On Friday, Rep. Matt Salmon introduced of his latest bill to cut federal funding for the United Nations Democracy Fund. Salmon stated, “Continuing to show that the United Nations is more about wasteful bureaucracy than international cooperation, they authorized their ‘Democracy Fund’ in 2005 to provide for a ‘commitment to support democracy by strengthening the capacity of the United Nations to assist Member States upon their request.’
Since its creation, the Executive Head of the Democracy Fund has defined the core objectives of the office as developing and supporting grants and assistance programs, submitting reports, and conducting “outreach activities.” A 2010 U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services report noted that the fund “has experienced a consistent decrease in Member States’ contributions” from $25 million in 2005-06 to $12.5 million in 2009. In 2005, the United States provided $10 million to the fund, twice the amount of the second highest contributor, India. In 2013, U.S. contributions accounted for over 38% of the fund’s backing. The United States provided almost $4.6 million in FY 2013 and is estimated to give $4.2 million in fiscal years 2014 and 2015.
“Member states in the U.N. are fully capable of coming together and supporting fledgling democracies without establishing an international slush fund and allowing unaccountable apparatchiks to dole out ‘grants’ without guidance or oversight,” concluded Salmon.