UNDP in TT under scrutiny

In early March, the UNDP found itself in the spotlight over allegations raised in the Senate about its conduct of the UNV programme, including claims that it was taking "jobs away from Trinidadians and Tobagonians."

These ongoing controversies could not have come at a worst time for the UNDP which has been operating in this country for 44 years. Already in the glare of the United Nations (UN) Oil-for-Food scandal and other corruption charges which have rocked its parent organisation, the United Nations (UN), the local body has been forced to defend itself against allegations about its projects in TT. In addition, the organisation is facing legal action over its involvement in the Licensing Department project. For most of the four decades that it has operated in TT, the UNDP has had an unblemished record. First established in 1961 as the UN Technical Assistance Board, the UNDP’s Port-of-Spain office serves this country, Suriname, Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles.

In its early years in TT, the UNDP provided technical assistance for the East Coast Seismic Survey that led to the discoveries of offshore gas and oil.

It also played a role in the establishment of several local institutions including the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI), the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) and the Caribbean Fisheries Training and Development Institute.

However, trouble began to brew for the UNDP’s TT office when locally-based personnel made a proposal to the Ministry of Health to introduce 100 UNV doctors to work in this country’s over-burdened and under-staffed health sector.

In collaboration with the ministry and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), the UNDP recruited general practitioners and specialists, including paediatricians, obstetricians and oncologists to work here on one-year contracts renewable over three years.

The first batch of UNV doctors arrived in the country in September 2003, with another following in early 2004. At present there are 62 medical doctors representing 25 countries working in TT’s health sector under the UNV programme. The project, which began in June 2003, was planned for three years and is being funded entirely by the Health Ministry to the tune of US$12,313,236.

While it was intended primarily to address the shortage of medical personnel in the public health sector, the scope and conduct of the project drew criticisms from this country’s Opposition.

Senate Opposition Leader Wade Mark raised questions about the way in which the UNV doctors were sourced and expressed concerns about the programme in the Upper House.

The UNDP fired back with a detailed four-page statement issued through its Communications Office in which it contended that it was being subjected to "inaccuracies and inflammatory statements" in fora where it could not defend itself, including the Senate.

The organisation further contended that its core values, "which can only further benefit the people of TT," were being attacked and that the allegations were affecting the "pride and livelihood" of local staff and their families. Within months of that incident, the UNDP faced another controversy, this time over the award of the contract for the computerisation of the Licensing Department.

The project, estimated to cost US$5 million, is now mired in problems with threats of legal action and moves currently underway to waive the UNDP’s diplomatic immunity.

To make matters worse, dossiers on the matter have been sent to James Provenzano, Director of UNDP’s Office of Legal and Procurement Support at its New York headquarters, as well as John Bolton, newly appointed United States Permanent Representative to the UN. Sources told Sunday Newsday that the matter may also be referred to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan who is already dealing with other scandals erupting throughout the UN’s global system.

In response to all these developments, UNDP officials in TT are claiming that information about the dispute had been leaked to the local media.

In a statement on its Web site, the organisation claims that reports on the dispute were based on information which was protected by a confidentiality agreement between parties involved in awarding the contract — the UNDP and the Ministry of Works.

"The quotes and facts portrayed in several instances are not only misleading but totally inaccurate. UNDP believes this move to be a scare tactic which has no basis for complaint and it is only geared to intimidate parties involved."

In an August 29 statement posted on its Web site, the UNDP claims it was asked to coordinate the tendering process for the Licensing Department project because of its "proven system of contractor selection and transparency." Such support services, it adds, are an "integral part" of its partnership with the TT Government.

At the helm of the troubled UNDP TT office is Dr Inyang Ebong Harstrup, the Resident Coordinator in Port-of-Spain since June 2002. Described as a married Canadian national who is fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French, Dr Ebong-Harstrup is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, United States.

Her first major UN posting was from January 1988 to January 1990 with the UNDP in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania.

She has also served at the UNDP in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and has held positions such as Poverty Programme Specialist and Policy Advisor. Prior to her TT assignment, Dr Ebong-Harstrup was Acting Resident Representative in Dar-Es-Salaam.

In TT she heads a 24-member staff involved in a range of programmes dealing with poverty eradication, energy and the environment, democratic governance and HIV/AIDS.

The UNDP assisted in the preparation of the National Gender Policy for the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs.

Many of the organisation’s current projects are based on the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and it has pledged support for the TT Government’s Vision 2020.

Despite efforts at damage control locally and internationally, the UNDP and the global UN system have not been able to stave off the scrutiny and the scandals that have been raging for several months.

Yesterday the London Times reported on another controversy that has left the global organisation reeling — the arrest of the head of the UN’s powerful budget oversight committee for allegedly taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks.

Vladimir Kuznetsov, the second Russian UN official to be charged with money laundering in the past month, is accused of conspiring with Alexander Yakovlev, a key figure in the Oil-for-Food scandal who pleaded guilty last month.

According to the London Times, this latest indictment delivers another serious blow to the UN which is awaiting the release of a report from the Volcker Commission on the scandal later this week.

Meanwhile, a shroud of secrecy has been thrown over the Licensing project, with officials of the Ministry of Works and Transport tightlipped on the current status of the matter.

However, Sunday Newsday understands that the matter is getting active attention from the Manning Administration, with Prime Minister Patrick Manning awaiting a legal opinion on the matter from Attorney General John Jeremie.