Thread: Haiti: U.S. Sends Help, UN Wants Money

January 15th, 2010 8:52 pm

Haiti: U.S. Sends Help, UN Wants Money

First, in making a comment on the United Nations and Haiti, let’s note that among the scores of thousands, or possibly hundreds of thousands of people killed in Haiti by the earthquake on Tuesday were dozens of UN staff, with some 150 still unaccounted for as of Thursday. The scene is one of devastating loss of life.

All the more reason for competent handling of help for Haiti, and of the enormous ruin there. For this kind of thing, the UN record is, unfortunately, abysmal. Recall the UN response to the 2004 tsunami in Asia, in which the UN humanitarian coordinator at the time, Jan Egeland, accused countries such as the U.S. of being “stingy,â€

Tsunami claimed some 231,000 lives and displaced 2 million people.

Congress Should Investigate the United Nations Tsunami Relief Effort

by Nile Gardiner, Ph.D.
WebMemo #952

This week marks the anniversary of the tsunami disaster which struck large sections of Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Africa on December 26, 2004. The tsunami claimed some 231,000 lives and displaced 2 million people. The disaster prompted an outpouring of humanitarian help from around the world, with an estimated total of $13.6 billion in aid pledged, including $6.16 billion in government assistance, $2.3 billion from international financial institutions, and $5.1 billion from individuals and companies.[1]

The huge international relief effort is being co-coordinated by the United Nations, and involves an astonishing 39 U.N. agencies, from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The Financial Times Inquiry

When the U.N. took over the tsunami relief operation in early 2005, the world body pledged full transparency, in light of its disastrous handling of the Iraq Oil-for-Food Program. The U.N.’s under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, Jan Egeland, boasted in an opinion editorial that “only the UN has the universal legitimacy, capacity, and credibility to lead in a truly global humanitarian emergency.â€

No more $$$MONEY$$$ to the UN!

Originally Posted by vmonkey56

No more $$$MONEY$$$ to the UN!

Right on vmonkey56!

What would the Haitians spend the money on now anyway?? They need food, shelter and medical supplies, not paper!

Anyone know how I can get a job at the UN to become one of their administrative expenses?