Plagued by a financial crisis and mounting criticism about waste and mismanagement from the US, UN officials have launched a counter-attack by detailing concrete results achieved by the UN secretary general Boutros Boutros Ghali. Recently, the US accused Ghali of hampering efforts to cut costs and streamline the organization's bureaucracy. Warren M Christopher, undersecretary-general for administration, while listing steps recently taken, said that the core staff of the UN secretariat had been reduced to 9,000 from 10,000 in the last year. One of the major factors contributing to UN's financial problems is the US $1.5 billion owed by the US in arrears.
The benefits of global economic growth have trickled down to a small number of countries while a quarter of the world's people are worse off than they were 15 years ago, says the 1996 Human Development Report prepared by the UN Development Programme, which is based on an index that measures life expectancy, education and purchasing power of each country. The report has highlighted the economic polarisation between and within countries resulting in a widening of the gap between rich and poor people.
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.