Kofi Annan visit - Ineffective UN needs makeover

ON a day when UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan begins an official visit to Ireland, he faces some hard questions about the role and effectiveness of the peace-keeping organisation from a leading activist in the developing world.

As founder and chief executive of GOAL, John O’Shea knows what he is talking about when it comes to helping the people of the developing world.

He is a man who has put his money where his mouth is, a man who has not been slow to criticise the Irish Government for giving aid to corrupt regimes instead of channelling it directly to the people who need it.