(VitalNews.org) – A recent Guardian investigation into the $1.5 billion construction program is being initiated after allegations of corruption have surfaced. The UN Development Programme is looking into the construction on account of the allegations. According to an internal document. The UNDP administrator, Achim Steiner, has prompted a management review and an assessment of the construction project.
One allegation is that the staff were taking kickbacks in return for helping some business people get lucrative construction contracts. The UNDP document stated that the agency had 136 cases to its Office of Audit and Investigations about the reconstruction program. The brief stated that the UNDP was “committed to fostering a work culture and environment where all UNDP personnel can report wrongdoing without fear of retaliation.”
Since the report, many other UNDP employees have come forward with allegations, saying that there was a “culture of fear.” They said that UNDP managers had fostered closer relationships with the government so that they could shield themselves from accountability all while retaliating against other staff.
In fact, a person had spoken out about hundreds of thousands of dollars being put into a government organization that was run by a government official. However, when they went to report their findings, they were told by their superiors that they “ought not to get involved.” Essentially multiple people came forward addressing instances where they tried to speak out but were immediately threatened or shut down.
A UNDP spokesperson spoke out saying that these allegations are “completely at odds with UNDP’s commitment to accountability, integrity and openness to scrutiny.” It said that UNDP has spent lots of time training its staff on issues relating to any sort of conflict. They also said that they have conducted audits “independently from UNDP management or any outside party and in line with UNDP’s whistleblowing and retaliation policies.”
Investigations are in process as more information comes to the surface and investigators search for the true goals of this construction organization and the internal issues concerning the UNDP.
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