Skunks’s Weblog

Waste allegations
Simonis acts as a UNICEF-chairman back

Because of reports of dubious commissions for UNICEF had it for months fierce dispute between the chairman and CEO Simonis Garlichs.

Now, the former SPD minister President her resignation.

The Panel had Heide Simonis for their work over the past two years and thanked the former chairman Reinhard Schlagintweit asked for a transition period again to take over the presidency. Against Unicef Germany were media reports allegations of waste collected. Therefore, the Board on Saturday at a crisis meeting held.

“My main task is to now, the unconditional trust in UNICEF and restore a suitable personality for the Office of the Chairman,” said Schlagintweit.

CEO apparently still in office

On the future of CEO Dietrich Garlichs the spokesman initially wanted no information. The Board had told him several times in the past that confidence. Garlichs was in media reports have been accused of, among other things, external advisers too high to pay. In early December, the board at a special meeting, the auditing firm KPMG with the investigation of the allegations instructed. KPMG, according to UNICEF came to the clear conclusion that the allegations “false”. There had been “no waste of money, no irregularities or even statutory or legal violations”. The prosecutor, however, Cologne identified because of an initial suspicion of infidelity against Garlichs.

New allegations

Meanwhile told the “Frankfurter Rundschau” that the administrative costs for UNICEF was significantly higher than the official figures said. According to Chairman of the documents that the sheet, is the administrative costs 18.58 percent of the annual revenue donations. Only when you press, advertising and greeting cards losing budget, it follows a number less than ten percent, with the UNICEF on its website next to the seal campaign donations.

The actual assets of the foundation amounted to 89.4 million euros, UNICEF had also informed the sheet. The statutes of the Foundation, however, were only 500000 Deutsche mark=250.000 Euro. The assets control statutes alone, according to CEO Garlichs. A spokesman for the organization wanted the report of the “Frankfurter Rundschau” initially not comment.

Actor George Clooney is the latest celebrity to lend their support to the UN, becoming a Messenger of Peace.
The heartthrob and human rights activist – who has campaigned over the crisis in Darfur – will help highlight the organisation’s peacekeeping work.

He will join a long list of famous faces recruited by the UN, such as football star and Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham, pictured here in Sierra Leone.

The world’s best tennis player, Roger Federer, plays cricket with villagers affected by the tsunami in Kinnur Pudupettai, India.
Spice Girl Geri Halliwell talks to a patient at the Our Ladies Hospice in Lusaka, Zambia, during a trip to promote greater international awareness of the urgent need to reduce spread of HIV/AIDS.
These children in Subang, West Java, Indonesia, were visited by French football legend Zinedine Zidane.
He held a coaching clinic for local children.
Another football star, Ronaldo, meets Israeli and Palestinian youths at the Herzliya stadium north of Tel Aviv.
Singer Ricky Martin greets a Saudi teen at the opening ceremony of the 25th annual Arab Children’s Congress in Amman.
While actress Mia Farrow and her son Seamus look at drawings made by children in a ‘Safe Play Centre’ in the Kalma camp for displaced people in South Darfur.

Martial arts star Jackie Chan plays with a youngster at a club for children infected with HIV/AIDS in Hanoi.

Model Vendela Thommessen stands next to the ‘Spirit of Audrey’ statue at UNICEF headquarters in New York.
The 7ft-tall bronze statue honours late actress and goodwill ambassador Audrey Hepburn.
Finally, singer Shakira learns how to process rice grains in an area of Bangladesh affected by a devastating cyclone.
The UN has more than 70 international goodwill ambassadors to promote its work and various programmes.