Wednesday, January 30, 2013

"No Confidence" vote for Ban Ki-moon and the only reason was: "he and his wife spend too much in air fares" ! While at UNDP: Samaras seem to be OK with moving Bratislava Centre to Turkey

In the looser world of UN's Staff Union, the only thing wrong with the current secretary general (Ban Ki-moon) is:

Aware that the travel costs of the Secretary-General and his entourage, including his spouse, constitute a significant expense to the Organization;

That's the only thing the leadership of Staff Union, who scratches their scrotum all day and get paid for doing nothing, (& never-ever defended any staff) could think as problematic with the dysfunctional United Nations system !

And here is their ridiculous, useless Staff Resolution :

Click here to read this @ InnerCityPress: http://www.innercitypress.com/ban1noconreso012413.pdf

Click here to read this @ InnerCityPress: http://www.innercitypress.com/ban1noconreso012413.pdf

Ah..and for the UNDP audience, this is what's coming your way:

"We estimate that a US$50 million dollar cut from previously planned spending will be needed this year to keep UNDP’s core liquidity balance at a minimum of three months at the end of the year.” Click here for this

Let's see what UNDP's own staff council will say about this...since it seems that they failed to protect the Bratislava staffers from loosing their jobs who are due to be transferred to Turkey.

Many say that Dimitri Samaras (a Greek) has agreed with the Turkish ASG of RBEC about the move.

In case you want to say smth about contact the Staff Council these are your representatives:






Asma al-Assad is pregnant: What you think Helen Clark will bring to her baby-shower ?

Click here for story: http://undpwatch.blogspot.com/2012/09/foxnews-uncovers-special-relations.html

Asma al-Assad is UNDP's champion of reform in Syria


UNDP's special relations with dictators and terror is well documented. Yet, they continue to operate covered by UN Immunity. 
 

Helen Clark thanks Brazil on Twitter for gender equality


In Kismayo (Somalia), the U.N. is starting food distribution assisted by contractors who are "cleared" by al-Shabbab





Somalis stand in front of a kiosk in market area of the port city of Kismayo, south Somalia. UN Photo/Stuart Price
29 January 2013 – More than four years after conflict and pervasive insecurity forced it to shutter its operations in southern Somalia, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has resumed food assistance to the region’s port city of Kismayo, the agency announced today.

With relative peace returning to the Horn of Africa nation, WFP managed to conduct an assessment of food security in Kismayo last November only to discover high levels of malnutrition and food insecurity throughout the city...

Click here for this in full @ : http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44030&Cr=somali&Cr1=#.UQlFCLbTroA

Tale of green cooking stoves in Brazil: - $$$millions spent for un-certified stoves -- with no real impact to environment

Credit: UNDP
28 January 2013 – The story of an indigenous family in west-central Brazil which now uses clean, economical and green cook stoves provided through a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project is among 12 winners of an annual storytelling competition and featured in the second edition of a newspaper presented today by the agency.

“As in last year’s issue, these stories highlight UNDP’s critical work on poverty reduction, democratic governance, crisis prevention and recovery, and the environment and sustainable development,” said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark in a letter to readers. “They remind us that people are and always will be the centre of UNDP’s work.”


Click here for this story in full @ : http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44018#.UQlG9rbTroA

Monterey Institute nerds are "excited" and "inspired" by Ban Ki-moon speech (did they actually hear him speak??)

Norway's researchers say: "United Nations is full of sh*t about global warming"

  
Researchers in Norway recently found that global warming is less severe than previously predicted by the United Nations climate authority, causing skeptics to argue that a growing body of data is on their side while experts cast doubt on the results.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

As if there are not enough - UN establishes yet another trust fund

UN Establishes Trust Fund to Support Youth Volunteerism 

Click here for this in full @: http://www.unric.org/en/latest-un-buzz/28176-un-establishes-trust-fund-to-support-youth-volunteerism



25jan-unnewsA dedicated trust fund has been set up by the United Nations to boost youth volunteerism and harness the energy of young people around the world to contribute to achieving development goals while enhancing their own lives.

Announced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, the new youth trust fund is an important milestone in developing the inspirational UN Youth Volunteers Programme.

The announcement comes on the first anniversary of the launch by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of his Five-Year Action Agenda which includes a specific measure to "create a UN youth volunteers programme under the umbrella of UN Volunteers."

Long-supported by the UN system, volunteerism is widely recognized as a powerful means of transforming the pace and nature of development and draws upon the inherent core values of self-help, solidarity and social cohesion.

Interview with UNDP Administrator Helen Clark in Croatia

EU Emissions Trading System Union Registry: how it works and how to bid for carbon allowances and aviation allowances

Click here for this in full @: https://www.gov.uk/eu-ets-carbon-markets

This guide deals with using the EU ETS Union Registry and how to bid for carbon allowances in forthcoming emissions auctions. The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is the largest multi-country, multi-sector greenhouse gas emission trading system in the world. It is central to the EU meeting its 20% emissions reduction target by 2020.

Emissions trading establishes the price of greenhouse gas emissions, which allows the market to determine the most economically efficient method for businesses to reduce their emissions.

Helen Clark speech to Executive Board fails to address systemic failures, tries to divert attention of the board

Click here to read this in full @ :  http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/speeches/2013/01/28/helen-clark-first-regular-session-of-the-undp-executive-board/

Later this week, the Board will discuss the Evaluation Report on poverty reduction covering the period 2000-2010.  Let me underline that UNDP always welcomes scrutiny of its operations and results, and the opportunity to learn from and exchange views on evaluations.

Reducing poverty is one of the most complex problems humankind has to resolve, even in the most affluent societies. It is “a marathon, not a sprint”, and goes beyond tackling income deprivation to addressing broader human deprivation, including in education, health, dignity, rights, gender inequality, and voice. Approaches to this challenge vary. That diversity is reflected in the difference between the approach favoured in the evaluation report and that advocated by UNDP.

The evaluation notes that while development solutions need to be targeted, UNDP has made valuable contributions to establishing the agenda of poverty reduction from the multidimensional perspective of human development as a priority. Efforts to improve the impact of our work must continue, including by taking into account the lessons and recommendations presented in the evaluation as is clearly stated in the UNDP management response. Throughout my time at UNDP, I have stressed the importance of embarking on work which is capable of being scaled up and contributing to transformational and systemic change – a matter rightly regarded as important by the evaluation.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Emergency General Meeting of U.N. Staff

unsu logo
Thursday, 24 January 2013

1:15 to 2:30 p.m.
Conference Room 3 (NLB)

Agenda

Update on recent developments with regards to the 2014-15
budget proposals and their implications for staff at UN Headquarters
  • After the adoption of resolution 67/248 by the General Assembly, the Secretary-General has instructed his managers to find ways to further cut the budget and reduce costs, including a reduction of posts.
  • One thing is certain, all staff should be concerned as proposals to outsource, off-shore and abolish posts are all on the table.  No posts are safe!
  • A draft resolution on this topic will be presented for discussion and adoption.  Please attend and bring your colleagues as we need a quorum of 300 staff present to take action.
Download DRAFT Resolution PDF

Millenium Villages Scandal: $$Pension funds disappeared ?! Staffers drag UNDP to court in Malawi.


S C A N D A L 


Click here for this in full @ The Daily Times: http://www.bnltimes.com/index.php/daily-times/headlines/national/13549-17-battle-with-undp-over-pension

Former workers for the Millennium Villages Programme (MVP) in the country have threatened to drag the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) Malawi office to the industrial relations court for failure to pay out their pension, two years after their contracts expired.

Seventeen former MVP employees who were contract service holders with UNDP between 2006 and 2011 argue that the UN headquarters duly authorised payment of the said pension, but that the local office 'for unknown reasons' has been silent for two years.

In an email reponse o n M o n d a y, UNDP Communications Assistant Steven Kamponda said his office is aware about the issue, but is yet to make any decision.

Lawyer for the ex-employees Timothy Kalembo, has warned the UN body he would be commencing court proceedings if the payment is not made within 14 days from December 6, last year.

"Our clients have now instructed us that your office should make proper arrangements, enabling them to sign the certificate of no contest as required by their contracts and pay them their pension within 14 days.

"If we do not hear from you within the stated period, our clients have instructed us, we shall commence legal proceedings against you, without informing you whatsoever," reads a letter signed for by Kalembo.

The letter says despite persistent reminders on the matter, nothing has been done.

"Our cl ients have attempted to remind your honourable office to fulfil this contractual obligation, to no avail. They strongly contend that the conduct shown by your office is tantamount to violation of their right to fair labour practices," reads the letter.

The ex-employees say they are entitled to be paid a lump sum, in lieu of pension equivalent to 8.33 percent of the monthly remuneration rate to their whole remuneration, according to article 6 Part B of the specific contracts, which they individually signed with the UNDP.

They say payments are long overdue and should have been made by 2011.

An e-mail communication from Hanrietta De Beer of Office Human Resource (OHR) at the UNDP headquarters in New York, to former UNDP resident representative, Richard Dictus shows that country's office was cleared to handle the matter.

"On behal f of the Director of OHR, I confirm that in consultation with the Regional Bureau for Africa, exceptional approval is granted for the lump sum arrangement for Service Contracts (SC) that will provide 8.33 per cent of the base monthly remuneration in lieu of pension.

"The exception is also granted retroactively, as an interim measure until resources are put in place for coverage under a proper scheme as the one that WFP has accessed. Please find attached templates for the SC and Certificates of No Contest," reads the communication, dated June 20, 2011.

In a response to an e-mailed questionnaire on the matter yesterday, the UNDP said it has been in touch with its headquarters on the issue, since 2012.

"As contractual matters have legal implications, the process of reaching an agreement was prolonged, and this was a unique case to UNDP. As per UNDP's established procedures, service contract holders are considered as consultants, and as such, they do not participate in the United Nations pension scheme.

"However, with the recent revision of the UNDP service contract guidelines, provisions could be made to encourage service contract holders to participate in national and/or other private pension schemes. At present, we are in the process of finalizing paperwork to have the UNDP's final decision on this issue," reads the response from Kamponda.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

New Zealand Media continues coverage of Helen Clark's epic failures at UNDP

Click here to read this in full @ Scoop.Co.nz:  http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1301/S00072/the-real-cure-for-poverty-is-growth.htm

The Real Cure For Poverty Is Growth

By Dr Muriel Newman


Last week former Prime Minister Helen Clark was subjected to a scathing review of the United Nations Development Programme that she has run since 2009.[1] The evaluation was carried out by her own executive board and covered the last two years of operation. It paints a picture of a confused organisation that is failing to achieve its goal of global poverty reduction despite spending more than US$8.5 billion between 2004 and 2011. The report was essentially a performance review of Helen Clark. It warned that the UNDP had underachieved in a wide range of areas including failing to properly evaluate the success of its poverty reduction initiatives, failing to share good ideas between its 162 country offices, and failing to ensure that worthwhile pilot programmes were expanded to maximise their benefits.

Click here to read this in full @ Scoop.Co.nz:  http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1301/S00072/the-real-cure-for-poverty-is-growth.htm

TV coverage of UNDP failures in eradicating poverty continues in United States


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Joseph Stiglitz center attacks UNDP's "achievements" in Haiti says : "UNDP's Heraldo Muñoz lies about impact"

Click here to read this in full @ CEPR:  http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/relief-and-reconstruction-watch/uns-munoz-misses-the-point

UN’s Muñoz Misses the Point



In the face of headlines such as “3 years after Haiti's quake, lives still in upheaval” and “Haiti: the graveyard of hope,” Heraldo Muñoz,  U.N. assistant secretary-general and director of the Regional Bureau for Latin America & the Caribbean at UNDP, had a defensive piece in Foreign Policy Tuesday titled “Haiti’s Recovery is Real.” It may be true that some media coverage and commentary has been unfairly focused on the negative to the exclusion of any mention of progress.  But, while overwhelmingly negative coverage of Haiti fits into tired stereotypes, there is a real danger in exaggerating what has been accomplished when so many emergencies remain.

The UNDP deserves credit for accomplishments that have indeed made a difference, which Muñoz lists throughout his piece. But passages such as this one are troubling:

The UNDP has also helped train more than 7,000 people in home reconstruction, strengthened Haiti's national disaster risk-management system, and launched environmental protection programs. The results have been significant and tangible -- a direct outcome of the international support that followed the earthquake and that remains a critical lifeline. The government of Haiti is now building on these achievements and developing a longer-term development roadmap toward a truly inclusive, resilient society.

It is hard not to read this as propaganda,  considering the wasted resources (financial and human), wasted time, and perhaps most importantly, wasted opportunities that have been the focus of much other analysis and commentary on the state of affairs after three years. Truly inclusive society? Tell that to the tens of thousands [PDF] of camp residents who have been forcibly evicted, the many others who lack clean water [PDF] or toilets, or the garment factory workers who are paid below minimum wage.

Muñoz misses the point with the overall premise of his article. He writes:

With support from national and international partners, Haitians are rebuilding a better, more resilient country -- a fact that has been repeatedly overlooked in the international press. Among Haitians, however, the sense of progress is unmistakable.

If Haitians are really at the center of the relief effort, as they should be, and UNDP sees this as a good thing, then one might wonder why Haitians – unaccompanied by foreigners - would be automatically barred from relief coordination cluster meetings (in which UNDP participates), or why such meetings would be conducted in English – or French – and not kreyol.

Muñoz notes that:

Gallup also found that an unprecedented 46 percent of Haitians expressed confidence in national government institutions. (In 2008, just 24 percent reported confidence in the government and by 2010 that number had fallen to 16 percent.)

One might then ponder why the international community continues to express so little confidence in the Haitian government, giving it less budget support in 2011 than it did the year before the earthquake, and just one dollar out of every $100 [PDF] spent in humanitarian relief.

Muñoz puts a happy face on things when he writes that “more than 1.1 million people who were displaced by the quake have been moved out of camps and into long-term housing, also with UNDP support.”

But he neglects to mention that some 66,566 of these people had been forcibly evicted [PDF] by the end of last April. Many others were encouraged to leave camps with payouts through the Martelly administration’s “16/6” plan, but the Under Tents campaign noted that “In the absence of work opportunities, families’ ability to pay rent one year from now is dubious. Advocates have also raised concerns that residents of the original six camps were not told about the plan or given input into how it would affect them.” Under Tents also expressed concern that “human rights advocates worry this ‘relocation’ has not ensured basic human rights such as access to water and sanitation services.”
Muñoz highlights that “Neighbourhoods, roads, and houses have been rehabilitated, creating thousands of jobs in the process.”

But according to the Shelter Cluster, only 18,725 houses have actually been repaired, and just 5,911 new houses have been built, while 1 million people were living in houses marked as either red (in need of demolition) or yellow (in need of repairs to make safe enough to live in) as of June 2011.
Muñoz writes that “Haiti's remarkable recovery, moreover, has been largely driven by Haitians themselves. Within neighbourhoods, community members have set priorities for rebuilding homes and infrastructure, ensuring that the unique risks faced by city-dwellers are satisfactorily addressed.”
Despite their exclusion from decision making by international groups and NGO’s, many Haitians have of course worked together and accomplished much, beginning right after the earthquake when people removed rubble – by hand in many cases – to rescue trapped survivors. Many quake survivors quickly organized and got to work immediately after the quake had occurred, as independent journalist Ansel Herz reported at the time. They received little help from the U.S. military, which assumed the central role in the relief effort and which prioritized “security concerns” instead of the humanitarian emergency, while media outlets such as CNN described “a frenzy of looting” which in fact never took place.

The Haitian people – often normal, everyday people who are not paid by anyone to do the work they do - are responsible for much of the progress of the relief effort. This is why so many both within and outside of Haiti have clamored for three years for the international community to do more to provide these people with the resources and the support that they need. The numbers three years later – punctuated by egregious examples of waste – demonstrate how the international community has failed to do that, compounding the tragedy of how little has been achieved.

Armenia's Government strongly opposes Cihan Sultanoğlu's plan to move UNDP Bratislava to Turkey

Scandal !

Click here to read this in full @ PanArmenian : http://panarmenian.net/m/eng/news/142052

Foreign Ministry addresses issue of UNDP office transfer to Turkey

Armenian Foreign Ministry is currently addressing the issue of the planned transfer of UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre for Europe to Istanbul, Ministry spokesman said.

As Tigran Balayan told PanARMENIAN.Net, Cyprus and Slovenia share Armenia’s concerns over the plan to move UNDP center to Turkey.

Armenian civil society representatives addressed a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, voicing deep concerns over the plan to move UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre for Europe to Istanbul, head of For Sustainable Human Development NGO and UNEP National Committee said.
As Karine Danielyan told a press conference, Armenia’s 15 NGOs joined the initiative, with the decision on the move taken once the information was released.

“Armenian Foreign Ministry has already issued an official statement; however, we found it appropriate to take relevant steps on the issue,” she said.

Ms Danielyan further noted that Armenia finds it inappropriate to move a regional center to a country that failed to recognize the Armenian Genocide and establish diplomatic relations with some of the states in the region.

“Moreover, Turkey is not an EU member. It is still guided by Article 301 of Constitution, which restricts freedom of speech, hampers the free development of national minorities, the latter, in turn, bringing about internal conflicts and deaths of prominent public figures (Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink’s murder),” she said.

“We hope that the UN will be committed to its principles and won’t prioritize the funding Turkey offers,” Ms Danielyan said, urging the international community to focus on the problem that may adversely affect the implementation of the programs of the UNDP Regional Center both on regional and country level.

According to her, Cyprus and Slovenia have already joined the call, with Russia also having expressed concerns over the plan.

Click here to read this in full @ PanArmenian : http://panarmenian.net/m/eng/news/142052

Monday, January 21, 2013

Bolton: Congress Should 'Zero Out' Money for UN Development Program

Read this in full @ Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/development-un-bolton-program/2013/01/16/id/471729#ixzz2IcrotYb0

Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton is calling for the United States to end funding for the anti-poverty U.N. Development Program, which he described as nothing more than a "wealth transfer operation" used to prop up governments.
 
"At a time when our budget is constrained, it seems this is the time to say, 'Maybe we've got other uses for the money,'" Bolton said Tuesday night on Fox News' "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren."
 
Bolton's comments followed the release of a preliminary report from the development program itself acknowledging that after spending more than $8.5 billion between 2004 and 2011, it has no evidence that its anti-poverty activities have accomplished anything.
 
Bolton said the admission should not come as a surprise to anyone familiar with most U.N operations.
 
"This is the United Nations at work," he said. "Part of the problem with a lot of U.N. programs is you can measure the input, billions spent. You can't measure the output. I think this report, this is just the executive summary we have. When the whole thing comes out it will be interesting to read because it's an admission that they don't really know what effect their activities have."
 
Bolton added, "My recommendation . . . would be that Congress zero out the U.S. contribution."
 
The U.S. contribution to the program, which is voluntary, amounts to "a couple hundred million dollars a year," according to Bolton. But he noted that the U.S. funds an estimated one-fourth of the U.N.'s $8 billion budget.  

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/development-un-bolton-program/2013/01/16/id/471729#ixzz2IcrotYb0

United Kingdom calls Helen Clark to London: What you think the empire want from uncle Helen ?

A conversation with Helen Clark

Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator
12:30 - 14:00 12 February 2013 (GMT+00)
Venue: 
Overseas Development Institute and streamed live online
ODI is pleased to host Helen Clark, Administrator of UNDP and Chair of the UN Development Group, in a conversation about the post-2015 development agenda. Helen will reflect on efforts to date to build ownership & reach consensus on a shared development agenda and highlight some of the perspectives and ideas emerging from the post-2015 consultative processes. This will be an interactive event chaired by ODI Director Alison Evans.  We will be providing refreshments for the last 20 minutes of the session to allow for participants to engage with Helen Clark in small group or one-to-one discussion. 
This event is by invitation only. You can, however, register via the 'register' tab to watch the event live online. If you are interested to attend in person please email meetings@odi.org.uk stating your name, job title and organisation.
  
Follow #post2015 on Twitter for live coverage.
Speaker:
Helen Clark- Administrator of UNDP and Chair of the UN Development Group
Chair:
Alison Evans - Director, ODI

China to implement new CO2 Laws

Click here for this in full @ : http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-14/china-mexico-leading-fight-on-climate-change-with-new-co2-laws.html

China, Mexico Leading Fight on Climate Change With New CO2 Laws


China, Mexico and other emerging economies are leading the fight against climate change by passing laws to cut carbon and raise energy efficiency, the Globe International alliance of lawmakers said today.

UNDP starts thinking of post-2015: - Who will account for $$Billion$ spent in the so called "Poverty Eradication Programmes"??

Post-2015 Agenda: Unprecedented global discussions about development priorities start in 100 countries

15 January 2013

image
Permanent Representatives and diplomats from the Permanent Missions to the UN, and representatives of non-governmental organizations attend the briefing on post-2015 consultations in New York. (Photo: Dylan Lowthian/UNDP)
 
National consultations capturing development priorities are underway in 66 member states, and the United Nations works with governments to expand the list of countries to 100, according to representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Women, and World Health Organizations (WHO).

The consultations are part of an unprecedented global consultation which aims to build consensus between people, communities, cities, countries and stakeholders such as people with disabilities or youth - groups that usually don’t participate in multilateral negotiations - on what are in their view key development priorities.

“In Zambia, a meeting is organized today in Lusaka by the UN country team on health, with local civil society organizations,” said Olav Kjorven, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of Bureau for Development policy at UNDP. “Since November 2012, 12 workshops have been completed in the Amazon region of Loreto in Peru, involving children, youth women, and grassroots leaders.”

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Shameless Helen Clark contacts donors and attacks credibility of UNDP's Own Evaluation office and its Director

Indran Naidoo, a South African, is barely 11 months on the job as Director of Evaluation Office of UNDP, and yet this week he and his staffers are under direct attack from the Office of Administrator (Helen Clark).

Their credibility and capacity is being questioned, donors are being contacted and told that UNDP's own EO has "issues" and that the leadership will try to deal with them "expeditiously".

All this transpired after Fox News reported on a recent Evaluation of UNDP's own Poverty Programmes. The Evaluation Office, after scrutinizing 10 years worth of $8 Billion in financing aimed at poverty eradication, found: NO TANGIBLE EVIDENCE OF EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE PROGRAMMES.

Reportedly the Office of Administrator was furious with the findings and the way they published it without first "clearing it with competent authorities"...

What a shame...

Let's hope that Indran Naidoo will retain his work ethics and continue on the path of independently evaluating UNDP's work.

That's what ultimately donors want...that's what tax payers want from them.


UNDP' Evaluation Office


Friday, January 18, 2013

UNDP to boost sustained development in Bahrain














Click here for this in full @ BNA.bh : http://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/542372

Manama, Jan. 17 (BNA)—Prime Minister Court Head Shaikh Hussam bin Isa Al Khalifa received today the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Peter Grohmann and discussed with him cooperation between Bahrain and UNDP as well as the efforts made to boost sustained development in the kingdom.

Shaikh Hussam hailed the role of UNDP in carrying out initiatives and projects in Bahrain and around the world which aim to promote peace, support the rescue efforts and assist countries in achieving sustainable growth.

PNUD: Sólo el nueve por ciento de los chilenos confía en los partidos


Click here for this in full @ Cooperativa.CL : http://www.cooperativa.cl/noticias/pais/politica/encuestas/pnud-solo-el-nueve-por-ciento-de-los-chilenos-confia-en-los-partidos/2013-01-17/082430.html

Marcela Ríos, oficial del Programa de Gobernabilidad de Naciones Unidas (PNUD), expuso en El Diario de Cooperativa que solo un nueve por ciento de los chilenos confía en los partidos políticos.

Este dato se conoció tras la aplicación de la encuesta Auditoría a la Democracia efectuada por este organismo, con la que se analizó la relación de los chilenos con las instituciones políticas.

Joe Torsella - UNDP's best friend come to rescue Helen Clark

Only in need you understand who your real friends are ...

So how do you save Helen Clark's ass - when the whole world is reading a damning report about her systemic failures in poverty flagship programme ?

WHAT YOU DO ?

You tell her to start publishing even a single "Internal Audit" (possibly with a great rating - with no findings - so no one gets hurt) just so we can start turning the attention from the bad review on $$Billions thrown away on the name of Poverty Eradication - to UNDP's "Highest Standards of Transparency and Accountability"





Magdy Martinez-Soliman tries to cover Helen's ass - by minimizing her tenure vs report

UNDP defends against 'misreporting'

Click here to read this story in full @ NewsTalkZB: http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/nbint/1885548132-undp-defends-against--misreporting-

UNDP Deputy Director for Policy, Magdy Martinez-Soliman says some of the criticism points the finger at Helen Clark, which is completely unfair.

"Helen Clark arrived in UNDP in 2009. This is an evaluation report that analyses the period from year 2000 to year 2010."

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Who gives a sh*t about the poor: UNDP's moto "Save Helen Clark's ass" !

From New Zealand to Germany, the whole world was waiting for UNDP to come out and denounce the Fox News reporting as yet another attack from the American right wing "who doesn't understand how UN works".

And yet, yesterday's UNDP's For-the-Record release, didn't even mention Fox News, nor it addressed the main questions raised by the UNDP's own Evaluation Unit Report about systematic failures.

UNDP's "mea cupla" had nothing to do with none of the above, instead they were all rushing to save Helen Clark's ass from a public humiliation back home.

The UNDP's spin was similar to what we heard from Barack Obama in the past 4 years, that "all the economic down-turn in America is not his fault" but "it's George Bush's policies to blame".

Same with UNDP, they rushed to point out that the evaluation only covers 3 years from Helen Clark's tenure (2009 + 2010 + 2011= 3 years), and thus she "can't be blamed"!

How dare you right-wing-americans blame Helen Clark for what she might have not done during her first 3 years of what is usually a 4 YEARS assignment?

Because as every other UNDP Administrator (Speth, Mark Malloch Brown, Kemal Dervis) they all stayed 4 years on their jobs.

Can you really blame someone for doing sh*t for the first 3-out of-4 years on the job ?

The ridiculousness of all this is that Helen Clark is on this job for 4 years (2009+2010+2011+2012=4 years), and yet she doesn't own her failures, tries to blame now (after 4 years) her predecessors Mark Malloch Brown, Kemal Dervis and Ad Melkert for "poor performances".


RESIGN NOW

HELEN CLARK !


Wednesday, January 16, 2013

URGENT: Helen Clark's mea culpa a sorry tale of spin-doctoring and promises not to repeat mistakes

Since UNDP management continues not to tell the truth to its own staffers, this is the link of the "special page" created by UNDP to publish "press releases" which otherwise never make it in its own Home Page.

http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2013/01/16/statement-on-undp-s-evaluation-of-the-organization-s-contribution-to-poverty-reduction-/



This is the Fox News Story about the truth of UNDP Poverty assistance :

UN’s $5.7B anti-poverty agency doesn’t do much to reduce poverty, according to its own assessment




German Media reports on Fox News article on UNDP's poverty programme failure

Click here for this: http://www.finanzen100.de/nachrichten/artikel/un-s-5-7b-anti-poverty-agency-doesn-t-do-much-to-reduce-poverty-according-to-its-own-assessment_H121763542_2-1-1126800368803467997/

By The $5.7 billion United Nations Development Program bills itself as the U.N.’s flagship anti-poverty agency, but when it comes to actually helping the world’s 1.3 billion desperately poor people, that description appears to be more of a facade,...
mehr bei foxnews

CoNZervative: Helengrad under Siege from UN

Click here for this in full @ coNZervative: http://conzervative.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/helengrad-under-siege-from-un/

by
helen_clark-460_1110203cA densely worded UN report by the UNDP’s executive board (United Nations Development Programme) the immediate bosses of former NZ prime minister Helen Clark, says much of her annual US$5.7 billion (NZ$6.8 billion) budget is only remotely connected to ending global poverty. It’s being received as a damning review of her job performance since 2009.

Washington Times: "U.N. agency: Who knows if we help the poor "

Read more: http://times247.com/articles/20u-n-anti-poverty-agency-we-don-t-know-if-we-help-the-poor2#ixzz2I5gcdIR4


On its face, The United Nations' anti-poverty agency seems like something hard not to support — but for one problem: It doesn't really fight poverty at all, and the U.N. admits it.

The United Nations Development Program's own report said that it has “only remote connections with poverty.” It states that not only does it spend billions on "innovative" approaches toward helping the poor that have "limited" success, but also that the self-proclaimed "world partnership against poverty" actually has a “lack of focus on the poor.”

The operation has spent at least $8.5 billion — the actual number remains a mystery — between 2004 and 2011, but has only “limited ability … to demonstrate whether its poverty reduction activities have contributed to any significant change in the lives of the people it is trying to help.”

Helen Clark cops one in the chook, Dear Leader will not be pleased


Courtesy of Whale Oil Beef Hooked @: http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2013/01/helen-clark-cops-one-in-the-chook-hard/

It looks like the UN has wised up to Helen Clark:
Former prime minister Helen Clark has been hit with a devastating critique of her United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in an official report saying much of its annual US$5.7 billion (NZ$6.8 billion) budget is only remotely connected to ending global poverty.
The densely worded report by the UNDP’s executive board – Clark’s bosses since she became secretary-general in April 2009 – amounts to a stinging performance review.
US media reports say she is leading a counter-attack claiming the study misses the point behind its work.  
But the report paints a striking picture of a confused organisation seemingly unable to bring significant change to the world’s 1.3 billion poor people despite spending US$8.5 billion on fighting poverty between 2004 and 2011.
“Even when UNDP undertakes activities with an explicit poverty orientation, the approach often lacks a pro-poor bias and tends to rely instead on the trickle-down process,” the report said.
Always the way for Helen Clark. She gets caught being average and suddenly it is everyone else’s fault.

Let’s hope she gets the arse card so she can come home to poo-finger the Labour party up close and personal.

Courtesy of Whale Oil Beef Hooked @: http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2013/01/helen-clark-cops-one-in-the-chook-hard/

Radio New Zealand dedicates prime time coverage to Fox News reporting on UNDP's poverty programme failure

Click here for this in full @ Radio New Zealand: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/125697/criticism-of-un-agency-for-not-ending-poverty

Criticism of UN agency for not ending poverty


The United Nations Development Programme, headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, is under fire for not properly tackling its main objective - poverty reduction.

The programme, which has an annual budget of about 5 billion US dollars, has been criticised by its own board in a report evaluating its efforts to reduce poverty.

The report said it is unclear how effective the programme's projects have been. It said that could be because evaluations are limited, but it also reflects a lack of focus on the poor.

The report also said the poor are often not direct beneficiaries of the programme's projects, which include border management and advising on trade promotion.

One of the programme's goals is to cut the rate of extreme poverty in half by 2015.
Between 2004 -2011, the UN spent more than $US8.5 billion on poverty, about 26% of its total programme.

But according to the World Bank, there are still nearly 1.3 billion people living in poverty, down from over 1.9 billion, in 1981.

The report recommended the UNDP forges stronger links with wider communities and more partnerships with other UN agencies, as well as more specific targetting of poor communities.

New Zealand Media calls Fox News released report on UNDP a "Devastating Review of Helen Clark performance"

Click here to read this in full @ Stuff.co.nz: http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/8180500/Report-slams-Clarks-UN-programme


MAARTEN HOLL/ Fairfax NZ
 
DEVASTATING REPORT: A review of the UN's anti-poverty agency, headed by Helen Clark, sees not much impact in its work.
 
Former prime minister Helen Clark has been hit with a devastating critique of her United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in an official report saying much of its annual US$5.7 billion (NZ$6.8 billion) budget is only remotely connected to ending global poverty.

The densely worded report by the UNDP's executive board - Clark's bosses since she became secretary-general in April 2009 - amounts to a stinging performance review.

US media reports say she is leading a counter-attack claiming the study misses the point behind its work.

But the report paints a striking picture of a confused organisation seemingly unable to bring significant change to the world's 1.3 billion poor people despite spending US$8.5 billion on fighting poverty between 2004 and 2011.

"Even when UNDP undertakes activities with an explicit poverty orientation, the approach often lacks a pro-poor bias and tends to rely instead on the trickle-down process," the report said.
The problem was not that trickle-down processes may or may not work, but that the UNDP appeared satisfied with that as the only gain possible against poverty, it said.

"Its priority demands that it should seek to maximise the gains for the poor by explicitly trying to impart a distinct pro-poor bias to whatever it does.

The key issue was "the limited ability of UNDP to demonstrate whether its poverty reduction activities have contributed to any significant change in the lives of the people it is trying to help".
The anti-poverty programmes in 162 countries were "disconnected" and "seriously compromised" by lack of follow-up work," the report said.

‘‘(Findings) point to the fact that poor are often not the direct beneficiaries or only loosely indirect.’’
The report said it was hard to work out what is actually spent on fighting poverty because the body's "programming devoted to poverty reduction becomes even more blurred when projects, reported as contributing to poverty reduction, are not designed to do so.’’

There was a rapid turnover of staff "causing loss of institutional memory".

"Many UNDP country programmes include a subset of activities that have very remote connection with poverty, if at all," the report said.

"For an organisation that has been entrusted with the task of poverty reduction as its top priority, this raises concerns about how resources are directed."

While in Haiti there are still 350,000 living in tends: the United Kingdom want to give $10 Million thru UNDP to build their "future capacities to withstand disasters" !

Click here for this in full @: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2013/01/12/uk-to-help-haiti-withstand-future-disasters.html

image  
Hurricane Sandy passed to the west of Haiti on 25 October, causing heavy rains and strong winds, flooding homes and overflowing rivers. Photo: UN Photo/Logan Abassi
On the third anniversary of Haiti’s devastating earthquake, the UK has announced it will contribute £10 million to help the country be better able to withstand and quickly recover from future catastrophes.
Working with the United Nations, the support will help build disaster resilience in Haiti and assist the Haitian Government in responding to urgent needs on the ground, including:
  • Resettlement of displaced people (there are still over 350,000 people in camps established after the 2010 earthquake);
  • Stimulating the private sector and making it more engaged in disaster risk management;
  • Building on the existing micro-credit and insurance programme for women entrepreneurs; and
  • Investing in livelihoods that help address food insecurity.
The UK’s contribution to building Haiti’s resilience will help reduce the impact of future shocks and ensure the Haitian Government is ready to act immediately when disaster strikes. It will also help improve co-ordination amongst donors in getting vital humanitarian support to those who need it.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Yet another scandal involving Al Gore's pal, Rajendra Pachauri.

UN climate experts deny secrecy after new leak

Click here to read this story in full @ Trust: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/un-climate-experts-deny-secrecy-after-new-leak/
Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), briefs the media at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva on June 7, 2012. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
* Climate sceptic publishes draft of report on global warming

* Panel says anyone can review its work

OSLO, Jan 8 (Reuters) - The U.N. panel of climate scientists has rejected criticism that it is too secretive after a blogger sceptical about global warming published a leaked draft on Tuesday of one of its massive reports.

The panel, whose work is a guide for governments deciding whether to make billion-dollar shifts away from fossil fuels, said it welcomed comments from all to fine-tune the report whose final version is due to be published in 2014.

"All scientific comments submitted through the review process will be considered and addressed by authors, and all comments are made public after publication," it said in a statement on Tuesday night.
Anyone signing up as a reviewer, however, has to promise not to quote from the report or hand it on.

Click here to read this story in full @ Trust: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/un-climate-experts-deny-secrecy-after-new-leak/

SCANDAL: Fox News publishes the truth about UNDP's "poverty eradication"


UN’s $5.7B anti-poverty agency doesn’t do much to reduce poverty, according to its own assessment

by George Russell (Twiiter: @GeorgeRussell )

The $5.7 billion United Nations Development Program bills itself as the U.N.’s flagship anti-poverty agency, but when it comes to actually helping the world’s 1.3 billion desperately poor people, that description appears to be more of a facade, according to a report commissioned by UNDP itself that is slated for closed-door discussion at the end of this month.

According to the document, UNDP’s efforts often have “only remote connections with poverty.” Its anti-poverty programs are “disconnected,” and are frequently “seriously compromised” by a lack of follow-up to help poor countries learn “what works and why.”

Friday, January 11, 2013

SCANDAL: Liberia: UNMIL's Double Deals Expose (pt-1)

Click here to read this in full @ All Africa.com: http://allafrica.com/stories/201301080482.html


Several audit documents relating to various transactions within the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) have revealed lack of transparency and double dealings within the Mission.

The various audit documents which date back from August 2009 through to June 2012 covers various audit periods from 2007 to 2012 outlining flaws within the selection and awarding of contract.
In most instances, the audits revealed that senior officials ignored the UN's stipulated guidelines and procedures in awarding or selecting a vendor for a particular contract.

UNMIL has since accepted most of the recommendations made by auditors suggesting that these double dealings had unfolded in the system over a protracted period.

According to the auditors, in some cases, officials at the UNMIL's Procurement Section would encourage vendors of their choice to submit bids after the closing date, and days after technically accepted vendors have been identified.

This scenario was captured in the October 29, 2010 audit report which covers the period June 1, 2008 to March 31, 2010.

This audit review 22 contracts with values ranging from US6,000 to US80 million.
The total expenditure related to local contracts for UNMIL during the fiscal year of 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 was 43, 851, 839 and 38,002 852 respectively.

In one of the 22 sampled contracts during the period under review, the contract(8MIL/CON/298) for vehicle maintenance with a initial not to exceed amount of US120,000 was awarded to a vendor who was requested by the Procurement Session to submit a bid after the bid closing date and after three vendors had been identified.

Interestingly, although the UNMIL officials at the Procurement Session had convinced the local committee on contract that the two vendors who were approached to submit bids after the closing date were the authorized dealers of the vehicles used by UNMIL, the job was subcontracted to one of the vendors who had earlier been identified by the one drafted in by UNMIL procurement officials.
The audit made reference to another instance where officials flouted the UN's Financial Rule 105.16,by requesting a Ghanaian vendor to apply for a contract that was meant for local companies. The UN Financial Rule 105.16 allows exception to formal solicitation only where there is no competitive marketplace for the requirement.

But during the request for expression of bids for one of the contracts under review, the expression of interest for the maintenance of generators with an initial not to exceed amount of US713,940 was advertised here in the local newspaper because it was a local procurement.

However, auditors discovered that the vendor who won the bid and was awarded the contract (Contract No. 8MIL/CON/292) was from Ghana. The vendor, the auditors said was invited by an official of UNMIL and was requested by the said official to provisionally register his company.
The UN Procurement Manual provides that at the request of a procurement officer, a company maybe provisionally registered in the Vendor's Database by the Vendor Database Officer, but in many instances the procurement officers did the provisional registration instead of the Vendor Database Officers.

Click here to read this in full @ All Africa.com: http://allafrica.com/stories/201301080482.html

Monday, January 7, 2013

Japan gave almost $350 Million for "Human Security": this trust fund was never audited - today there are only $308 Thousand left (is any one looking??)

United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security


UNDP starts funding Palestine - while forgetting Israeli villages damaged by Hamas terror


Occupied Palestinian territory Trust Fund


UNDP seats in almost hundred fifteen $$$millions for REDD

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries



Pakistan One Fund: almost hundred millions to coordinate the UN work (waste of resources!!)

Click here to view this @: http://mptf.undp.org/factsheet/fund/PK100


Funds with Administrative Agent
 
Deposits 77,983,944  
Interest and Investment Income (from Fund) + 297,266  
Interest (from Participating Organizations) + 166,671  
Total source of funds
  78,447,881
Transferred to Participating Organizations 75,766,205  
Refunds from Participating Organizations - 0  
Administrative Agent Fee + 779,839  
Direct Cost + 0  
Bank Charges + 814  
Total use of funds
  - 76,546,858
Balance with Administrative Agent
  1,901,023
As a percentage of deposits
  2.4%
 
Funds with Participating Organizations
 
Transferred to Participating Organizations 75,766,205  
Total resources
  75,766,205
Participating Organizations' Expenditure 41,032,016  
Refunds from Participating Organizations + 0  
Total expenses
  - 41,032,016
Balance with Participating Organizations
  34,734,188
As a percentage of transfers
  45.8%
Total Balance of Funds
  36,635,211
As a percentage of deposits
  47.0%

Syria: How Many People Have Been Killed? The Procurement of “UN Figures”

UN
By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 2 — How many people have been killed in Syria? The day after New Years the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said the figure has reached 60,000.

  Then at the US State Department’s briefing, spokesperson Victoria Nuland said, “we’ve seen this report by UN Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay.”

UN Justice: 14th day of hungerstrike at United Nations

UNJustice
UNJustice
@UNJusticeOrg

14th day #UN #intern’s #hungerstrike & the silence of the Off. of Legal Affairs unjustice.org/news123.htm @innercitypress @undpwatch @MauroPace58

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Bribing Jose Ramos-Horta: seems every one has a price ! Even the most outspoken person agains the UN ...now works for the UN !

Jose Ramos-Horta, file pic from December 2010  
Mr Ramos Horta shared the Nobel Peace prize in 1996 for working towards peace in East Timor
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed the former president of East Timor, Nobel Peace prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta, as his special representative to Guinea-Bissau.
Mr Ramos-Horta will take up the post on 31 January, a UN statement said.
He will take over from Rwandan diplomat Joseph Mutaboba.
The military seized power of the West African nation in a coup in April, and instability has turned the country into a prime drug smuggling spot...

Click here to read full story on BBC News:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20880484