Overheads take up to 1/3 of tsunami funds (UN squanders relief money)

UPI ^ | 12/23/05

[jalisco555]

NEW YORK, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Up to about a third of the $590 million U.N. fund spent for the Indian Ocean tsunami relief may have gone to pay for overhead.

The Financial Times says its two-month investigation showed the money appears to have been spent on administration, staff and related costs. The $590 million was part of the United Nation's $1.1 billion disaster flash appeal.

The newspaper also found several U.N. agencies continue to refuse to disclose details of their relief expenditure in spite of earlier pledges of transparency by senior officials.

The flash appeal covered the money donated by governments to the world body in the first weeks after the disaster to fund the early aid work, the Times reported.

The newspaper said details of that appeal it obtained from U.N. agencies such as the World Health Organization and the World Food Program showed 18 percent to 32 percent of the expenditure related to staff, administration and other costs.

Some agencies say non-profit aid organizations should claim no more than 10 percent of project funds for administration costs, the report said.

[jalisco555]

In the UN's defense it should be noted that 5-star hotels and catered lunches don't come cheap.

[neodad]

I'm shocked, shocked!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I believe these were normal UN "opportunity costs."

[Flavius]

wow thats awesome only 1/3 they are doing great

[Just mythoughts]

Is bjclinton in charge of this money pot?

[jalisco555]

wow thats awesome only 1/3 they are doing great

I don't know, I think Kofi's losing his touch. In the old days the "overhead" would be 50%.

[highlander_UW]

In the movie Casablanca the owner of the Blue Parrot referred to them has "carrying charges".

[jalisco555]

I believe these were normal UN "opportunity costs."

Where I grew up in NJ some of my friends would talk about obtaining items that "fell off a truck". I think those guys grew up to become UN officials.

[mewzilla]

Is bjclinton in charge of this money pot?

If not then any fund he is in charge of should be routinely audited.

[SoFloFreeper]

See, the NY Times and the networks won't cover this very much, because there isn't a Karl Rove-Dick Cheney-George Bush connection.

[auboy]

It's quite natural for short people to have high overhead.

[tubebender]

United Nations AKA the World Wide Mafia...

[nightdriver]

We were told at the time that helicopters from U.S. Navy ships were landing and handing out relief supplies long before the UN personnel had even gotten settled in their posh hotels, let alone contributing to any aid effort.

No wonder the US military got sent away - they were making the UN bureaucrats look bad.

[hershey]

A little walking around money.

[AD from SpringBay]

What?! The UN wasting money on administration, staff and related costs? That's odd. I'll have to watch tha whorld newz tanite on tha tee veee to hear the complete story.

[pointsal]

disgusting rascals

[tiki]

This is why I don't give to any public charity. I give where I see the need in my own community.

[Beagle8U]

The "United Way" doesn't have a very good record of spending the money donated to them going to what was intended. Plus they donate to many left-wing causes. They'll never get another dime from me.

[varyouga]

And they still don't pay parking tickets in NYC. What a bunch of a**hats.

[WhiteGuy]

Wow, almost as bad as the US government.

[AD from SpringBay]

Maybe this is why Koffi was complaining about how little had been given for the relief effort.

[Hunble]

Hey, it costs money flying Bill Clinton all over the world!

[highlander_UW]

I wouldn't donate to United Way either...primarily because of their abortion support. I can't in good conscience provide money that will be used to murder babies.

My donations go to Christian organizations. Mostly, they are smaller ones, but I believe the Salvation Army is a solid group on an international level.

[blackdog]

Only one third?!!

Summary dismissals of many lower level UN staffers is taking place right now! Good administration runs at least two thirds.

Stealing big at the UN gets you praise. Stealing small gets you not only fired, but sometimes executed.

[sgtbono2002]

Why are you shocked. You didnt think Kofi and his boys could live forever off the Oil for Food money did you?

I just loved the way they applauded Voelker when he was appointed to investigate that. They actually had some people thinking it would be a real investigation.

[AppyPappy]

"Overhead" = graft

[jalisco555]

And they still don't pay parking tickets in NYC. What a bunch of a**hats.

IIRC, they also pay no income taxes of any kind. But then again, they are the World's Moral Authority.

[Uncle Vlad]

This goes on every time the U.N. is involved with some sort of international natural disaster. Kofi and his cronies get rich on the corpses and misery of the Third World, and the U.S. is always blamed for everything.

[oust the louse]

Our Rotary Tsunami donation went directly to the local Rotary club in the affected area because we did not want this to happen to our donation.

I sure hope our fellow Rotarians didn;t use it to wine and dine the U.N officials who were in town for "official" business.....

[sgtbono2002]

Kofi's boys take a third and the Government in the Tsunami zone takes a third, that leaves almost a third for the victims the way I see it.

[Beagle8U]

I agree.
I'll donate to the Salvation Army and some local Charity's, the rest can go pound sand.

[commonguymd]

Same here. The Salvation Army is about it.

[blackdog]

Just wait until the "devil in the details" truth in auditing results come out of the Big Easy............

Corruption and grift is not limited to the UN. Modern American govenment wrote the book on the fine art of swindling the idiots.

[bonfire]

Remember those little orange UN boxes the schools handed out at Halloween? As soon as we would bring them home, my father would throw them out in disgust. And THAT was back in the 60's!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

A friend from NYC who worked in a restaurant while going to college told me UN people always ordered the highest priced items on the menu, including beverages. Lunch could last 2 1/2 hours and three or four bottles of good wine would be consumed. 'twould be nice to live so high on the hog...

[Beagle8U]

The United Way gives to Peta, Greenpiece, Humane Society, Abortion clinics, and every other evil leftwing, anti-hunting, anti-gun group that comes along.

[blackdog]

I think I'm sending a bill to the UN for the 50lbs. of candy bars I lost out on while begging for pennies for UNICEF every halloween. Our school handed the boxes out and strong armed us into bringing them back full. I should have filled them with cat litter instead.

[blackdog]

Ever sit near a table of city government workers right here in the heartland? Exactly the same...........

Upon leaving a restaraunt once, I ordered a complete round of drinks for a table of city gubmint workers in Appleton, WI. I did so so they could thank at least someone for the two hour seafood feast and three bottles of wine they had consumed up to that point. Only one of the workers actually understood my gesture. The rest actually thought I was being nice.

I stayed at a hotel once during a conference of Headstart Administrators. They made the UN in New York look like cheapskates. Shame on you Ohio Headstart Administrators!

[manwiththehands]

This isn't "breaking news". It isn't even "news". :-)

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

IIRC, a few days ago there was a news flash from the UN stating that the contries who made pledges for tsunami relief were not making good on the pledges......now we find the truth (yet again) about the UN

[Baynative]

I was in a hotel lobby and saw a CNN piece on TV. They were showing hoards of people swarming over a truck where some relief workers were tossing out boxed of some freeze dried, dehydrated nourishment substitutes ... the CNN talking head proudly announced that, "With the efforts of PRESIDENT Bill Clinton and Geo. Bush 41, over One Hundred Thousand Dollars in relief goods have flowed into the area!"

[Darnright]

$200,000,000.00 pi$$ed away. Way to go, Kofi.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Kofi's got some Christmas bonuses to cover...

[norton]

"Up to about a third of the $590 million U.N. fund spent for the Indian Ocean tsunami relief may have gone to pay for overhead."

Clearly not trying hard enough,
they need to take lessons from Red Cross and United Way;
they could rack it up to two thirds or better with just a bit more effort.

[norton]

"I should have filled them with cat litter instead."

Only if it was second hand, fresh cat litter has a useful purpose.

[TexasCajun]

I support my church or The Boy Scouts of America only!

I do not give to United Way, Red Cross or any other supposed charity.

[Caramelgal]

Number one, I wouldn’t give a single cent to any UN organization and aside from blood donations, to the Red Cross either. The only large charitable org I donate to is the Salvation Army or Catholic Relief.

Secondly, charity begins at home. I have occasionally given money to help those abroad but the US suffered horrible natural disasters this year with the Florida and Gulf Coast hurricanes and late season tornadoes. That is my first charitable priority not to mention local charities helping the truly homeless, battered women and supporting our troops abroad and their families.

[reg45]

Kofi's armored, gold plated Mercedes is very expensive to run!

[festus]

And they way they've gotten certain companies to push employees hard to give contributions.....

I call it extortion.

[Mark was here]

$200,000,000.00 pi$$ed away. Way to go, Kofi.

This is no different than the way local police agencies operate.

Think about it, every time they have to direct traffic for a 4th of July fireworks display, it is always on overtime, do you think just once, they could not be taken by surprise and schedule properly?