Overstating Corruption at the U.N.

It is indeed true, as stated in a Dec. 18 news story ["U.N. Finds Fraud, Mismanagement in Peacekeeping," front page, Dec. 21] that in the United Nations there are cases of fraud and instances of mismanagement.

However, the article overstated the findings of the investigations into procurement fraud in peacekeeping. It is not true, as the article suggested, that the organization has suffered losses in the hundreds of millions. This figure represents the aggregate value of contracts in which some degree of fraud was found. The loss is a small fraction of this amount. Similarly, we disagree that there is a "pattern of corruption" or malfeasance in peacekeeping procurement.

U.N. peacekeeping is a large institution with more than 100,000 personnel serving in 20 operations all over the world. It is unfortunately inevitable that some people will take advantage of the conditions in the field for personal gain. To counter this we have improved training, and we are constantly improving internal oversight controls. We also believe in the importance of a strong investigative arm within the organization.

Ultimately, we have to rely on the integrity of our staff. But where we have firm evidence of fraudulent behavior, we remain committed to acting expeditiously and charging these staff members with disciplinary offenses.

JANE HOLL LUTE

Assistant Secretary-General

for Peacekeeping Operations

United Nations

New York