Poverty Czar at UNDP Herfkens Said to Accept $7000 a Month Rent from Holland, Audits Cannot Be Copied, Somalia Answer

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

UNITED NATIONS, January 10 -- A Dutch Labor Party former minister was paid $225,000 a year by the UN Development Program for part-time work for the poor, but still reportedly received a $7,000 a month housing subsidy from the Dutch government. Since the UN Charter prohibits accepting such payments from governments, Inner City Press asked UNDP to confirm or deny their knowledge of the housing subsidy to UN Millennium Campaign coordinator Eveline Herfkens. On January 9 UNDP's Cassandra Waldon answered, "We are looking into the issue of Ms. Herfkens's housing subsidy, including whether she sought or received any necessary authorizations."

            UN Staff Regulation 1.2(j) states that "no staff member shall accept any honor, decoration, favor, gift or remuneration from any government," and does not refer to any "authorization" to work around this conflict-of-interest rule. On January 10, Inner City Press asked the UN spokesperson if the policy is that UN-affiliated officials or staff receiving money or housing subsidy from governments is always prohibited. "Definitely," the UN spokesperson said.  Transcript here; video here, from Minute 11:45.

            As reported, for at least four years Ms. Herfkens received the $7,000 a month rent subsidy by the Dutch government, for an apartment in the Hammarskjold Tower, and the Dutch government offered to pay her moving costs into the apartment, and for a 2006 move to Maryland. What will be the follow-up on this? Watch UNDP's and this site.

Ms. Herfkens makes point about MDGs, Dutch-paid apartment not shown, covers here

            Meanwhile, UNDP in a quiet December 18 announcement tried to bury the conflict, and previous promises, about making its audits available to member states. After saying this would take place, the new UNDP policy is that while member states may look at some reports, they  may not make copies, and have to "maintain confidentiality with respect to issues that might affect staff, third parties or a country government/administration" -- that is, always. The policy is online here; see especially paragraphs 73-75.  Even at the UN Secretariat, member states get copies, as bragged about Thursday by OIOS' Inga-Britt Ahlenius. Can OIOS investigate and act on Herfkens accepting of housing subsidy from Holland? Can Ms. Herfkens come and answer questions at a briefing in New York? While for now she cannot charge to UNDP airfare in business class, we're sure she still has enough money left for bus fare from Maryland...

  As summarized Friday by the UN, NRC Handelsblad has reported that "the supplement is against the internal code of conduct of the UNDP, which was not informed about the Dutch contribution, spokesman David Morrison said.

   Late on January 11, UNDP's Morrison provided an answer to Inner City Press' question about UNDP funding the police force of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, which has been accused of rights violations:

"The info on Somalia you had requested is below.

"UNDP Somalia's Law Enforcement project is part of UNDP Rule of Law and Security program and aims at re-establishing an efficient and adequately equipped and housed professional civilian police force that restores peace while gaining trust of the community. With a clear focus on respect for human rights, the project has supported:

"training of nearly 3000 police personnel in 2006-7 construction/rehabilitation of major police training academies construction and rehabilitation of police stations in key locations setting up of Women and Children desks for the professional investigation of sexual offences and domestic violence

"An Internal Police Control Unit specialized training on criminal investigation equipment and materials to police strategic development plan for the Somali Police Force setting up of police advisory committees (PAC) to oversee the operation of the Police Stations, the PAC being the first step in the introduction of civilian oversight of policing issues. The project is funded by EC, UK Dfid, Norway, Sweden and Denmark."

            Certain other questions were also posed to UNDP on the afternoon of January 9, and by the end of January 11 had not been answered, including about Sweden's reported cut of $10 million  in funding to UNDP due to its non-inclusion of human rights, and for a description of the role in security in Algeria of UNDP's Marc de Stanne de Bernis, including confirming or denying that he ever received requests to raise the threat level, or phase, in Algeria. Developing.

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These reports are also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

  Because a number of Inner City Press' UN 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 the UN agencies and many of their staff. 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.

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Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

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