UNDP
biggest challenges to the International Community today is how to ma...
maintain an honest relationship with their clients when these number Melkert-Herfkens Affair get's
in the millions and when they seek to provide assistance in situations cover page in Dutch ...
of chaos and fear.
Breaking News: Melkert-
Herfkens Affair (Dutch
There is a frightening lack of institutional learning in UN agencies. Medi...
Rapid staff turnover, poor investment in training and little focus on
Kemal Dervis prepares for his
knowledge management as a driving force for the organization mean
Kurban-Bairam "holid...
that experience rests at best in a few long forgotten reports. Few
systems for institutional learning seem to be functional. Improvement Oppose Handing UNDP Control
here is critical if UN agencies are to become innovative and able to of U.N. Country Activi...
balance local dynamics against global standards. The UNDP North Korea
Scandal: How Congress and
The overall knowledge base of the United Nations also needs the...
expanding. Its work involves a huge range of skills, and an enormously Sworn to secrecy
diverse body of knowledge. In effect it draws upon many professions
UNDP behind the vote-rigging
from medicine to engineering to law to political science. In the course scandal in Pakistan -...
of implementing programmes, any combination of these skills may be
Can United States clean up
called upon. The United Nations has a tendency to elevate technical
the UN alone?
knowledge and skills around assistance almost to the exclusion of
other bodies of knowledge, such as international law, human rights, Three U.S. Agencies
developmental processes or disaster mitigation.A more complex Reviewing Decision to
understanding of rights and justice issues and the ability to articulate Export H...
and operationalise these are essential. U.S. Licensing High-Tech
Exports to Syria Under U....
The idealism of the United Nations is too often expressed in charitable Reprisal Indicated In a U.N.
notions or concerns to bolster up state failings. It should be people, Program - Agency Rebu...
and not states, that should take the centre stage. Of particular
Whistleblower Claim
concern is the relationship that exists between UN agencies and Threatens To Unravel U.N.
regimes such as North Korea, Burma, and Syria. Comp...
Second Former U.N. Worker
The United Nations needs as in-depth an understanding of human
Seeks Whistleblower Prot...
rights and justice issues as it applies to individuals as they do of
nutrition and food distribution. Secret Legal Memo Urges U.N.
Development Office to...
Finally, the United Nations has never coherently expressed how their UNDP Fires At Whistleblower,
professionals and service-providers should relate to their clients - the Shoots Own Foot, Demo...
victims of disaster, crisis and war. Are they accountable to them in The UN Staff Union Fights
the same way as a government is accountable to its citizens, or like a Back
corporation is to its shareholders? Or, do they have a duty to inform
Whistleblowers and the UN
them in the same way as a doctor or lawyer would do about a medical Duplicity Program
procedure or legal action? Does the United Nations demand a new
COMMENTS: 8 Million for
form of accountability? A coherent and thorough answer to this
Musharraf elections - Is U...
question is perhaps the key to the future of the United Nations.
More Procurement data vanish
The true struggle for human rights, justice and democracy has to start inside UNDP labyrinth...
with an understanding and commitment of those who suffer injustice, Where is NetAid Money David
depravation and oppression. The principles of justice and democracy Morrison?
will not take root in Somalia, Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan, or anywhere 8 Million for Musharraf

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UNDP WATCH: Can United States clean up the UN alone? Page 5 of 7

elections - Is UNDP behind...

else for that matter, if it is propped up only by simplistic, outside
intervention. If the United Nations truly want to make a difference UNDP-WATCH TO BRIDGE THE
GAP CREATED BY KEMAL
then they have to attune their principles of independence and
DERV...
solidarity with the victims, even if this means accepting less cash from
governments (and no cash at all from private and corporate donors), COMMENTS: The White
and dramatically toning down their catechistic rhetoric on successes Africans who secure UNDP
which do not exist. are s...
The White Africans who
Posted by UNDP WATCH at 3:22 PM secure UNDP
Ban Ki Moon (Blue Spiderman)
0 comments: and Mark Wallace (Bla...
Ad Melkert gives orders not to
Post a Comment
publish any procure...
United Nations Transparency
Newer Post Home Older Post & Accountability Initi...
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► 2007 (75)

About UNDP Watch

UNDP WATCH
UNDP Watch is a grouping of
United Nations Staff committed
to openness. We believe that
everyone has the right to access
information held by United
Nations. Despite a stated
commitment to openness, UNDP
remain a highly secretive
agency. Although a wealth of
information is available on some
UNDP websites, its Executive
Board operate behind closed
doors, much important
programme and administrative
information is never made
available and, as a rule,
information that is disclosed is
provided only after relevant
decisions have effectively been
taken. While UNDP has
adopted “internal policies” on
information disclosure, they in
fact operate on precisely the
opposite presumption. For the
most part, they list which
documents will be disclosed and
when, and there is a
presumption against the
disclosure of all the other
information they hold. They do
not establish right of access, the
lists of documents subject to
disclosure is limited, they do not
set out clear and narrow grounds
for refusing access and they do
not provide for independent
oversight mechanisms to ensure

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UNDP WATCH: Can United States clean up the UN alone? Page 6 of 7

proper implementation of the

policy. The UNDP WATCH is
calling for the complete overhaul
of these policies.
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Other Links

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To report cases of corruption,

malfeasance, waste, harassment
and/or retaliation

please contact United States

Mission at the UN (USUN)at their
whistleblower hotline: USUN-
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your identity. If you are aware of
problems at the UN, including
crime, corruption, fraud, or
retaliation against whistleblowers,
please contact USUN-
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