Pechtold demands pay-back by UNDP
Thursday February 2, 2006 - Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, N.A.
WILLEMSTAD/THE HAGUE--Dutch Minister of Kingdom Relations Alexander Pechtold is demanding US $2.6 million from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Dutch government paid that amount for an analysis of structural poverty on the islands of the Netherlands Antilles.
According to Pechtold, the analysis turned out to be a big flop. The Dutch government paid 400,000 euros for UNDP and World Bank to make a preliminary study of acute poverty in the Antilles. But Pechtold was very disappointed about the quality of the report. That’s why he told members of the Dutch parliament that he was going to reclaim an advance of $2.6 million paid for an in-depth study that must follow.
Members of Parliament de Vries (PvdA), Dittrich (D66) and Van Gent (Groen Links) showed their disgust for the way the matter had been handled by UNDP. Van Gent stated that a lot of houses could have been built for this amount of money.
Pechtold said that if the Dutch government retrieved the money it would go directly to the Antilles to combat poverty.
He said he had contacted Antillean Minister of Social Development Joan Theodora-Brewster about the analysis. According to him, UNDP has been put aside and the islands of the Antilles have to set up their own programmes to combat their acute poverty problems.
Copyright ©2006 The Daily Herald
Thursday February 2, 2006 - Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, N.A.
WILLEMSTAD/THE HAGUE--Dutch Minister of Kingdom Relations Alexander Pechtold is demanding US $2.6 million from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Dutch government paid that amount for an analysis of structural poverty on the islands of the Netherlands Antilles.
According to Pechtold, the analysis turned out to be a big flop. The Dutch government paid 400,000 euros for UNDP and World Bank to make a preliminary study of acute poverty in the Antilles. But Pechtold was very disappointed about the quality of the report. That’s why he told members of the Dutch parliament that he was going to reclaim an advance of $2.6 million paid for an in-depth study that must follow.
Members of Parliament de Vries (PvdA), Dittrich (D66) and Van Gent (Groen Links) showed their disgust for the way the matter had been handled by UNDP. Van Gent stated that a lot of houses could have been built for this amount of money.
Pechtold said that if the Dutch government retrieved the money it would go directly to the Antilles to combat poverty.
He said he had contacted Antillean Minister of Social Development Joan Theodora-Brewster about the analysis. According to him, UNDP has been put aside and the islands of the Antilles have to set up their own programmes to combat their acute poverty problems.
Copyright ©2006 The Daily Herald
