(Courtesy of UNaccountable.US.com) Today, new research reveals the full size of the United States’ contribution to the United Nations and how it is being misused to support anti-American values and goals. The information has been presented in an easy-to-use website www.UNaccountable.US.com, where residents of every state can see the major public challenges that could be solved with the same funds the United Nations uses to undermine freedom and democracy.

“Every year the United States supports the United Nations with more than $9.2 billion and is the biggest single state sponsor of the U.N.,” said Ambassador Ron Prosor, former Israeli Diplomat and head of the Abba Eban Center for International Diplomacy at IDC Herzliya.

“When you look at how the U.N. spends the money, it doesn’t meet any accountability standards or provide clear reports on how it spends U.S. taxpayer money. And worst of all, while these funds are needed in the U.S. to solve critical challenges like public safety, health care, unemployment and transportation, some of these funds find their way to fund terrorists and terror activities by Palestinians,” he added.

For the first time, Americans from every state can see for themselves how the funds misused by the U.N. could solve problems in their home states. For example, in Florida or Texas, the funds wasted by the United Nations could be used to cover health-care expenses for 2 million residents. In California, funds could pay retirement benefits for every state worker and nearly 2 million residents. In Iowa, the funds could pay housing expenses for nearly a half-million residents. In New Jersey, the funds could pay transportation costs for the entire state, while in New York the funds could support the state’s minimum wage budget—4,000 times.

Prosor added, “American taxpayers have a sense that the U.N. is abusing U.S. taxpayer monies and funding anti-American interests. Now, once and for all, Americans can see how their funds are being misused by the United Nations and see the real-life impacts those same funds could have on their pocketbooks and communities. We hope that today is the beginning of an important new era in U.S./U.N. relations.”

Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor, Executive Director Yaniv Cohen and the team at the Abba Eban Institute of International Diplomacy at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya have for the first time outlined how the United States funds to the United Nations have promoted an anti-American agenda. These agencies include the redundant United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the General Assembly, and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OCHA-oPt). Today, the United Nations misuses American funds as follows:

• Funding Hamas through UNRWA: The U.N. spends $732 million to support UNRWA. This is a redundant agency whose goal is to help Palestinian refugees. The U.N. already has another agency that supports all refugees around the world. We are spending $732 million to duplicate the efforts. In addition, UNRWA employs members of Hamas, designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization. UNRWA personnel are actively inciting, glorifying and honoring terrorists, and Hamas have used UNRWA facilities for terrorist activities. Finally, UNRWA funds thousands of Palestinian refugees living luxurious lives in Europe, the U.S. and around the world.
• Funding a Platform for Hate: The U.S. funds the General Assembly by $146 million. The General Assembly uses its platform as a tool for pursuing a biased and discriminatory agenda. Time after time it allows an environment to persist, possibly even flourish, that is anti-American, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel in both word and deed.
• Funding Terrorists to Lead Organizations: $65 million support OCHA-oPt – Some of the NGOs linked to and supported by OCHA-oPt are led by prominent and convicted terrorists. In 2016, OCHA-oPt oversaw funding to support some of the most controversial NGOs in the world, some of which support terror-related activities, inflamed violence and have convicted terrorists holding influential positions.

“When we follow the money, we see U.S. taxpayers funding anti-American interests like extremist violence and incitement. We must use this knowledge to act. Only the American people can demand change,” said Yaniv Cohen, executive director of the Abba Eban Institute. “There are three immediate steps that Congress and the American people should demand.”

The three-step plan that can help make the U.N. more accountable while promoting American values and interests includes:

• Follow the Money and Demand Transparency: We suggest appointing a special delegate to the U.N. budgetary committee to monitor the purposes for which the U.N. and its agencies are using American funding. The U.N. currently has no obligation to provide its funders with detailed annual reports about the use of their funds. Future reports should be based on global accounting standards and supervised by a third-party auditor.
• Dig Deeper: Congress should look to reinvigorate the U.N. Transparency and Accountability Initiative, launching a new phase (phase III) under which it will work alongside an independent investigator to ensure U.N. agencies are upholding their mission statements in keeping with U.S. standards, interests and values.
• Accountability: The U.S. can and must flex its financial muscle. Where performance is inefficient, corrupt or abhorrent, America should demand rapid reform. If there is no improvement, Congress must be able to withdraw funding.

The full UNaccountable report and action plan is available at the new website https://unaccountable.us.com.