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A refugee charity is paying the former British foreign secretary the immense sum of 425,000 pounds (US$600,000) a year to be its CEO, it has emerged recently.
Nongovernmental organization International Rescue Committee, which is headed up by former Foreign Minister David Miliband, says its mission is to respond to the “world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.”
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The right-wing Mail Online relished the irony of recent high-profile donations to the charity when compared Tony Blair’s former foreign secretary:
“When Ali G star Sacha Baron Cohen and his actress wife Isla Fisher donated $500,000 to the International Rescue Committee this week, they wanted to help desperate refugees fleeing conflict in Syria. But what the generous couple may not have known is that their donation will not even have been enough to pay the salary of the American charity’s boss, David Miliband.”
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The revelation was made after the IRC’s 2014 filing was published online via the Charities Bureau, which shows Miliband gets US$600,000 annual compensation, of which US$332,778 is “reportable compensation” for the organization based in the United States.
Miliband is bagging almost US$200,000 more than former CEO George Rupp, last on the list above, who was compensated US$413,000 a year, according to the Mail Online.
The IRC website gives ideas for donation gifts. For US$54, you can “buy” a kit that can provide four families with the materials they need to construct a temporary shelter that will help protect them from harsh weather. Miliband’s salary would cover over 11,000 of these.
The former politician moved to New York three years ago and joined the IRC after he was beaten by his brother, Ed, to follow in the footsteps of his former mentor Blair in leading Britain's Labour Party. Ed stepped down as leader after the party failed to win the 2015 general election, which paved the way for socialist Jeremy Corbyn, who was always vocally critical of Blair’s centrist stance and warmongering politics.
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The International Business Times reports that of the charity’s income over US$650 million, which it says means nearly 1.5 dollars in every 1,200 spent by the charity goes to Miliband. The charity itself says just 5 percent of its income goes on management and general expenses, with 93 percent going directly to those in need, the IBT reports.
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