Probe into UN Activities Confirms Need for Parliamentary Body / Committee: UN Parliamentary Assembly Would Strengthen Oversight, Credibility

Berlin (PRWEB) February 12, 2007

The Germany-based Committee for a Democratic UN (KDUN) has reiterated its call for the creation of a parliamentary body at the United Nations. The Committee was reacting to UN-Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's order for a system wide external inquiry into all the activities done around the globe by the UN funds and programmes. "The pending probe into UN activities once again confirms the need for a standing independent body able to scrutinize UN operations and to verify allegations such as those now in the air," says KDUN chairman Andreas Bummel, referring to the proposal to establish a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA).

U.S. officials allege that the United Nations Development Programme's North Korea operation had been run in violation of UN rules for years. In particular, the U.S. says the agency has allowed the communist regime to obtain millions of dollars in hard currency through its operations. UNDP stated it would welcome a full independent external audit, following the allegations and Ban Ki-moon's announcement. UNDP's overall programme in North Korea and its financial regulations is approved by its Executive Board, comprised of member states, including the U.S.

In contrast to inquiries by national authorities or by ad-hoc bodies set up by the UN Secretary-General, a UNPA inquiry committee would be representing an international and largely government-independent view and would be democratically legitimated through its parliamentary membership. "As a standing body, a parliamentary assembly would be well suited to undertake special investigations of this kind," says KDUN advisor and German lawmaker Detlef Dzembritzki. "One of the tasks Ban Ki-moon and the General Assembly is facing will be to make visible steps towards a parliamentary assembly at the UN" added Dzembritzki, who serves as chairman of the Sub-Committee on United Nations affairs in the German parliament. Germany is the third-largest contributor to the UN budget, following the United States and Japan.

The United Nations Oil for Food programme, for example, was only thoroughly scrutinized by an international inquiry committee set up for this purpose by then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan after the U.S. General Accounting Office discovered severe irregularities in its operations. The UN commissioned inquiry itself was faced with allegations of being too considerate towards Annan's own involvement in the scandal.

More about KDUN:

http://www.uno-komitee.de/

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