Source: – HYPERLINK http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=d2ac10b4-802a-23ad-4a02-18830ecb82f1&Issue_id http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=d2ac10b4-802a-23ad-4a02-18830ecb82f1&Issue_id=
Date: October 24, 2007

Coburn Says U.N. Day Highlights Need for Reform
Unveils Web site cataloguing areas needing oversight

October 24, 2007

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) released a list of current U.N. scandals today on the 62nd anniversary of the United Nations. The U.N. charter declares the purpose of the world body is to maintain peace and security, develop friendly relations based on respect for equal rights and self-determination, and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Unfortunately, 62 years later, the United Nations is incapable of living up to its charter. 

For years, there have been attempts to reform the United Nations, both from the secretariat and from the world body’s donors. Unfortunately, all reform efforts have failed. 

“The best way to honor the United Nations on its birthday is to help the organization cure its cancer of corruption, fraud, secrecy and impotence that is preventing the United Nations from achieving its mission,” Dr. Coburn said. 

To that end, Dr. Coburn has unveiled a Web site, the United Nations Watch, cataloguing the growing list of scandals and released the following list of examples currently plaguing the United Nations: 
U.N. procurement tainted by fraud - According to internal United Nations auditors, 43 percent of U.N. procurement investigated is tainted by fraud. Out of $1.4 billion in U.N. contracts internally investigated, $610 million was tainted by 10 “significant fraud and corruption schemes. Since 43 percent of the procurement contracts are tainted and the United States contributes up to 25 percent of all U.N. funding, it is safe to say that an amount equal to well above entire U.S. contribution in this case has been lost to corruption and waste.[1] 

U.N. props up dictators and state sponsors of terror - According to leaked reports, U.N. whistleblowers, and U.S. investigators, U.N. operations in places like North Korea, Burma, Syria, Iran, Cuba, and Zimbabwe have been transferring cash and resources to these unaccountable regimes and state sponsors of terror in the name of humanitarian assistance and “capacity building.”[2] For example, according to leaked reports, U.S. investigators found cash transfers between the U.N. Development Program and bank accounts used by the North Korean regime to purchase missiles.[3] 

U.N. rewards dictators and human rights abusers with leadership posts – The United Nations regularly permits countries subject to U.N. sanctions, human rights abusers and state sponsors of terror to hold leadership posts in critical U.N. programs and committees. Here are a few examples:[4] 
U.N. Security Council: Libya 
International Atomic Energy Agency General Committee: Syria, Vice-President 
U.N. Disarmament Commission: Iran, Vice-Chairman; Syria, Rapporteur 
Committee on Information: China, Kazakhstan 
Commission for Social Development: North Korea 
Commission on Sustainable Development: Sudan 
Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice: Libya, Russia 
U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF): Burma, Vice-President; China, Board 
General Assembly's First Committee on Disarmament and International Security: Syria, Vice-Chairman 
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Executive Committee: Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan 
World Food Programme Executive Board: Zimbabwe, Sudan 
U.N. glorifying terrorism - According to the U.N. charter, the purpose of the United Nations is to “maintain international peace and security.” Terrorism is the primary threat to international peace and security, yet the United Nations has failed to establish a legitimate working definition of terrorism, it has appointed states directly supporting terrorism to leadership posts, has accredited organizations that openly support and glorify terrorism, and provided direct funding and other in-kind resources to terrorist regimes.[5] 

U.N. Peacekeeping operations plagued by rape and sexual exploitation of refugees – In 1994, a draft U.N. report was leaked detailing how peacekeepers in Morocco, Pakistan, Uruguay, Tunis, South Africa and Nepal were involved in 68 cases of rape, prostitution and pedophilia. The report also stated that the investigation into these cases is being undermined by bribery and witness intimidation by U.N. personnel.[6] In 2006, it was reported that peacekeepers in Haiti and Liberia were involved in sexual exploitation of refugees.[7] This year, leaked reports indicate the United Nations has caught 200 peacekeepers for sex offenses in the past three years ranging from rape to assault on minors. In all of these cases, there is no known evidence of an offending U.N. peacekeeper being prosecuted.[8] 

U.N. Human Rights Council hijacked by Anti-Semitism - In 2006, the U.N. Human Rights Council replaced the discredited U.N. Human Rights Commission, due to growing criticism over the human rights abusers permitted to sit on the Commission, the use of the Commission to promote bigotry and anti-Semitism, and the failure of the Commission to hold human rights violators accountable. Unfortunately, the new U.N. Human Rights Council is simply a letterhead change, and continues to give abusers seats on the Council while devoting almost its entire agenda to prejudiced attacks on the only democratic country in the Middle East, Israel.[9] 

U.N. scam permitted illegal entry into the U.S. – A U.N. employee from Russia was arrested in August of this year for operating an illegal visa scam lasting at least two years. The official assisted non-U.S. citizens to enter the United States with fraudulent U.N. documents — including the use of U.N. letterhead — in order to obtain visas to attend U.N. conferences that either did not exist or they did not attend.[10] 

U.N. smuggling diamonds in Zimbabwe – It is reported that a U.N. official in Zimbabwe is also the chairman of a mining company co-owned by the vice president of Zimbabwe, a former member of parliament, and an ambassador of Zimbabwe. The mining company is accused of asset stripping worth $116 million and using the U.N. Development Program to facilitate diamond smuggling.[11] 

U.N. graft and cover-up at the Khmer Rogue Tribunal in Cambodia – It is reported that, unlike previous U.N. tribunals set up to prosecute war criminals in Sierra Leone and East Timor, the U.N. permitted the Cambodian government to infiltrate and dominate the Khmer Rogue tribunal with a majority of government-appointed judges, lawyers, and staff. The United Nations also granted Cambodia’s demand that every case be decided by a judge single, government-appointed judge, rather than an independently appointed jury, as is the standard. International observers claim Cambodia’s judicial system is notoriously corrupt, inefficient and poorly administered. Making matters worse, the U.N. Development Program handed over millions of dollars to the Cambodian government to operate the tribunal. Reports indicate this money was used in a bribery and kick-back scheme where employees would be forced to give a portion of their salaries to Cambodian officials in order to maintain their jobs or receive appointments to higher positions.[12] 

U.N. Development Program-Global Environment Facility (UNDP-GEF) corruption – The U.N. Development Program operates the Global Environment Facility which is involved in multiple scandals, including alleged procurement fraud in Africa worth $8 million. When a U.N. official blew the whistle, the United Nations retaliated against the whistleblower. In another example, reports indicate the UNDP-GEF in the Philippines is operated by an official who also helps runs a local, non-government organization (NGO). This official allegedly awarded grants to her own NGO and then diverted funds from the NGO to enrich her family. When a U.N. employee blew the whistle, the United Nations covered it up.[13] 

U.N. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) graft –A Sudanese national who has run the WIPO since 1997 has falsified his U.N. personnel file to drop nine years from his age — making it possible to extend his time at WIPO and to extend his ability to obtain a lucrative benefit package, including a possible payout of more than $500,000. The scandal was first reported in a leaked U.S. State Department cable authored by Secretary Rice. The cable also states that this same Sudanese official is suspected of using U.N. funds for personal items such as the construction of a swimming pool at his residence.[14] 
 

[1] See Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management website Your Tax Dollars at Work report for more details. 
[2] See Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management website, UN Watch: UN Development Program. 
[3] Fang, Bay, “Audit: Agencies in North Korea broke UN rules,” Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2007. 
[4] Visit the EyeOnTheUN.org report, “UN Authority Figures” for more information. 
[5] See Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management website, UN Watch: Terrorism. 
[6] Lynch, Colum, “U.N. Sexual Abuse Alleged in Congo,” Washington Post, 16 December 2004. 
[7] “UN troops face child abuse claims,” BBC News, 30 November 2006. 
[8] Elliot, Francis and Ruth Elkins, “UN shame over sex scandal,” The Independent, 23 October 2007. 
[9] See Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management website, UN Watch: Human Rights and Anti-Semitism. 
[10] “UN Employee Charged with Helping Foreigners Enter the U.S Illegally,” Associated Press, 6 August2007. 
[11] Manyukwe, Clemence, “New Twist to River Ranch Saga,” Financial Gazette (Harare), 19 September 2007. 
[12] Hall, John, “Yet Another U.N. Scandal,” Wall Street Journal, 21 September 2007. 
[13] Lee, Mathew Russell, “In Dakar, More Retaliation by UN Development Program, Climate Change Used for Sole Source Contracts,” Inner City Press, 4 September 2007. 
[14] Rosett, Claudia, “Dating Yourself,” National Review, 23 September2007.