02 May 2008

The UN Proves Their Worth . . . After Lying About It, Of Course

How many more reasons do we need to loathe the United Nations. Oh, they have a pretty flag and I just love what they do with soft blue hues, but these cats make Grey Davis seem financially competent.

Just weeks before it announced the onset of a global food crisis and the urgent need for donors to provide at least $775 million in additional funding, the World Food Program was sitting on a cash and near-cash stockpile of more than $1.22 billion.

So it's not enough that the UN Barney Fifes every police action that they undertake, now their food to the needy task force is rife with either negligence, corruption or both. You see, it was just yesterday that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the International Herald Tribune that the World Food Program (WFP) had only $18 million on hand and were in sore need of some fat cash . . . in fact, some $775 million in fat cash to cover rising costs. And if we don't give, the world will stay "locked in crisis."

His inspiring words would probably breathe many into action if not for an audit of WFP funds that was endorsed by the WFP’s executive director, Josette Sheeran. This audit tells the story of a $400 million increase over last year's WFP cash reserves, not a tale of declining funds. This audit claims that the organization should have around $1.22 billion on hand, not the $18 million the Secretary-General claims. It seems as though somebody in UN accounting may have moved a decimal point or two.

In the end you may be wondering why it matters. Is any amount of money too much when it comes to feeding the poor? Maybe not, unless you consider Ban Ki-moon's ominous promise on handling this issue.
To coordinate this work [of collecting funds], I will set up and chair a UN Task Force on the Global Food Crisis. I will leave no stone unturned to focus political will at the July meeting of the G8 nations in Japan and the high-level FAO conference on food security in Rome in early June. [emphasis added]

OK, maybe I'm being glass-half-empty on this one, but do we really want this guy as the chair of a task force on the global food crisis when he just missed the current fund level by around $1 billion? Color me cynical (which I take to be reddish-green) but after the UN's Food for Oil debacle do we really trust them to handle any important cash under any circumstances?

2 comments :

  1. Nikki said...

    It amazes me how many Americans give creedence to the UN before they would ever trust their own government. The UN is so corrupt. Of course they would spit in the face of Bush and never a negative about this lovely organization that took billions from Saddam while they were in bed together. Chalk one up for the UN and their legitimacy. great post...it looks like I have missed a few! :)N

  2. Khaki Elephant said...

    You have to wonder about about anybody who loves and organization run by anti-semetic, anti-american and anti-british idiots suffering from national Napolean complex.