The Dean

It's the silly season....... again...............

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20100115...n-ca02f96.html

The Dean

Love this quote..............

"New York gets rid of one of its worst welfare cheats, and Dubai finds new tenants to fill its vacant towers," they said, describing the U.N. headquarters as a "pain in the butt" which "pays no taxes and annoys hard-working New Yorkers with its sloth, pretensions and cavalier disregard for traffic laws."

MacScot

Doesn't Dubai make sense in a way...seeing it is centrally located for the bulk of UN member countries - European, Middle East, Asian and African countries?

While the UN pays no tax in the USA, it will pay no tax in Dubai.

The Dean

There are good arguments I'm sure but why is it suggested they move at all? Have I missed something - apart from whingeing Noo Yoikers?

Hello.Kitty

.It's an interesting idea, for sure... especially as the UN would therefore be helping the economy of a non-democratic state with a dubious human rights record and slightly wobbly legal system.

MacScot

Don't really know. 'Tis an old building and since WII about another 50 countries have joined, so must be a bit cramped. Perhaps in the future, there might be need for another three (-UK),England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland !

Suppose also it brings kudos to Dubai as it will be mentioned whenever the new UN HQ is mentioned.

Boomhauer

Why don't we just move it to Saudi or Pakistan .

UN HQ should be in a nation with a democratic government, rule of law, human rights, press freedom, free speech and freedom to assemble. Dubai or for that matter any of the GCC countries should be at the bottom of the list.

benzonar

It is also advantageous to have the UN based somewhere that officially recognises all of the member countries.

Confucius

It's a great business idea...

Imagine the photo opportunities...My Facebook page will be laden with photos of myself with global Illuminati...

Norm_uk

It will be interesting to see how Dubai plans to host the UN when the UAE has not signed up for the charter of human rights, and has laws and a judicial system which go against agreed UN laws and stipulations.

It will also be interesting to see how Dubai plans to accomodate the delegations from member states like Israel...

N.

littlejimmy

Why would Israel be bothered? They just ignore the UN anyway...

The Dean

They ignore them, but they still turn up............... the UAE last year banned Shahar Peer from even entering the country............ for a sporting event, FFS...........

GrecoRomano

AHAHAHAH, don't you love the spin? US owes UN still big money (around USD 1.6 billion) and UN is one of New York top employer, tell that to major Bloomberg! Come on, Doctor Klausenstein get out of Oxford-upon-al-khor and contribute to the discussion, make me laugh some more

BTW, I vote for Dhaka. Let's save some SERIOUS money and get a GOOD look to the problem, as prof. Yunus already mentioned for the case of relocating the World Bank!

Norm_uk

They were set up by the UN...and it's not like their neighbours listen to the UN either

N.