Wealthy Nations Agree to Cap U.N. Spending

[Eugene]

Wealthy Nations Agree to Cap U.N. Spending

By EDITH M. LEDERER
The Associated Press
Friday, December 23, 2005; 7:05 PM

UNITED NATIONS -- The United States, Japan and Europe agreed Friday to cap the U.N.'s spending
at $950 million next year to step up pressure for U.N. management reforms, drawing objections from
a large bloc of developing nations.

The powerful Group of 77, which represents 132 mainly developing countries, said it would only
agree to a $1.3 billion cap on U.N. spending. Several key members, including Egypt and India,
also objected to any link between the new budget and management reform, which is a top priority
for the United States and European Union.


Secretary-General Kofi Annan planned to meet with the Group of 77 to spur an agreement on the budget,
which runs out on Dec. 31 and is traditionally adopted by consensus of all 191 member states. Many
diplomats hoped to head home for the holidays without having to return until after the new year.

<snip>

The fight over the U.N. budget has become entwined with the battle over implementing the broad
reforms that world leaders agreed to at a U.N. summit in September. Reaching agreement on the nuts
and bolts of the reform programs and how they will be implemented has so far proved divisive and
time consuming.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/23/AR2005122301322.html

In short, the spending cap cuts the U.N. off from half of next year's budget
until management reforms are in place. The U.N. is under the gun.

[mom cat]

1. Bush sent Bolton to the UN to destroy it.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. Rich nations to rest of the world: drop dead!

Has it occurred to our arrogant elites that they will not always be at the top of the heap, and that the more they shit on those lower down, the less likely the folks on the bottom are going to be particularly benevolent when the situation changes? In a nutshell: what goes around comes around.

The unfair part of this is that we, us plain working folks in the developed world, are going to pay the price for the arrogance of our leaders.

[Raine]

3. "Starving the Beast"

that is what they actually call this kind of maneuver. They cut the funds to things they don't like they want to "starve" it out of existence. :-(