UN investigating conduct of senior Dutch official by Sebastiaan Gottlieb*
14-01-2008
For the third time in a relatively short period of time a senior Dutch diplomat at the United Nations is the subject of controversy. Former government minister Eveline Herfkens, now a senior official with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), faces allegations about her having abused her position for personal gain. Meanwhile, support for this once highly regarded Dutch cabinet minister appears to be crumbling away.
Eveline Herfkens appears to have placed yet another dent in the Netherlands' reputation at the UN. Two other senior Dutch UN officials, Ruud Lubbers and Ad Melkert, have already found themselves at the centre of controversy while working for the global body.
Former prime minister Ruud Lubbers resigned from his post as UN High Commissioner for Refugees in 2005 as a result of accusations about his having sexually harassed a female member of staff.
Ad Melkert, also a former government minister, is still in charge of the UNDP but has been attacked for a perceived lack of both decisiveness and a transparent staffing policy.
Breaking the rules
Now it's the turn of ex-minister and former World Bank employee Eveline Herfkens, who's been accused of violating the UN's internal code of conduct. Ms Herfkens, however, has responded by saying she's aware of no such violation on her part.
Dick Leurdijk of the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael says this is an exceptionally painful blow for the position of the Netherlands in the international diplomatic context of the UN. He says that the picture now emerging is that she has been rather too eager in her acceptance of benefits from both the UN and from the authorities in the Netherlands. Mr Leurdijk adds that: "She really should have handled that more carefully."
Appreciation
Eveline Herfkens was appointed coordinator of the UN's Millennium Goals campaign in October 2002, a job in which she was to promote this important UN project - it's main aim being to banish poverty - across the world. Her position at the UN is on Assistant Secretary-General level, which puts her in the organisation's second highest salary scale, with a gross annual salary of 225,750 US dollars.
The job with the UN appeared to come as a reward for Ms Herfkens work as the Netherlands' minister for development cooperation, in which she gained respect and appreciation for her decision to make good governance a condition for the provision of Dutch development aid to Third World countries. As a minister in the second cabinet of then prime minister Wim Kok she also channeled more money to the UNDP and reduced the amount spent directly on projects in developing countries.
Legal investigation
In the meantime, UN enthusiasm for Ms Herfkens has taken a considerable knock since it became known that she has applied for permanent resident status in the United States. This puts her in breach of UN regulations; something which the organisation takes extremely seriously. The UN's legal department is now investigating the case.
Dick Leurdijk of the Clingendael Institute cannot imagine that Ms Herfkens wasn't aware of the rules:
"The fact that you're working in a UN context would appear to me to mean that you are very well informed about this kind of thing; you talk to each other about it. You know how difficult it is to be admitted to a country like the United States. You know that, as a UN official, you're vulnerable. You can accuse her, in any event, of being careless about observing the applicable UN regulations." (Translation)
Rent and removal payments
There has been additional commotion about Ms Herfkens back home in the Netherlands because of the fact that the Dutch government paid for her New York apartment for many years. At that time she was already in the employ of the UN. When she moved from New York to Maryland, the Dutch authorities also bore her removal costs.
These payments from the Dutch government constitute yet another breach of the UN's internal rules, which specify that officials may not accept gifts. Meanwhile, following questions in parliament from angry MPs, the Dutch foreign ministry is now investigating the matter.
14-01-2008
For the third time in a relatively short period of time a senior Dutch diplomat at the United Nations is the subject of controversy. Former government minister Eveline Herfkens, now a senior official with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), faces allegations about her having abused her position for personal gain. Meanwhile, support for this once highly regarded Dutch cabinet minister appears to be crumbling away.
Eveline Herfkens appears to have placed yet another dent in the Netherlands' reputation at the UN. Two other senior Dutch UN officials, Ruud Lubbers and Ad Melkert, have already found themselves at the centre of controversy while working for the global body.Former prime minister Ruud Lubbers resigned from his post as UN High Commissioner for Refugees in 2005 as a result of accusations about his having sexually harassed a female member of staff.
Ad Melkert, also a former government minister, is still in charge of the UNDP but has been attacked for a perceived lack of both decisiveness and a transparent staffing policy.
Breaking the rules
Now it's the turn of ex-minister and former World Bank employee Eveline Herfkens, who's been accused of violating the UN's internal code of conduct. Ms Herfkens, however, has responded by saying she's aware of no such violation on her part.
Dick Leurdijk of the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael says this is an exceptionally painful blow for the position of the Netherlands in the international diplomatic context of the UN. He says that the picture now emerging is that she has been rather too eager in her acceptance of benefits from both the UN and from the authorities in the Netherlands. Mr Leurdijk adds that: "She really should have handled that more carefully."
Appreciation
Eveline Herfkens was appointed coordinator of the UN's Millennium Goals campaign in October 2002, a job in which she was to promote this important UN project - it's main aim being to banish poverty - across the world. Her position at the UN is on Assistant Secretary-General level, which puts her in the organisation's second highest salary scale, with a gross annual salary of 225,750 US dollars.
The job with the UN appeared to come as a reward for Ms Herfkens work as the Netherlands' minister for development cooperation, in which she gained respect and appreciation for her decision to make good governance a condition for the provision of Dutch development aid to Third World countries. As a minister in the second cabinet of then prime minister Wim Kok she also channeled more money to the UNDP and reduced the amount spent directly on projects in developing countries.
Legal investigation
In the meantime, UN enthusiasm for Ms Herfkens has taken a considerable knock since it became known that she has applied for permanent resident status in the United States. This puts her in breach of UN regulations; something which the organisation takes extremely seriously. The UN's legal department is now investigating the case.
Dick Leurdijk of the Clingendael Institute cannot imagine that Ms Herfkens wasn't aware of the rules:
"The fact that you're working in a UN context would appear to me to mean that you are very well informed about this kind of thing; you talk to each other about it. You know how difficult it is to be admitted to a country like the United States. You know that, as a UN official, you're vulnerable. You can accuse her, in any event, of being careless about observing the applicable UN regulations." (Translation)
Rent and removal payments
There has been additional commotion about Ms Herfkens back home in the Netherlands because of the fact that the Dutch government paid for her New York apartment for many years. At that time she was already in the employ of the UN. When she moved from New York to Maryland, the Dutch authorities also bore her removal costs.
These payments from the Dutch government constitute yet another breach of the UN's internal rules, which specify that officials may not accept gifts. Meanwhile, following questions in parliament from angry MPs, the Dutch foreign ministry is now investigating the matter.
No comments:
Post a Comment