An internal study of the troubled United Nations Drug Control Program reveals that the agency has difficulty communicating with its own offices in the field and other UN programs engaged in similar work.
The authors of the evaluation conclude that the Vienna-based organized crime and drug control agency failed to share program planning and information, thus leading to duplication of the efforts of other drug eradication agencies, and have compromised the efficiency of donor-funded operations.
The report also harshly criticizes the program’s woefully delayed “World Drug Report” for 2000, saying the narrowly focused project contradicts itself and has jeopardized the credibility of the entire world body.
The evaluation — conducted by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS)—notes that recommendations made in a similar internal review conducted in 1998 of UN Drug Control Program (UNDCP) “had not been implemented in a manner that addressed underlying problems.”
A separate OIOS investigation, released last week, examines charges by former UNDCP officials of mismanagement and fraud by Pino Arlacchi, Executive Director of UNDCP.
Concerns about poor management and inefficiency have troubled donor nations, whose voluntary contributions make up much of the drug program’s $100 million budget.
In an effort to shore up confidence, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has requested funding for a new deputy director to handle day-to-day management independent of Arlacchi. That post has not yet been filled.
The Dutch government, meanwhile, has suspended funding until it has analyzed the OIOS reports, and several other nations are either postponing their funding decisions or earmarking more of their contributions to specific programs, such as crop eradication in a specific nation.
The United States, the organization’s largest contributor, has expressed concern about the management of the drug and crime program. However, US officials praise Arlacchi’s overall drug philosophy, which closely mirrors the American emphasis on interdiction and supply reduction.
The UNDCP is a bureaucratic cousin of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), which publishes its own highly regarded biennial report on the illicit drug trade. The United States lost its seat on the INCB two months ago, a defeat that will have little impact on the running of UNDCP.
UN inspectors, following up on recommendations made in 1998, were dismayed to find lingering communication and coordination problems between UNDCP and other UN agencies and programs.
They also found the program should have done more to strengthen its role as an international clearinghouse for information on the drug trade.
The OIOS report says the Vienna-based agency should work more closely with UN agencies in the field and headquarters, coordinating with legal, scientific and technical experts throughout the organization.
“There is no evidence of increased collaboration in the form envisioned,” says the report, which was signed by Dileep Nair, the undersecretary-general for internal oversight services.
The inspectors were especially critical of the World Drug Report, which was issued in February, more than a year behind schedule and only a few weeks before a more comprehensive assessment was issued by the INCB.
“UNDCP was not able to maintain an appropriate balance between advocacy and credibility,” they said of the perfectly bound volume, singling out Arlacchi’s “lengthy” 21-page introduction that highlights the program‚s successes and urges increased financial support.
The World Drug Report fails to mention relevant issues such as the surge in synthetic drugs or the link between illicit drugs and organized crime, law enforcement and corruption, according to OIOS.
Similar complaints have been made by one of the World Drug Report editors, Francisco Thoumi, who recently resigned after complaining of repeated interference from Arlacchi.
OIOS inspectors also examined the data supporting the World Drug Report’s sunny conclusions, and found that damaging trends, such as the rise of amphetamine-related abuse in the United States and Europe, were omitted.
The agency claims credit for successes more likely attributable to weather conditions, OIOS said. UNDCP officials in Vienna could not be reached for comment, and New York representative Zach Messitte declined to comment.
A draft of the inspector general’s report was submitted to UNDCP for comment and correction, and excerpts of those responses are included in the final version.
Arlacchi, a former Italian senator and noted Mafia foe, rejected many of the complaints.
There was some bright news in the OIOS evaluation. The $10 million Afghanistan pilot program to monitor poppy cultivation and reduce demand is entering its third year despite difficult circumstances.
“Political and working circumstances in Afghanistan, to have sustained donor interest and funding ... is a remarkable achievement by all standards,” writes Nair, the head of OIOS.
