A few years ago, the world was aghast to learn that the U.N.-run “oil-for-food” program with Iraq had diverted perhaps billions of dollars to dictator Saddam Hussein instead of giving humanitarian aid to Iraqis.
It was one of the biggest swindles in history — and it was on top of other major scandals at the world body.
But in early 2009, the U.N. shut down the anti-corruption unit it had set up in response to the oil-for-food scam. And now, not surprisingly, The Associated Press has found that corruption probes completed at the U.N. dropped to zero in 2009. About 150 had been started, pursued or finished annually at the U.N. before that. Scores of cases that were unresolved when the corruption unit closed have been dropped. Many more are in limbo.
Does that make the U.N. seem like an organization dedicated to policing itself and rooting out corruption?