The society was shaken by an unheard scandal related to repeated facts of extortion of bribes by UN employees. This was reported by the Guardian publication, which was the initiator of the investigation, during which outrageous facts were established.
If, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, many accusations of inefficiency were heard towards the UN, nowadays they have been joined by voices accusing frank lawlessness. This was the reason for the investigation into the organization’s activities. This time, it specifically concerned Iraq, namely, the funds allocated by the UN for the post-war reconstruction of this country.
A systematic problem was found in the activities of the Funding Facility for Stabilization in Iraq. Corruption occurs in the distribution and channeling of funds of the UN Development Program, which has been operating here since 2015. Donors provided 1.5 million dollars through this channel, which had to be directed to restore Iraq’s business, economy, and infrastructure.
Despite its noble purpose, the Development Program was a continuation of the corrupt trend that Iraqi society has faced on a large scale since 2003, after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
The corruption scheme that appeared in the UN fund in Iraq is as follows:
– The program provides funds for projects to businessmen.
– Fund employees evaluate the submitted applications and choose those that meet the requirements.
– At this stage, the businessman is offered to do everything possible so that a contract is concluded with him on the condition of a bribe of 15% of the project amount.
– After the agreement, the fund’s employees embellish the results in official reports to the UN to increase the amount of funding. Thus, in the end, businessmen did not receive less than necessary.
In the course of the investigations, conversations were held with more than 20 UN employees who currently hold positions or have previously worked within the framework of the Development Program, as well as businessmen-contractors. One of the employees said that agreements between the recipient of the funds and the official were always made personally, without signing documents that could compromise both parties in the future. The main thing is that the initiative of bribery came from UN employees, who know that this approach is considered the norm in this country.
The Development program immediately reacted to the investigation data, stating that it treats fraud and corruption in the organization “with zero tolerance.” But it is unlikely that it will be able to restore the reputation of the UN, which has already been seriously damaged in recent years. Only time will tell whether this will be another step towards the end of the organization.
