Madam, - The Volcker Report into the UN's Oil-for-Food Programme is a damning indictment of the UN and has made clear that it simply isn't capable of taking on massive tasks like the $64 billion operation.
This humanitarian programme was set up to alleviate the suffering of millions of Iraqis when the West imposed sanctions after the 1991 Gulf War. Instead, several UN officials from several countries illegally profited from kickbacks from the programme.
Worrying therefore is the Irish Government's recent decision to pledge €10 million to the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund. How can the Irish Government expect the disgraced agency to manage such a fund without corruption when its systems have been shown to be so corrupt?
The decision must be reversed, and the Government must channel emergency funds through respected aid agencies with a proven track record who can deliver to the devastated victims on the ground. - Yours, etc,
JOHN O'SHEA, GOAL, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.