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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

Welcome to the Neno's Place!

Neno's Place Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality


Neno

I can be reached by phone or text 8am-7pm cst 972-768-9772 or, once joining the board I can be reached by a (PM) Private Message.

Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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    “Shocking” investigation: United Nations employees in Iraq took bribes to help businessmen

    Rocky
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    “Shocking” investigation: United Nations employees in Iraq took bribes to help businessmen Empty “Shocking” investigation: United Nations employees in Iraq took bribes to help businessmen

    Post by Rocky Mon Jan 22, 2024 6:21 am

    [size=35][size=35]“Shocking” investigation: United Nations employees in Iraq took bribes to help businessmen[/size]
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    01-22-2024 | 04:44
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    Alsumaria News - Politics

    An investigation conducted by the British newspaper The Guardian revealed that employees working for the United Nations in Iraq are demanding bribes to help businessmen win contracts in post-war reconstruction projects in the country, noting that the United Nations employees demanded 15% of the value of the contracts. .


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    The newspaper indicated in an investigation translated by Al-Sumaria News, that the alleged kickbacks are one of a number of allegations of corruption and mismanagement revealed by The Guardian newspaper in the Stabilization Financing Facility, a United Nations Development Program scheme launched in 2015 and worth $1.5 billion from more than 30 donors.





    She explained, "Interviews conducted with more than twenty current and former United Nations employees, contractors, and Iraqi and Western officials indicate that the United Nations is fueling a culture of bribery that has permeated Iraqi society since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003."



    “UNDP staff demanded bribes of up to 15% of the contract value, according to three staff and four contractors,” The Guardian found. “In return, the staff helps the contractor navigate UNDP’s complex bidding system to ensure it passes the vetting process.”



    The newspaper quoted one of the contractors as saying: “No one can get a contract without paying. There is nothing in this country that you can get without paying, neither from the government nor from the United Nations Development Program,” noting that “United Nations Development Program employees They called them demanding bribes.”



    A UNDP staff member said the deals were done in person rather than on paper to avoid detection, with influential Iraqis sometimes acting as guarantors. “The third party also takes a share of the bribes,” they said, adding that contractors “will choose “People with connections and authority.”



    Government officials entrusted by UNDP to oversee construction projects also allegedly get a cut.



    Contractors and UNDP staff who supervised the projects said officials used that authority to “extort” bribes from companies. In exchange for signing off on completed projects. Two contractors told The Guardian they were forced to make such payments.



    The interviewees, many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said the program had seen unwarranted expansion and extension that mostly preserved the UNDP footprint while relieving the Iraqi government of its own obligations to rebuild the country.



    The newspaper also indicates that most of those interviewed described the training and workshops run by the United Nations Development Program within the framework of these initiatives as “trivial” and “lacking strategic coherence.”



    The Guardian was told that the sessions were attended by government officials and community members mostly to enjoy a free trip and cash in, with one former staff member saying: “UNDP just wants to burn money and show donors that they are doing workshops.”



    A former employee described UNDP's livelihood initiative to teach displaced women to sew as "unrealistic" because Iraqis tend to buy cheap imported clothes from local markets: "They were trying to create an economy that doesn't exist." “It was like going back to the Middle Ages,” they added.



    UNDP said initiatives such as skills training were developed based on community needs and in full consultation with local authorities or community leaders.



    Donors have acknowledged the difficulty of tracking how their funding is spent and rely on UNDP to carry out monitoring and evaluation through an internal unit that the agency described as “completely independent,” even though it reports to UNDP management.



    Five interviewees familiar with the UNDP reports said they did not reflect the reality on the ground.



    “A lot of this documentation is mostly for public relations purposes,” said one consultant who conducted an external review of another UNDP program. “When you actually go into these provinces and sit down with the beneficiaries of these funds and actually look at the projects, it is very different from what you would imagine.” While reading these reports.



    Embassy staff, isolated behind concrete walls and allowed only limited field visits due to strict security protocol, appear to lack the means to challenge the information. “Everyone only stays for two years, and when they find out, they leave,” a Western official said. “This is how these programs continue year after year.”


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    In response to the Guardian's request for comment, an advisor to the Iraqi prime minister, Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani, said that if allegations of corruption at UNDP and the involvement of government agencies were proven true, legal action would be taken. .



    Farhad Alaeddin said: “We will contact the highest authorities in the United Nations to discuss the details of these allegations, investigate them, and refer those involved in corruption to the competent authorities.” We will also review all the programs to find out the truth.
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