Does the United Nations do more harm than good?

SHANNON LONGWORTH: THE UNITED NATIONS.

193 COUNTRIES COMING TOGETHER TO BASICALLY TRY AND MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

BUT IS THAT REALLY WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING?

WITH ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE AND CORRUPTION.

IT BEGS THE QUESTION, WHEN IT COMES TO THE UN, DOES THE GOOD OFFSET THE BAD?

FIRST, LET ME GIVE YOU SOME CONTEXT.

THE ORGANIZATION HAS TWO BRANCHES.

ONE IS A DIPLOMATIC BODY THAT WORKS AS A POLITICAL FORCE. THINK: UN AMBASSADORS NIKKI HALEY AND LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD.

ON PAPER, THE TRUE POWER LIES IN THE 15-MEMBER SECURITY COUNCIL.

BUT WILLIAM BURKE-WHITE, A SENIOR FELLOW WITH THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION, SAYS THAT’S NOT NECESSARILY THE REALITY.

WILLIAM BURKE-WHITE: THE SECURITY COUNCIL CAN MANDATE THAT STATES DO THINGS, BUT IF STATES ARE UNWILLING TO DO IT, THERE’S NOT A LOT OF COERCIVE CAPACITY.

LONGWORTH: HE SAYS, THE SECURITY COUNCIL HAS TROUBLE COMING TO AGREEMENTS IN THE FIRST PLACE, CONSIDERING 5 OF THOSE COUNTRIES HAVE TOTAL VETO POWER.

THE OTHER BRANCH OF THE UN IS A DO-GOOD HUMAN RIGHTS MISSION, WHICH HAS DONE THINGS LIKE SUPPLY 45% OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN WITH VACCINES–HELPING 68.5 MILLION REFUGEES WHO’VE BEEN DISPLACED.

AND FEEDING 80 MILLION PEOPLE STRUGGLING WITH FAMINE.

TO FUND THOSE EFFORTS AND PAY ITS EMPLOYEES, THE UN HAS A MORE THAN 3 BILLION DOLLAR YEARLY BUDGET.

THE US PAYS MORE THAN A FIFTH OF THOSE COSTS.

SO, IS THAT MONEY ACTUALLY WORKING TOWARD THAT ADMIRABLE GOAL OF IMPROVING THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT?

TO FIND OUT, I SPOKE WITH A COUPLE OF INSIDERS WHO KNOW BOTH SIDES OF THE UN.

THEY JOINED TO DO GOOD, AND THEN BLEW THE WHISTLE WHEN THEY SAW BAD CONDUCT AND DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR THERE.

LET’S START WITH EMMA REILLY.

SHE’S AN ATTORNEY FOR THE UN.

IN 2013, REILLY BLEW THE WHISTLE ON THE UN OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS FOR ALLEGEDLY GIVING CHINA THE NAMES OF CHINESE DISSIDENTS WHO WERE PLANNING TO ATTEND A HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL MEETING IN GENEVA.

SHE’S LEAKED EMAIL EVIDENCE.

THE WAY SHE TELLS IT, CHINA DIDN’T WANT THOSE ACTIVISTS AT THAT MEETING, AND TOOK EXTREME MEASURES TO STOP THEM.

EMMA REILLY: SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHOSE NAMES HAVE ALREADY BEEN THE DRIVER HAD BEEN REPORTING THINGS LIKE FAMILY MEMBERS BEING TORTURED IN FRONT OF EACH OTHER IN CHINA.

LONGWORTH: WE REACHED OUT TO THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, AND RECEIVED A STATEMENT, SAYING, WE UNEQUIVOCALLY REJECT MS. REILLY’S CLAIMS OF IMPROPER ACTION.

THE STATEMENT WENT ON TO EXPLAIN THAT NAME CONFIRMATION WAS A LIMITED PRACTICE THAT ENDED IN 2015. WHEN THEY DID USE IT, THEY DID SO WITH CARE TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT NO ACTION WOULD ENDANGER HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS.

REILLY: EVEN WHEN SOMETHING GOES VERY WRONG, THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO COVER UP.

LONGWORTH: PETER GALLO, A FORMER LAWYER IN THE UN’S OFFICE OF INTERNAL OVERSIGHT SERVICES, AGREES.

PETER GALLO: THE SO-CALLED JUSTICE SYSTEM I WORKED IN, BASICALLY, I PROVED IT WAS AN UTTER FALLACY, AND IT WAS A SHAM. AND IT FAILED ME AT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

LONGWORTH: HIS OFFICE IS SUPPOSED TO INVESTIGATE SYSTEMIC ISSUES–LIKE CHILD SEX ABUSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST UN PERSONNEL.

IN 2015, GALLO LOOKED INTO NUMEROUS REPORTS OF ALLEGED SEXUAL ABUSE IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COUNTED THOUSANDS OF VICTIMS IN THEIR REPORTS.

GALLO SAYS THE ABUSE WAS EVEN MORE WIDESPREAD.

AND CAME UP WITH AN ESTIMATE FOR THE TOTAL VICTIMS OVER THE COURSE OF A DECADE.

GALLO: EXTRAPOLATING, JUST A COUPLE OF FACTS, WE CAME UP WITH THIS FIGURE OF 60,000.

LONGWORTH: FORMER U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON CALLED THE ABUSE A CANCER IN OUR SYSTEM.

AND CURRENT SECRETARY GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES VOWED TO PRIORITIZE ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM. BUT LITTLE WAS DONE.

GALLO POINTS OUT THE SYSTEM PREDOMINANTLY PROTECTS THE ORGANIZATION’S REPUTATION.

ACCORDING TO A 2017 REPORT ON INTERNAL DISPUTES, MOST APPEALS RULE IN FAVOR OF THE UN

WHEN THE UN LOSES THE INITIAL JUDGMENT AND APPEALS, THEY WIN 93 PERCENT OF THE TIME,

WHEN A STAFF MEMBER LOSES IN THE INITIAL JUDGMENT AND APPEALS, THEY ONLY WIN 5 PERCENT OF THE TIME.

SO BACK TO OUR BIG QUESTION–WHEN WE’RE LOOKING AT THE UN, DOES THEIR GOOD OFFSET THE BAD?

REILLY: THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD THAT IS DONE. THAT GOOD IS DONE WHEN WE ARE RESPECTING THE MANDATE.

GALLO: PEACEKEEPING, AS PRACTICED BY THE UN IS NOT ACTUALLY BRINGING PEACE TO ANYONE.

LONGWORTH: GALLO THINKS THE UN CAN BE FIXED, BUT THERE NEEDS TO BE CHANGES–LIKE THE CREATION OF AN INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT BODY.

GALLO: BUT OF COURSE, THE UN DOESN’T WANT THAT BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT THE UN UNASHAMEDLY, IS CONTROL OVER HOW THINGS ARE INVESTIGATED.

LONGWORTH: SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?

LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS…AND DON’T FORGET TO HIT THE STRAIGHT ARROW BIAS METER.