Poverty Czar at UNDP Herfkens Said to Accept $7000 a Month Rent from Holland, Audits Cannot Be Copied

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee

of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, January 10 -- A Dutch Labor Party former minister was paid $225,000 a year by the UN Development Program for part-time work for the poor, but still reportedly received a $7,000 a month housing subsidy from the Dutch government. Since the UN Charter prohibits accepting such payments from governments, Inner City Press asked UNDP to confirm or deny their knowledge of the housing subsidy to UN Millennium Campaign coordinator Eveline Herfkens. On January 9 UNDP's Cassandra Waldon answered, "We are looking into the issue of Ms. Herfkens's housing subsidy, including whether she sought or received any necessary authorizations."

UN Staff Regulation 1.2(j) states that "no staff member shall accept any honor, decoration, favor, gift or remuneration from any government," and does not refer to any "authorization" to work around this conflict-of-interest rule. On January 10, Inner City Press asked the UN spokesperson if the policy is that UN-affiliated officials or staff receiving money or housing subsidy from governments is always prohibited. "Definitely," the UN spokesperson said. Transcript here; video here, from Minute 11:45.

As reported, for at least four years Ms. Herfkens received the $7,000 a month rent subsidy by the Dutch government, for an apartment in the Hammarskjold Tower, and the Dutch government offered to pay her moving costs into the apartment, and for a 2006 move to Maryland. What will be the follow-up on this? Watch UNDP's and this site.

Ms. Herfkens makes point about MDGs, Dutch-paid apartment not shown, covers here

Meanwhile, UNDP in a quiet December 18 announcement tried to bury the conflict, and previous promises, about making its audits available to member states. After saying this would take place, the new UNDP policy is that while member states may look at some reports, they may not make copies, and have to "maintain confidentiality with respect to issues that might affect staff, third parties or a country government/administration" -- that is, always. The policy is online here; see especially paragraphs 73-75. Even at the UN Secretariat, member states get copies, as bragged about Thursday by OIOS' Inga-Britt Ahlenius. Can OIOS investigate and act on Herfkens accepting of housing subsidy from Holland? Can Ms. Herfkens come and answer questions at a briefing in New York? While for now she cannot charge to UNDP airfare in business class, we're sure she still has enough money left for bus fare from Maryland...
[As summarized Friday by the UN, NRC Handelsblad has reported that "the supplement is against the internal code of conduct of the UNDP, which was not informed about the Dutch contribution, spokesman David Morrison said.]

Certain other questions were also posed to UNDP on the afternoon of January 9, and by noon on January 11 had not been answered, including about Sweden's reported cut of $10 million in funding to UNDP due to its non-inclusion of human rights, about a specific UNDP project in Somalia -- previously, UNDP said it would be providing such information -- and for a description of the role in security in Algeria of UNDP's Marc de Stanne de Bernis, including confirming or denying that he ever received requests to raise the threat level, or phase, in Algeria. Developing.