In recent years, GEF has become an independent organization with more than $21 billion dispersed in 170 countries, including $7 billion in projects managed by UNDP. The audit covers 2018 and 2019 - comes as donor countries have raised concerns about the facility's mismanagement of funds.
Top donor countries, including the US, France, Australia, and Japan, have requested an independent review of UNDP's Russian project, according to the letter seen by the FT. "Matters of misconduct and misappropriation of funds continue to obstruct sustainable development across the world," top donors said in March in the letter to Achim Steiner, the UNDP administrator, since 2017.
UNDP responded to the corruption allegations, saying it "Takes all cases of financial mismanagement and other irregularities extremely seriously." UNDP said it "Most closely monitored" GEF projects.
"The portfolio, the majority of which are implemented by national and subnational institutions, civil society organizations as well as other UN organizations, is subject to an intricate system of regular reviews, independent assessments and audits," the UNDP said.
The allegations of misconduct at GEF are not the first allegations connected with the UN's programs to fight climate change.
In August, the FT noted that UN-backed, South Korea-based Green Climate Fund, the world's largest climate finance institution, faced internal misconduct complaints.
A person familiar with the UNDP-GEF allegations told FT:. "No one is accountable; no one is responsible. The UNDP lets itself off the hook," the person said, also asking not to be named.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/un-climate-agency-slapped-corruption-allegations
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