UN humanitarian aid: the results “appalling” Quai d’Orsay – The Obs

In his latest book, “The Hidden Face of the Quai d’Orsay”, Editions Robert Laffont, Vincent Jauvert journalist to “Obs”, takes us behind the scenes, not always shining, a department accustomed to secrecy. Excerpt from a shock book.

UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP French … a shame

France is proud of its work with the UN side. It is true that it occupies its permanent seat of the Security Council with great zeal. According to calculations by its mission in New York, Paris and London are the two capitals to the origin of the largest number of resolutions of this prestigious board. But there is the daily work less glamorous, the UN agencies must be funded. And there the balance Quai d’Orsay is less rosy. It is even distressing.

Traffic, exorbitant salaries, and other Quai d’Orsay of scandals

Our country is only the nineteenth contributor to the World Food Programme (WFP ) that fight against world hunger. Britain and Germany give ten times more than us and are ranked second and third. Our British friends are the first donors to UNICEF, the agency responsible for children; we, the sixteenths. Regarding the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the British monopolize the fourth place; we, the fourteenth.

These numbers do not come out of a rant published by an NGO angry, but a report from the Court of Auditors October 2015. And, despite what the one might think, the auditors of public finances does not rejoice at all that miserable contribution of France to UN agencies.

“the limitation of the French contributions, they write, is to contact the exponential growth of humanitarian needs that puts the system of the United Nations faces an unprecedented financial crisis. “

in short, according to them, France provides little dramatically.

Influence without pay

But beware, the Quai managers are smart. They contribute just enough that our diplomats have power in these organizations.

“The Foreign Ministry, reveal the hearers, has the objective to make the financial commitment to achieve her limits statutory access to the working groups. “

France wants to influence without paying! What the Court of Auditors called “the presence of strategy at lower cost.” Not very glorious. Nor serious.

Britain analyzes each organization’s performance to which it contributes and compares them with what they expect. This “ Multilateral aid review” occupies dozens of people. Le Quai, he chooses the amount he attributes to wet finger, without study worthy of the name. A regular audit to the Anglo-Saxon is not yet “a practice outside the scope of ministry,” ridicules the Court, mocking. [...]

Vincent Jauvert

“The Far Side of the Quai d’Orsay” by Vincent Jauvert (Robert Laffont, April 2016).