UN environment chief criticised by UN over frequent flying
Erik Solheim’s huge travel bill is a ‘reputation risk’ and he has ‘no regard’ for rules, says draft internal audit
by Damian Carrington Environment editor
Erik Solheim, executive director of UN Environment, was travelling for 529 out of the 668 days audited, spending $488,518 (£370,380), according to the report. The audit also said he had “no regard for abiding by the set regulations and rules” and claimed unjustified expenses.
The development comes amid growing concern among some UN Environment officials, with sources claiming his “haphazard and dictatorial management style” has “already made us dysfunctional in many respects”.
…
Numerous Unep staff have contacted the Guardian, on condition of anonymity, criticising Solheim’s leadership of the organisation, which is governed and funded by UN member states.
“He thinks he is a CEO when he is actually an international civil servant,” said one source. “A lot of us were very excited when he came. He’s Norwegian and an ex-environment minister. It was the dream CV that turned into a nightmare.”
Full story at The Guardian
I wonder if he was part of the fly-in for Jerry Brown’s climate shindig in San Francisco? Probably, he seems to have the same “haphazard and dictatorial management style” as Brown. Birds of a feather jet in together.
One more reason to stop paying money to the U.N.
Hypocrisy thy name is leftist.
Perhaps the U.N. deserves some leeway considering the fine work they’ve done to facilitate quick resolutions for conflicts in Afghanistan and Syria … oh wait
Captain Renault: I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! .
….. Play it again Sam.
Nice gig if you can get it…
Croupier: “Here are your winnings, sir.”
Renault: “Thank you. This place is closed immediately!”
Exactly the scene that came to my mind.
I wonder if he was part of the fly-in….of course
As head of the lead agency for the UN system on environmental issues globally, and the environmental dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals, Erik Solheim will discuss the most pressing challenges of today. He is an experienced peacemaker in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, and Sudan and will discuss the implications of climate change and environmental crises for global peace and security. On the eve of the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, Erik will also reflect on the commitment of world leaders to tackling these crises, and the role of the private sector, sub-national, and non-governmental actors.
http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1860
Apparently Erik Solheim did attend the summit:
“A hopeful United Nations Environment Executive Director Erik Solheim, who is attending the Global Climate Action Summit, said: “The bottom line is that we need to step up the ambition and create a momentum.””
https://southasiamonitor.org/news/san-francisco-summit-to-catalyse-climate-commitments/climate-change-development/27995
On the program to speak.
https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/program/
Imagine all the personal stuff he paid for with UN funds with nearly half a million dollars in travel expenses over two years. All 5 star hotels, I’m sure, as well. Nothing but the best when you’re saving the world.
I’m betting that that $488,518 (£370,380) is a low-ball estimate. The real figure is likely much higher.
Even so $488,518 over 529 travel days averages out to $925 per day. That’s impressive!
We won’t even talk about 529 travel days (79%) out of the 668 audited…
“It was the dream CV that turned into a nightmare.”
Hillary, Barack Obama, Moonbeam 2.0, …..
Business and corporate HR hiring managers could benefit a lot from the wisdom of that quote as well.
That discriminates against the B’s through Z’s. “All we are saying, is give B’s a chance”.
P’s! Give P’s a chance.
“A lot of us were very excited when he came. He’s Norwegian and an ex-environment minister. It was the dream CV that turned into a nightmare.”
But he is an Norwegian … its not like he was Indian or and African … how can this be happening?
“A lot of us were very excited when he came.”
Nope, not going there!
relax..it was just heavy breathing;-)
None of the objectives declared in Article 1 of the UN charter in effect since 1945 have been met.
https://treaties.un.org/doc/publication/ctc/uncharter.pdf
For entertainment, a quick word search fails to show the words
environment
global
warming
climate
It’s so fun to have fun by spending other people’s money.
Remember, elites are allowed.
And Progressives unerringly view themselves as the elites.
He is far from the only one that regards working for the UN to one massive freebie and the chance live a five style life style at others costs .
Meanwhile , lots of the ‘environmentalists ‘ clock up considerable air-miles flying around the world telling other how they are ‘evil’ for not living a mud hut .
Hey, living in a mud hut is not enough. All mud hutters have been selected by the United Nations Foundation (a private company, BTW) as people needing to reduce their carbon footprint from cooking.
Just because you live in a mud hut without amenities doesn’t let you off the carbon-coated hook. Everyone has to do their bit, eh? We are all in this together, eh? Someone has to lead and lots have to live in mud huts. The new normal looks a great deal like the old normal, but with less carbon.
On his CV you find that he was previously party leader of the Socialist Left Party of Norway. He later became environmental minister of the previous social democratic government led by Jens Stoltenberg, the current NATO Secretary General. As the environmental minister of that government he burned a lot of money of Norway’s wealth oil fund.
One of his achievements was to waste huge amount of money to save Guyana’s rainforests https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL9486183._CH_.2400
So, the way he managed UNEP is just a continuation of what he did during his time in Norway.
But obviously there is no technology that allows people to meet and communicate more efficiently, so we’re left with the bridge options of first class travel and private jets until such technology is developed.
As Glenn “Instapundit” Reynolds says, I’ll believe in catastrophic climate change when the people warning me about catastrophic climate change act like there is catastrophic climate change.
Damn it, Jim, I’m a politician, NOT a saint.
The UN is nothing but a quango with an agenda to become governor of the world. It has strayed far from it’s intent and grown too large to manage. Why the US continues to support it is beyond me.
Another example of bigshots at the UN putting the “fun” into “dysfunctional.”
A man of my nightmares.
A driven type who can’t sit still for a moment. He must have something to do, so. He must achieve, he must progress, he must make a difference and, worst of all, he imagines he is making a difference.
Tragically, the sane people of the world realise he’s just an interfering bugger. He’ll change things that don’t need to be changed just to satisfy his own desire for activity. It’s a form of OCD narcissism, the guy is mentally ill and needs help.
Nor am I trying to be funny here. There are driven people, then there are compulsively driven people who are cunning, manipulative, devious and authoritarian. Many are celebrities, many extremely wealthy, and many with chronic relationship problems and issues with depression.
The senior managers of this guy should recognise the symptoms of his mental illness and take steps to save him from himself.
But of course the elite don’t accept mental illness affects them or their colleagues until the next is found dead in a bath, having consumed copious amounts of drugs and booze. Then it’s all such a tragic accident, ‘completely out of character you know’.
Everyone has wanted to rule the world at some point in their lives. Most of us outgrew it and happily settled for ruling our backyards. The Lost Boys and Girls who stayed in Neverland make it that much harder for the rest of us here on the Mainland.
Chalk another up to Trump. He chopped US contributions and criticized them for being out of date, and inefficient. I think the auditor got the nod to rein this rogue headl3ss disorg in.
He is the worst kind of bureaucrat, spending lavishly other peoples money to fight a non-existent, imaginary problem. Such people deserve mass graves in my opinion.
Keeping this as a classic , audited example of the snout in the trough syndrome that is so common amongst those who want to lecture us on how to live our lives.
Even his name is inspiring…’Solheim’. The Norwegian name suffix ‘heim’ means ‘home’. So, depending on how one interprets ‘Sol’, it could mean ‘Sun home’, which sounds pretty cozy during a Norwegian Winter.
“Next year, we will hold our Global Warming conference in a place with no 4-5 star hotels” – is something you will never hear
Paying money to the UN is like helping to build the scaffold they will use to hang you.
“He thinks he is a CEO when he is actually an international civil servant,”
But that is how high-ranking civil servants behave – they are entitled.