The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will stop paying hard currency for its operations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)
According to UN News this is due to press reports on the agency’s activities there and announced plans to seek an independent, external audit.
At the same time Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls for an urgent, system wide investigation of UN activities in the field.
UNDP Associate Administrator Ad Melkert urged journalists to see the issue in its historical context, pointing out that 20 years ago, a large number of countries operated on a different model from today.
For example using non-convertible currency and staff selected by governments. UN agencies had to work within that context, he said, asserting that doing so helped many of these countries to open up.
While over the course of those approximately two decades many countries altered their systems, the essential way North Korea operates has not changed, he said.
Therefore the terms of reference governing the work of not just UNDP but also the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) remained the same.
Mr. Melkert acknowledged that the agency’s own internal auditors had raised many concerns about the DPRK programmes with management, and that tough issues remain to be addressed.
In response, he said the agency would end all payments in hard currency to the Government, national partners, local staff and local vendors as of 1 March.
Subcontracting of national staff via Government recruitment will also be discontinued. Monitoring and audit systems will be put in place addressing the issue of national execution.
Looking ahead to next week’s meeting of the UNDP Executive Board, Mr. Melkert said the agency would also propose a full, independent external audit in order to make sure that we really understand what it means to work in a country like North Korea.
Asked about the level of funding involved, Mr. Melkert said:
– We’re not talking about hundreds of millions of dollars, adding, – Over a period of ten years, it is of course tens of millions.
Kilde: www.un.org
