Salon.com > Owen Bowcott

U.N. misconduct

Fri, 25 Mar 2005 15:27:00 +0000

The reputation of United Nations peacekeeping missions suffered a humiliating blow Thursday as an internal report identified repeated patterns of sexual abuse and rape perpetrated by soldiers supposed to be restoring the international rule of law. The highly critical study, published by Jordan's ambassador to the U.N. General Assembly, was endorsed by the organization's embattled secretary-general, Kofi Annan, who condemned such "abhorrent acts" as a "violation of the fundamental duty of care."

The embarrassment caused by the misconduct of U.N. forces in devastated communities around the world -- including Haiti, Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Cambodia, East Timor and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) -- has become an increasingly high-profile, political problem.

Allegations have recently surfaced that troops sent to police Liberia were regularly having sex with girls as young as age 12, sometimes in the mission's administrative buildings. In the DRC, peacekeepers were said to have offered abandoned orphans small gifts -- as little as two eggs from their rations, says the report -- for sexual encounters. Used condoms, an inquiry by the U.N.'s Office of Internal Oversight Services discovered, littered the perimeter of military camps and guard posts.

Shorting relief

Thu, 17 Feb 2005 14:19:00 +0000

The total cost of reconstructing areas devastated by the Asian tsunami could be as high as $12.5 billion, according to the first overall assessment by the United Nations. The estimate comes as charities around the world start closing their appeals because they believe enough has been raised. But so far promises for only $5.5 billion have been received. The U.N. Development Program, which is coordinating the next phase of the aid effort, fears it may yet suffer a shortfall in funds needed to pay for longer-term reconstruction.

In Britain, the Disasters Emergency Committee is due to announce Thursday that it will close its most successful appeal ever on Feb. 26, although it says that donations are still rolling in from sponsored runs and supermarket collections. It has collected more than 300 million pounds, and an additional 50 million pounds has been raised independently by other British charities.

Initial estimates place the bill for Indonesia at up to $5 billion and for Sri Lanka at $3.5 billion. Including India, the Maldives and Thailand, the total reconstruction costs are expected to be between $9.8 billion and $12.5 billion.

Who’s happiest?

Thu, 18 Nov 2004 15:26:00 +0000

Ireland is easily the best country in the world to inhabit, according to a quality-of-life survey that relegates Britain to a second-division ranking. The ambitious attempt to compare happiness around the world is based on the principle that wealth is not the only measure of human satisfaction.

The index of 111 states, produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit and released Wednesday, combines data on incomes, health, unemployment, climate, political stability, job security, gender equality and what the magazine calls "freedom, family and community life."

Displayed on a notional scale of one to 10, rain-washed Ireland emerges with a gleaming top score of 8.33, well ahead of second-place Switzerland, which manages 8.07. The U.K. languishes in 29th place on 6.92, narrowly in front of South Korea (6.88). Zimbabwe, racked by political insecurity and hunger, is rated the gloomiest, picking up only 3.89 points. The figures may be reminiscent of a global version of the Eurovision Song Contest, but the intention behind the study -- to find the best country to live in during 2005 -- is serious as well as competitive.