Cost of World's Most Useless Body to Rise Sharply

Sure, we can complain about it. But let's face it, we're outnumbered, and nothing is ever going to change with these grifters.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States urged the United Nations on Tuesday to cut spending and make tough decisions on its priorities to offset a "massive increase" in its proposed budget for the next two years.

The U.N. budget is typically settled through negotiations with major contributors like the United States and the European Union. Two years ago, Washington demanded U.N. reforms before the final figure was agreed.

U.S. ambassador Mark Wallace urged member states at a budget committee on Tuesday to delay approval of a proposed $4.2 billion initial budget until next year when full details are provided of additional items.

Such items already identified would take spending to $4.8 billion, Wallace said, and the final figure including other proposals and foreseeable costs could rise to $5.2 billion. That compares to $4.17 billion in 2006/2007.

The budget does not include peacekeeping costs which are forecast to rise from $5 billion to around $7 billion, fueled by the cost of a planned force for Darfur.

Wallace criticized what he called the "piecemeal" approach to budgeting and said U.N. budget hikes of recent years outstripped increases in the budgets of donor countries and of other international organizations.

"With the largest budget increase in history ... the credibility of the U.N. is at stake," Wallace said.

That supposes they had any left.

UPDATE: Meanwhile, these jokers wants more money for the Palis.

The United Nations appealed for donors to raise a record sum of 462 million dollars to meet humanitarian needs in the Palestinian territories in 2008.

"In addition to continuing fatalities from direct Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 2007 saw a dramatic increase in deaths and injuries due to internal Palestinian violence," said a statement released by some 40 UN organisations and non-governmental groups operating in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

"The poverty rate stands at 57 percent and food insecurity affects 34 percent of the population," it said.

"The impact has been particularly severe in Gaza which has been effectively sealed off from the rest of the world since mid-June" by Israel after the Islamist Hamas movement violently seized power.