SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
'Dangerous Partnership': The UN's Increasing Use of Mercenary Firms
Jul 12, 2012
The United Nations is increasingly hiring private military contractors for protecting its staff and operations, threat assessments, and a wide array of security services.
According to a new report by the independent policy watchdog Global Policy Forum, the increased used of mercenary-style groups by the world body is both troubling and dangerous. Citing various reports from governments, NGOs and media outlets, the GPF says such firms have a history of committing serious human rights abuses, killing or injuring innocent civilians, engaging in financial malfeasance and other breaches of national and international laws.
Between 2009 and 2010 alone, the US increased its use of private security services by 73 percent (from 44 million to 76 million dollars), according to the report.
"When you look at 2006 to 2011, use of PMSCs in field missions have increased by 250 percent," Lou Pingeot, program coordinator at GPF and lead author of the report, told Inter Press Service in an interview.
"In the absence of guidelines and clear responsibility for security outsourcing," says the report, "the UN has hired companies well-known for their misconduct, violence and financial irregularities - and hired them repeatedly."
The report, titled Dangerous Partnership: Private Military & Security Companies at the UN, specifically cites the UN's contracts with DynCorp International, infamous for its role in a prostitution scandal involving the UN in Bosnia in the 1990s and, more recently, its participation in the US government's "rendition" program. It also notes that G4S -- one of the world's largest private military firms -- is known for its violent methods against detainees and points to a US Senate report that singles out ArmorGroup, a G4S subsidiary, for its ties to Afghan warlords.
"For me, the most astounding aspect of the report is how the U.N. has over 20 years avoided discussion on the topic," James Paul, executive director of the Global Policy Forum, told IPS.
"How can you year after year bring out reports and talk about the security of U.N. staff and not mention this? The emperor has no clothes."
In his discussion with IPS, Paul says that the US and UK are the driving force behind the increased use of military contractors at the UN.
The cozy relationship between member states and private contractors also fuels "bunkerizations", the report finds, as the increased use of PMSCs and their involvement in determining U.N. and national policy means that countries end up with an increasing "need" for security.
# # #
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The United Nations is increasingly hiring private military contractors for protecting its staff and operations, threat assessments, and a wide array of security services.
According to a new report by the independent policy watchdog Global Policy Forum, the increased used of mercenary-style groups by the world body is both troubling and dangerous. Citing various reports from governments, NGOs and media outlets, the GPF says such firms have a history of committing serious human rights abuses, killing or injuring innocent civilians, engaging in financial malfeasance and other breaches of national and international laws.
Between 2009 and 2010 alone, the US increased its use of private security services by 73 percent (from 44 million to 76 million dollars), according to the report.
"When you look at 2006 to 2011, use of PMSCs in field missions have increased by 250 percent," Lou Pingeot, program coordinator at GPF and lead author of the report, told Inter Press Service in an interview.
"In the absence of guidelines and clear responsibility for security outsourcing," says the report, "the UN has hired companies well-known for their misconduct, violence and financial irregularities - and hired them repeatedly."
The report, titled Dangerous Partnership: Private Military & Security Companies at the UN, specifically cites the UN's contracts with DynCorp International, infamous for its role in a prostitution scandal involving the UN in Bosnia in the 1990s and, more recently, its participation in the US government's "rendition" program. It also notes that G4S -- one of the world's largest private military firms -- is known for its violent methods against detainees and points to a US Senate report that singles out ArmorGroup, a G4S subsidiary, for its ties to Afghan warlords.
"For me, the most astounding aspect of the report is how the U.N. has over 20 years avoided discussion on the topic," James Paul, executive director of the Global Policy Forum, told IPS.
"How can you year after year bring out reports and talk about the security of U.N. staff and not mention this? The emperor has no clothes."
In his discussion with IPS, Paul says that the US and UK are the driving force behind the increased use of military contractors at the UN.
The cozy relationship between member states and private contractors also fuels "bunkerizations", the report finds, as the increased use of PMSCs and their involvement in determining U.N. and national policy means that countries end up with an increasing "need" for security.
# # #
The United Nations is increasingly hiring private military contractors for protecting its staff and operations, threat assessments, and a wide array of security services.
According to a new report by the independent policy watchdog Global Policy Forum, the increased used of mercenary-style groups by the world body is both troubling and dangerous. Citing various reports from governments, NGOs and media outlets, the GPF says such firms have a history of committing serious human rights abuses, killing or injuring innocent civilians, engaging in financial malfeasance and other breaches of national and international laws.
Between 2009 and 2010 alone, the US increased its use of private security services by 73 percent (from 44 million to 76 million dollars), according to the report.
"When you look at 2006 to 2011, use of PMSCs in field missions have increased by 250 percent," Lou Pingeot, program coordinator at GPF and lead author of the report, told Inter Press Service in an interview.
"In the absence of guidelines and clear responsibility for security outsourcing," says the report, "the UN has hired companies well-known for their misconduct, violence and financial irregularities - and hired them repeatedly."
The report, titled Dangerous Partnership: Private Military & Security Companies at the UN, specifically cites the UN's contracts with DynCorp International, infamous for its role in a prostitution scandal involving the UN in Bosnia in the 1990s and, more recently, its participation in the US government's "rendition" program. It also notes that G4S -- one of the world's largest private military firms -- is known for its violent methods against detainees and points to a US Senate report that singles out ArmorGroup, a G4S subsidiary, for its ties to Afghan warlords.
"For me, the most astounding aspect of the report is how the U.N. has over 20 years avoided discussion on the topic," James Paul, executive director of the Global Policy Forum, told IPS.
"How can you year after year bring out reports and talk about the security of U.N. staff and not mention this? The emperor has no clothes."
In his discussion with IPS, Paul says that the US and UK are the driving force behind the increased use of military contractors at the UN.
The cozy relationship between member states and private contractors also fuels "bunkerizations", the report finds, as the increased use of PMSCs and their involvement in determining U.N. and national policy means that countries end up with an increasing "need" for security.
# # #
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy