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.