At UNDP and at DESA, Countries Call All the Shots for a Four Percent Cut, UNDP's Trust Funds

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 10, lightly edited Jan. 22 -- How much should a country be allowed to dominate a UN program or fund?  While this question has arisen with regard to the UN Development Program, which runs separate trust funds for many countries, allowing the country to dictate how and where the money is spent and who is hired, while taking a four percent cut, Wednesday Inner City Press asked the head of the UN's Department of Economic and Social Affairs, DESA, which is embroiled in scandal. (Regarding the scandal, which even UN's write-up had to include, see the bottom of this report for a letter to the editor Inner City Press has received.)

            Jose Antonio Ocampo answered that countries run their money through the UN, often to hire their own nationals, "because they can achieve something purpose they want to achieve." Video here, from Minute 52:34. Obviously. But what might these purposes be?

            A case into which Inner City Press has been inquiring involves Italy funding UNDP in Somalia, in order to place Italian intelligence agents there to monitor Italy's economic interests in the country. Inner City Press has asked UNDP to describe these operations in Somalia and the nationalities of the non-Somalis hired. UNDP has refused to provide this information. A month ago, Inner City Press asked UNDP for information about various of its trust funds. Neither has this information been provided.

Dervis: 468 trust funds, audits withheld, no answers for twenty days

[UNDP wrote: "The January 10 posting includes a photo caption that reads, “Dervis: 468 trust funds, audits withheld, no answers for a month.” This is inaccurate, as Mr. Dervis answered your questions at a press conference December 21. Our office has answered several of your questions in the past month. Please correct this error. In the same posting, the statement that “UNDP has, with the single exception of UNDP's Global Environmental Facility's Goa junket, refused to answer any of Inner City Press' questions for the past month,” is inaccurate. We answered a number of your questions on December 14. Both Mr. Dervis and Mr. Melkert answered your questions at press conferences in December. Please correct this error." Both have been modified to "20 days" instead of a month; the audits are still be withheld, click here for more.]

            The most recent publicly-available audit of UNDP states that  "83 of the 468 trust funds established by UNDP... were in a deficit position as at [sic] 31 December 2005." Some of the trust funds listed in the audit include:

UNDP/Italy Trust Fund for Anti-Poverty Partnership Initiatives;

UNDP Trust Fund for Somalia;

Germany Trust Fund for UNDP Program for Accountability and Transparency -- this from one of the countries that complained this week about UNDP violating its own rule requiring documents to be available six weeks before the UNDP Executive Board meeting;

UNDP/Republic of Korea Trust Fund;

Japan Trust Fund for Scholarships to East Timorese Students in East Timor;

UNDP/Australia Trust Fund for Fiscal and Monetary Management Reform and Statistical Improvement, Phase II -- it was one of these trust funds for improvement of statistics and reporting, funded by the UK, which has been put into jeopardy by Nora Lustig's blow-up, in front of a visitor from the UK's DIFID, at a staffer seconded by the UK.

There is the Trust Fund for UNDP History Project -- presumably the book on which UNDP spend over $500,000, "UNDP: A Better Way?"

Norway Trust Fund for Municipal Employment Assistance Program in Macedonia (note to UNDP: you might want to call it FYROM);

EEC Trust Fund for Enhancing Border Control Management in Moldova;

EEC Trust Fund for Strengthening Border Management on the Belarusian - Ukrainian Border;

EEC Trust Fund for Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine;

Swedish Trust Fund on Efficiency and Effectiveness Enhancing Measures within UNDP -- this from another one of the countries that complained this week about UNDP violating its own rule requiring documents to be available six weeks before the UNDP Executive Board meeting;

EEC Somalia Trust Fund Proposed Feasibility Study on Financial Services;

EEC Trust Fund for Support to the Rule of Law and Security (ROLS) Program for Somalia;

Fonds d'Affectation Special Francais;

EEC Trust Fund for Partnership for the Future - Cyprus (note that UNDP's UNOPS is embroiled in controversy for funding propaganda to promote "the Annan plan" for Cyprus); etc.

            And this is not even considering UNDP's "sub-trust funds," into which we will inquire in future installments.

             While UNDP has, with the single exception of UNDP's Global Environmental Facility's Goa junket, refused to answer any of Inner City Press' questions for the past twenty days, Wednesday evening the UN Counselor of a UNDP-donor nations offered a different perspective on UNDP's resistance to providing copies of internal audits not only to the press, but even to member states. The Counselor speculated that UNDP wants to protect the details of its relationships with host countries. The Counselor and his Ambassador expressed ambivalence about UNDP's standardless embrace of repressive regimes in such countries as Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe and North Korea (these were this country's examples). On the other hand there might be reasons to engage with dictatorships. But if UNDP refuses to provide any information or to answer any questions (unlike, as today's example, UNHCR, click here to view), it is impossible to make or report UNDP's case for what it does and doesn't do. Here's hoping for some much-delayed responses to long-ago requested information, some as simple as UNDP's agreements with nations, which are explicitly supposed to be public.

Guido Bertucci

  Here now a letter to Inner City Press about DESA:

In a message, [Name withheld from fear of retaliation] writes:

Dear Mr. Lee -- As a former DESA staff member, I would like to thank you for your coverage of the United Nations. There is another other matter on which I would like to draw your attention -- the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. UN staff members have watched with interest the recent news coverage of Mr. Guido Bertucci and allegations of mismanagement, abuse of power, and favoritism/retaliation which have characterized his career with the UN, and more recently his service to the Organization as Director of the Division for Public Administration and Development Management, DPADM.

Some news stories have covered specific instances of favoritism and abuse of power, particularly the case of the consultant who received an obscene amount of money for providing functions which are already within the capacity of UN/DPADM or DPI staff, and then tried to cover it up by doctoring her website.  The cardinal rule concerning the award of consulting contracts is that no contract may be awarded for a function which already exists among the staff.  A more complete examination, whether it be by the media or by OIOS, will find that many of the so-called consultancy contracts awarded by Bertucci were to his friends or associates, and that more alarmingly, in many cases the Organization received no tangible benefit -- no reports, no services -- just money, for nothing more than attendance at this conference or that workshop.
Other news stories have focused on various trust funds and how Bertucci has used these trust funds to accomplish pet objectives of a particular government.  It is clear to those who have followed this man that Bertucci has placed the interests of a certain member state above those of the United Nations.  Bertucci has said that recent press coverage "is an attack against all Italians."  The reality is that for eleven years as division chief, Bertucci's own conduct has been an attack against all international civil servants who believe in the mission of the United Nations...

I want to encourage you to spend some time soliciting the input of current and former staff of DESA/DPADM, and in particular those of us who have worked hard to survive under the Bertucci Regime. Without too much difficulty, you will find that we fear retaliation because Bertucci has threatened retaliation.  You will find that in general, we are pleased with recent media coverage of DESA because we know that it will be in the best interest of the United Nations and for DESA that the new Secretary-General is informed of Bertucci's activities, and has the opportunity to put a new leadership team in place to restore the credibility which has been lost over the past several years. You will find that for many years, staff members have wanted to challenge Bertucci for his imperial and self-interested management style, but that we feared the consequences.  You will find we believe that finally, the Bertucci era of malfeasance and abuse looks like it is drawing to a close.  Most importantly, you will find that we are committed to our work, but that Bertucci's actions have made a mockery out of our UN mandate: to promote improved public administration and governance, ethics and professionalism.

It is a positive thing that OIOS has been called to investigate these various allegations against Bertucci.  The fact remains, however, that many DESA staff do not trust OIOS.  We have seen Bertucci win at the OIOS game before -- when OIOS was under its previous management.  No one will feel comfortable coming forward to OIOS unless Mr. Bertucci is first removed from his position.  Until that happens, staff may feel more comfortable approaching the attentive media.  Perhaps you have a role to play in this unfolding story.
Sincerely, NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST, IN FEAR OF RETALIATION

            Sounds like UNDP -- except that at UNDP, there is no OIOS, and there is even more resistance at the highest levels to reforms and improved transparency....

  Again, because a number of Inner City Press' UNDP sources go out of their way to express commitment to serving the poor, and while it should be unnecessary, Inner City Press is compelled to conclude this installment in a necessarily-ongoing series by saluting the stated goals of UNDP and many of its staff. As they used to say on TV game shows, keep those cards, letters and emails coming, and phone calls too, we apologize for any phone tag, but please continue trying, and keep the information flowing.

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

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At UNDP, Auditors Flee While Documents Are Denied Even to Executive Board, Now Not Only to Press

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN

UNITED NATIONS, January 9 -- That the UN Development Program is an agency out of control was on display Tuesday in what was expected to be another drab consultation with its Executive Board.

   To a conference room packed with delegates of nations, UNDP staff bragged that "eighty-nine percent of documents needed by January 19 are now posted on the Executive Board website." But as representatives of Sweden, Germany and others pointed out, this violates UNDP's own rules. UNDP had committed to making such documents available six weeks before the meetings of its Executive Board.  The representative of Sweden said, "We have a rule, and it's been broken here. On what matters will we decide?"

            The representative of Germany chimed in that his capital had asked him to emphasize again to UNDP the importance of timely posting of documents. He also questioned the elusiveness of the UNDP Administrator's statements.

            The UNDP response was to thank the delegates, by rote, for "bringing our attention to the six week rule" which UNDP said it will "continue to make every effort to" comply with. But then it's not a rule, it's just window-dressing.

            UNDP expects that there will be no discussion of its 2007-09 country plans for such regimes as Zimbabwe and North Korea. These "country programs will be approved on a no-objection basis without presentation or discussion, unless at least five members have informed the secretariat in writing before the meeting of their wish to bring a particular country program before the Board." At Tuesday's meetings, it was said that no such requests have been made. Meanwhile, as simply one example, UNDP's Zimbabwe plan blithely proposes to "strengthen" the Mugabe-controlled "National Commission Human Rights" which nearly every independent NGO in Zimbabwe has protested. One would think that such widespread protest of a UNDP-funded project would at least give rise to a discussion item during UNDP's Executive Board meeting covering the underlying country plan. But that's not how UNDP sets it up.

            Things at UNDP are arbitrary, too. Amid the letters requesting offers of resignation at UNDP, an official who reportedly did not receive one is the head of the Bureau of Management. Meanwhile the Regional Head for Asia and the Pacific, Hafiz Pasha of Pakistan, has been on the job for more than six years.

Hafiz Pasha muses in echo chamber

   It's rumored that his replacement will come from India. The jobs are being dished out, along national lines that we will cover in future installments.

            Another indicator of chaos is the departure of UNDP's head auditor, Jessie Rose Mabutas. Sources say that, feeling the heat of investigations into flubbed audits and job-sales, Ms. Mabutas bailed out, taking a job as auditor for the International Fund for Agricultural Development. UNDP's audit unit does not have a real deputy, either. So in the run-up to its Executive Board meeting, UNDP is in secretive chaos. And they've said:

In a message dated 12/8/2006 7:14:39 PM Eastern Standard Time, cassandra.waldon [at] undp.org writes:

"we thought it might be helpful if we were to state, for the record:

"That we do not release the reports of our internal audits and investigations.  The results of these reports are communicated on an annual basis to the UNDP Executive Board...

"That we will no longer be responding to unsubstantiated allegations about UNDP's recruitment and personnel practices."

            The irony of UNDP's statement that they wouldn't answer questions -- and they haven't since, other than at the request of UNDP's own Frank Pinto about the Goa junket  -- is that UNDP's usually-invisible director of communications, David Morrison, that same day complained in writing that Inner City Press makes no effort to confirm developments at UNDP, or to afford those covered a chance to respond.

   For the record, Inner City Press as simply one example telephoned Ms. Nora Lustig, who did not respond. Administrator Dervis has taken the position that, unlike Secretaries-General and Ambassadors, he will not deign to answer press questions in the lobby outside the General Assembly, and will go up to 14 months without taking questions at a press conference in UN Headquarters. UNDP's own Office of "Communications" has refused to respond to so many questions that the goal, clearly, is to have no questions be asked, since none are answered. It's an agency out of control.

            Compare UNDP's weeks-long stonewalling to, for example, today's lengthy response to Inner City Press from the World Food Program, about what it does in the Congo and why. At least WFP provided an answer.  Once UNDP lied about having funded disarmament in Uganda, which turned into the torching of villages and killing of civilians -- this same Office of Communications acknowledged in writing UNDP's spending including for voluntary disarmament, and then Administrator Dervis outright denied it, after not holding a press conference for 14 months -- ever since, UNDP has tried to stonewall and provide no information. Now even member states on UNDP's executive board have openly complained about the lack and delay of information. Why has UN reform not reached UNDP? And by what mad logic would UNDP as currently led and "communicated for" be put in charge of any other UN agency?

            Compare:

Subject: RE: NE Uganda and UNDP

From: William.Orme [at] undp.org
To: Inner City Press
Sent: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 14:40:03 -0400

...In 2006 UNDP began work on an independent community development and human security project in the Karamoja region, one component of which was the encouragement of voluntary disarmament. The project was budgeted initially for $1 million, to be financed from UNDP's Uganda country office [Due to a misunderstanding on my part I erroneously identified to you in our conversation Tuesday the government of Denmark as a funder of this project.] Only $293,000 has been spent to date and all UNDP activities in the region are now halted, given that they are unworkable at this time, for the reasons noted.

   So: UNDP spent $293,000, "one component of which was the encouragement of voluntary disarmament."  Later, Administrator Kemal Dervis said UNDP funded only "community development," no disarmament whatsoever. Then he and his team strongly encouraged staff to stop speaking with the press.

At UNDP, Gender and Harassment, While Dervis Heads South, Honduras and other Information Appealed For

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN

UNITED NATIONS, January 8 -- The distance between talk and action within the UN Development Program was on display again Monday morning, as dozens of silent delegates sat through a presentation on UNDP and gender, right across First Avenue from where for example the chief of Europe and the CIS States traded UNDP jobs and promotions for sexual favors. 

            The teaser in the UN Journal for Monday's session promised a "consultation on the annual progress report of the Administrator on the implementation on [sic] the gender action plan." While slated for 11 a.m., the meeting did not start until twenty minutes after. The head of UNDP's "Gender Team," Winnie Byanyima, read out acronyms in a monotone from slides projected on a screen. A sample exhortation: for "Supporting RCs/SURFs and COs to integrate gender." Afterwards the representative of Germany asked if RC stood for regional centers or resident coordinators. The only other questioners were from Belgium, Canada ("bon courage") and Denmark, twice. In response to Denmark, Ms. Byanyima said UNDP had wanted to "roll out" its scorecard during the upcoming Executive Board meeting, but the agenda is just too full. With meeting like this, surely.

            Beyond what we've previously reported on the sample UNDP regional director Kalman Mizsei, we can add this a month before he left in September 2006, he promoted a woman he favored from G7 secretarial rank to P3, professional, with no examination nor explanation. Those who work there know, however. And why not the representatives at the Executive Board consultation? As the chairwoman said, perhaps they are tired, from the weekend or (ongoing) vacations. Let the PowerPoints™ continue!

Central American refugees (Kemal Dervis not shown)

            Meanwhile UNDP distributed a press advisory, that Kemal Dervis is off and running, ten days in Central America, returning on the first day of the Executive Board meetings. He'll visit Cuba, Honduras, Costa Rica and Guatemala. Why not Nicaragua and El Salvador? Well, the "gender" website of UNDP's El Salvador country office remains "under construction," as does its environmental and local development sub-pages. So does the volunteers for organizations page on UNDP Guatemala's web site -- this one has a picture of a shovel next to the words, in Spanish, Pagina en Construccion -- "under construction." Inner City Press weeks ago asked UNDP's Communications Office for information concerning UNDP's operations in Honduras. No information has been provided. And so on Monday Inner City Press filed a request for review / appeal under UNDP's Information Disclosure Policy, a portion of which is below:

Subject: Appeal/request for expedited review of constructive denials of access to information by Office of Communications

From: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

To: IDPOversightPanel@undp.org, etc

Sent: Mon, 8 Jan 2007 4:17 PM

Dear William Pace, Mavic Cabrera Balleza, Saraswathi Menon, B. Murali and James Provenzano, Members of the Public Information and Documentation Oversight Panel, Ragnhild Imerslund, Observer --

 This is a request to review a number of ongoing and wrongful denials of access to information by UNDP's Office of Communications... We began requesting the below-listed information well more than a month ago. Because of the Office of Communication's non-response, the requests are deemed constructively denied and this is a request for expedited review.

 Over the past four weeks, with a single exception, UNDP's Office of Communications has refused to provide long-ago requested information, including:

 On December 5, more than 30 days ago, Inner City Press requested records which would

 contain the provisions of the SBAAs for Russia, Liberia and Honduras - the standard basic agreement, a/k/a legal framework, in essence a treaty.

 --provide all documents in your possession concerning UNDP's funding of disarmament programs in Uganda for the past four years, in light of Mr. Orme's previous June 27, 2006, email to Inner City Press that

 "In 2006 UNDP began work on an independent community development and human security project in the Karamoja region, one component of which was the encouragement of voluntary disarmament. The project was budgeted initially for $1 million, to be financed from UNDP's Uganda country office [Due to a misunderstanding on my part I erroneously identified to you in our conversation Tuesday the government of Denmark as a funder of this project.] Only $293,000 has been spent to date and all UNDP activities in the region are now halted, given that they are unworkable at this time, for the reasons noted."

 --describe UNDP's policy and practice for dealing with complaints of sexual harassment and with those complained against

--disclose and describe all sexual harassment complaints received by UNDP concerning Kalman Mizsei, including in light of your previous statement that his service was entirely "distinguished."

---Please provide information concerning all complaints of sexual harassment or of employment favoritism received or known to UNDP in the last 2 years

--Regarding Nora Lustig, then Ms. Bahadur and Mr. Schmidt-Traub, please describe in detail all steps taken in recruitment and appointment and how these comport with applicable Human Resources policies.

--all consulting contracts awarded during the tenure of Nora Lustig, the nationalities and backgrounds of the recipients and whether any were previously known to Ms. Lustig.

 On December 6, more than 30 days ago, Inner City Press requested

 --2006 Trust Fund Agreements for contributions from Spain, China, Norway, France, the UK, Russia and the United States.

 --a table that shows total 2005-2006 budget for Africa and for a table which shows ALL funds spent by UNDP in Africa during the time frame, not just "core" funds, but also any other sources of money, whether earmarked from specific donors or from multilateral sources... UNDP already has records and data which summarizes this information.

 Also asked and not responded to:

--please provide information about UNDP in Somalia...

 [the separately listed] specific projects of UNDP-Russia which, in light of the fraud finding in the most recent public audit (and refusal to provide the referenced "report... released" referred-to therein), about which information including project documents, budgets and UNDP's rationale are requested.

--please describe any and all steps taken by UNDP or its affiliates to distribute your December 8 "statement" regarding Inner City Press;

 [please provide any and all records reflecting efforts by Ben Craft and/or other UNDP staff to discourage entities such as the Heritage Foundation from citing Inner City Press' reporting on UNDP, and explain this use of UNDP funds and staff time]

 Given that UN Secretariat agencies provide full text internal audits to any of the 192 member states which request them, please explain and justify UNDP's practice of making only SUMMARIES of internal audits available, and only to the members of UNDP's Executive Board. Please provide all possible information about the specific audits which Inner City Press has previously requested, for example Honduras, Russia, UNOPS in Afghanistan, and the Private Sector Unit of the Bureau of Resources and Strategic Partnerships.

 Pardon the length of this appeal, but the Office of Communications has constructively denied these many requests, and we are now forced to appeal, despite make requests more than a month ago. While we can provide additional legal analysis, no more should be necessary to prevail over the constructive denial of these requests.

Thank you for your attention.  --Inner City Press

            UNDP's response under its procedures, and the requested information upon receipt, will be reported on this site.

Other Inner City Press reports are available in the ProQuest service and some are archived on www.InnerCityPress.com --

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Amid UN's Korean Uproar, Russia Silent on Murder of Anna Politkovskaya, Chechnya Exposer

UN Envoy Makes Excuses for Gambian Strongman, Whitewashing Fraud- and Threat-Filled Election

Sudan's UN Envoy Admits Right to Intervene in Rwanda, UNICEF Response on Terrorist Groups in Pakistan

At the UN, As Next S-G is Chosen, Annan Claims Power to Make 5-Year Appointments, Quiet Filing and Ivory Coast Concessions

Chaos in UN's Somalia Policy, Working With Islamists Under Sanctions While Meeting with Private Military Contractors

U.S. Candidate for UN's World Food Program May Get Lame Duck Appointment, Despite Korean Issues

At the UN, U.S. Versus Axis of Airport, While Serge Brammertz Measures Non-Lebanese Teeth

Exclusion from Water Is Called Progress, of Straw Polls and WFP Succession

William Swing Sings Songs of Congo's Crisis, No Safeguards on Coltan Says Chairman of Intel

Warlord in the Waldorf and Other Congo Questions Dodged by the UN in the Time Between Elections

In Some New Orleans, Questions Echo from the South Bronx and South Lebanon

In New Orleans, While Bone Is Thrown in Superdome, Parishes Still In Distress

At the UN, Tales of Media Muzzled in Yemen, Penned in at the Waldorf on Darfur, While Copters Grounded

US's Frazer Accuses Al-Bashir of Sabotage, Arab League of Stinginess, Chavez of Buying Leaders - Click here for video file by Inner City Press.

Third Day of UN General Debate Gets Surreal, Canapes and Killings, Questions on Iran and Montenegro and Still Somalia

On Darfur, Hugo Chavez Asks for More Time to Study, While Planning West Africa Oil Refinery

At the UN, Ivory Coast Discussed Without Decision on Toxic Politics, the Silence of Somalia

Evo Morales Blames Strike on Mobbed-Up Parasites, Sings Praise of Coca Leaf and Jabs at Coca-Cola

Musharraf Says Unrest in Baluchistan Is Waning, While Dodging Question on Restoring Civilian Rule

At the UN, Cyprus Confirms 'Paramilitary' Investigation, Denies Connection to Def Min Resignation, CBTB Update

A Tale of Three Leaders, Liberia Comes to Praise and Iran and Sudan to Bury the UN

UN Round-up: Poland's President Says Iraq Is Ever-More Tense While Amb. Bolton Talks Burmese Drugs, Spin on Ivory Coast

As UN's Annan Now Says He Will Disclose, When and Whether It Will Be to the Public and Why It Took So Long Go Unasked

At the UN, Stonewalling Continues on Financial Disclosure and Letter(s) U.S. Mission Has, While Zimbabwe Goes Ignored

At the UN, Financial Disclosure Are Withheld While Freedom of Information Is Promised, Of Hollywood and Dictators' Gift Shops

UN's Annan Says Dig Into Toxic Dumping, While Declining to Discuss Financial Disclosure

A Still-Unnamed Senior UN Official in NY Takes Free Housing from His Government, Contrary to UN Staff Regulations

UN Admits To Errors in its Report on Destruction of Congolese Village of Kazana, Safeguards Not In Place

As UN Checks Toxins in Abidjan, the Dumper Trafigura Figured in Oil for Food Scandal, Funded by RBS and BNP Paribas

Targeting of African Americans For High Cost Mortgages Grew Worse in 2005, While Fed Downplays Its Own Findings

The UN and Nagorno-Karabakh: Flurries of Activity Leave Frozen Conflicts Unchanged; Updates on Gaza, Gavels and Gbagbo

The UN Cries Poor on Lawless Somalia, While Its Ex-Security Chief Does Business Through Ruleless Revolving Door

At the UN, Micro-States Simmer Under the Assembly's Surface, While Incoming Council President Dodges Most Questions

"Horror Struck" is How UN Officials Getting Free Housing from Governments Would Leave U.S., Referral on Burma But Not Uzbekistan

Security Council President Condemns UN Officials Getting Free Housing from Governments, While UK "Doesn't Do It Any More"

At the UN, Incomplete Reforms Allow for Gifts of Free Housing to UN Officials by Member States

Rare UN Sunshine From If Not In Chad While Blind on Somalia and Zimbabwe, UNDP With Shell in its Ear on Nigeria

Annan Family Ties With Purchaser from Compass, Embroiled in UN Scandal, Raise Unanswered Ethical Questions

At the UN, from Casamance to Transdniestria, Kosovars to Lezgines, Micro-States as Powerful's Playthings

Inquiry Into Housing Subsidies Contrary to UN Charter Goes Ignored for 8 Weeks, As Head UN Peacekeeper Does Not Respond

On the UN - Corporate Beat, Dow Chemical Luncheon Chickens Come Home to Roost

Stop Bank Branch Closings and Monopolies in the Katrina Zone, Group Says, Challenging Regions- AmSouth Merger

Ship-Breakers Missed by UN's Budget for Travel and Consultants in Bangladesh, Largest UNIFIL Troop Donor

With Somalia on the Brink of Horn-Wide War, UN Avoids Question of Ethiopian Invasion

In UN's Lebanon Frenzy, Darfur Is Ignored As Are the Disabled, "If You Crave UNIFIL, Can't You Make Do With MONUC?"

UN Decries Uzbekistan's Use of Torture, While Helping It To Tax and Rule; Updates on UNIFIL and UNMIS Off-Message

On Lebanon, Russian Gambit Focuses Franco-American Minds, Short Term Resolution Goes Blue Amid Flashes of Lightening

Africa Can Solve Its Own Problems, Ghanaian Minister Tells Inner City Press, On LRA Peace Talks and Kofi Annan's Views

At the UN, Jay-Z Floats Past Questions on Water Privatization and Sweatshops, Q'Orianka Kilcher in the Basement

In the UN Security Council, Speeches and Stasis as Haiti is Forgotten, for a Shebaa Farms Solution?

UN Knew of Child Soldier Use by Two Warlords Whose Entry into Congo Army the UN Facilitated

Impunity's in the Air, at the UN in Kinshasa and NY, for Kony and Karim and MONUC for Kazana

UN Still Silent on Somalia, Despite Reported Invasion, In Lead-Up to More Congo Spin

UN's Guehenno Says Congo Warlord Just Needs Training, and Kazana Probe Continues

With Congo Elections Approaching, UN Issues Hasty Self-Exoneration as Annan Is Distracted

In DR Congo, UN Applauds Entry into Army of Child-Soldier Commander Along with Kidnapper

Spinning the Congo, UN Admits Hostage Deal with Warlord That Put Him in Congolese Army

At the UN, Dow Chemical's Invited In, While Teaming Up With Microsoft is Defended

Kofi Annan Questioned about Congolese Colonel Who Kidnapped Seven UN Soldiers

UN Silent As Congolese Kidnapper of UN Peacekeepers Is Made An Army Colonel: News Analysis

UN's Guehenno Speaks of "Political Overstretch" Undermining Peacekeeping in Lower Profile Zones

In Gaza Power Station, the Role of Enron and the U.S. Government's OPIC Revealed by UN Sources

UN's Corporate Partnerships Will Be Reviewed, While New Teaming Up with Microsoft, and UNDP Continues

BTC Briefing, Like Pipeline, Skirts Troublespots, Azeri Revelations

Conflicts of Interest in UNHCR Program with SocGen and Pictet Reveal Reform Rifts

UN Grapples with Somalia, While UNDP Funds Mugabe's Human Rights Unit, Without Explanation

UN Gives Mugabe Time with His Friendly Mediator, Refugees Abandoned

At the UN, Friday Night's Alright for Fighting; Annan Meets Mugabe

UN Acknowledges Abuse in Uganda, But What Did Donors Know and When? Kazakh Questions

In Uganda, UNDP to Make Belated Announcement of Program Halt, But Questions Remain (and see The New Vision, offsite).

Disarmament Abuse in Uganda Leads UN Agency to Suspend Its Work and Spending

Disarmament Abuse in Uganda Blamed on UNDP, Still Silent on Finance

Alleged Abuse in Disarmament in Uganda Known by UNDP, But Dollar Figures Still Not Given: What Did UN Know and When?

Strong Arm on Small Arms: Rift Within UN About Uganda's Involuntary Disarmament of Karamojong Villages

UN's Selective Vision on Somalia and Wishful Thinking on Uighurs

UN Habitat Predicts The World Is a Ghetto, But Will Finance Be Addressed at Vancouver World Urban Forum?

UN's Annan Concerned About Use of Terror's T-Word to Repress, Wants Freedom of Information

UN  Waffles on Human Rights in Central Asia and China; ICC on Kony and a Hero from Algiers

UN & US, Transparency for Finance But Not Foreign Affairs: Somalia, Sovereignty and Senator Tom Coburn

Human Rights Forgotten in UN's War of Words, Bolton versus Mark Malloch Brown: News Analysis

In Praise of Migration, UN Misses the Net and Bangalore While Going Soft on Financial Exclusion

UN Sees Somalia Through a Glass, Darkly, While Chomsky Speaks on Corporations and Everything But Congo

Corporate Spin on AIDS, Holbrooke's Kudos to Montenegro and its Independence

The Silence of the Congo and Naomi Watts; Between Bolivia and the World Bank

Human Rights Council Has Its Own Hanging Chads; Cocky U.S. State Department Spins from SUVs

Child Labor and Cargill and Nestle; Iran, Darfur and WHO's on First with Bird Flu

Press Freedom? Editor Arrested by Congo-Brazzaville, As It Presides Over Security Council

The Place of the Cost-Cut UN in Europe's Torn-Up Heart;
Deafness to Consumers, Even by the Greens

Background Checks at the UN, But Not the Global Compact; Teaching Statistics from Turkmenbashi's Single Book

Ripped Off Worse in the Big Apple, by Citigroup and Chase: High Cost Mortgages Spread in Outer Boroughs in 2005, Study Finds

Burundi: Chaos at Camp for Congolese Refugees, Silence from UNHCR, While Reform's Debated by Forty Until 4 AM

The Chadian Mirage: Beyond French Bombs, Is Exxon In the Cast? Asylum and the Uzbeks, Shadows of Stories to Come

Through the UN's One-Way Mirror, Sustainable Development To Be Discussed by Corporations, Even Nuclear Areva

Racial Disparities Grew Worse in 2005 at Citigroup, HSBC and Other Large Banks

Mine Your Own Business: Explosive Remnants of War and the Great Powers, Amid the Paparazzi

Human Rights Are Lost in the Mail: DR Congo Got the Letter, But the Process is Still Murky

Iraq's Oil to be Metered by Shell, While Basrah Project Remains Less than Clear

Kofi, Kony, Kagame and Coltan: This Moment in the Congo and Kampala

As Operation Swarmer Begins, UN's Qazi Denies It's Civil War and Has No Answers if Iraq's Oil is Being Metered

Cash Crop: In Nepal, Bhutanese Refugees Prohibited from Income Generation Even in their Camps

The Shorted and Shorting in Humanitarian Aid: From Davos to Darfur, the Numbers Don't Add Up

UN Reform: Transparency Later, Not Now -- At Least Not for AXA - WFP Insurance Contract

In the Sudanese Crisis, Oil Revenue Goes Missing, UN Says

Empty Words on Money Laundering and Narcotics, from the UN and Georgia

What is the Sound of Eleven Uzbeks Disappearing? A Lack of Seats in Tashkent, a Turf War at UN

Kosovo: Of Collective Punishment and Electricity; Lights Out on Privatization of Ferronikeli Mines

Abkhazia: Cleansing and (Money) Laundering, Says Georgia

Post-Tsunami Human Rights Abuses, including by UNDP in the Maldives

Citigroup Dissembles at United Nations Environmental Conference

Other Inner City Press reports are available in the ProQuest service and some are archived on www.InnerCityPress.com --

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