Tsunami + United Nations = Double Disaster 

January 5, 2005
Center for Individual Freedom
Original Source: http://www.cfif.org/htdocs/freedomline/un_monitor/in_our_opinion/Tsunami-United-Nations-Disaster.html

One year ago, the devastating tsunami took more than 220,000 lives and wrought untold destruction across a massive area that encompassed most of the Indian Ocean. And in a testament to the better virtues of human nature, people from across the globe were moved to do and give what they could to help. 
The aid that flowed forth was ultimately administered by governments, relief and religious organizations, and the United Nations. The generosity from people around the world was unprecedented, with Americans typically leading the way. Tens of billions of dollars were raised. 
And that's why it was also a year ago that we issued a very public warning: the United Nations can't be trusted with the money. We spoke out in this, our own forum. A CFIF spokesperson appeared on Hannity & Colmes. We took our message to talk radio, sent letters to Congress and urged Americans to keep the U.N.'s fingers out of our wallets.
Unfortunately, the U.N. apologists won the day, and a huge chunk of American money went to the world body's tsunami relief fund. All told, the U.N. raised more than $13 billion from governments, businesses and individuals around the globe.
Just before Christmas, the Financial Times reported the news that surprised no one who heard our warning: the U.N. pocketed a huge percentage of the money.
The FT conducted a two-month investigation, trying to untangle the maze of financial information that the web of U.N. agencies provided in response to the newspapers requests. Many of the agencies refused to respond at all, despite promises from Jan Egeland, the world body's top disaster official, that his aunt can go in and see how her money ... is being spent. In particular, the FT looked at the expenditures made under the U.N.'s $1.1 billion flash fund. The money in that pot was donated quickly and was intended for immediate disaster relief efforts.
Ultimately, the FT found:
UNICEF, the United Nations fund for helping children, spent $169.5 million. Almost 20 percent went to staff and administrative or related costs. 
The United Nations Development Programme spent $82.5 million. About 7 percent went directly to the U.N. for overhead and salaries. But that figure doesn't include fees paid to highly paid consultants who do much of UNDP's field work, the FT reported. 
The World Food Programme spent more than $215 million. Eighteen percent went to salaries, administrative overheads, vehicles and equipment. 
The U.N. refugee agency, the UNHCR, spent $11.2 million in Indonesia. Twenty-two percent went to salaries and administrative expenses. 
The World Health Organization spent $49 million. And a whopping 32 percent was consumed by personnel costs, administrative overheads, or associated 'miscellaneous' costs. 
It's clear from the FT's investigation that these findings (as are most involving the U.N.) are only the tip of the iceberg. Consider that if the same general ratio holds true for the entire tsunami fund and the world body essentially paid itself about 20 percent of the money for overhead, the U.N. may have pocketed $2.6 billion of the $13 billion that was contributed.
While the U.N. makes off with the loot, the losers, of course, are the tsunami victims. Their lives destroyed by the disaster, they were supposed to get help from generous souls around the world. But, just as it always does, the U.N. saw a sack full of booty and gladly grabbed a handful.
So now, with millions and perhaps billions forever lost to the U.N.'s bottomless pit, it's worth taking note. Maybe next time someone will heed the warning.