Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un3findisclosed013008.html
UNITED NATIONS, January 30 -- While UN officials are prohibited from receiving benefits or housing subsidies from governments, the wife of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's chief advisor Kim Won-soo works for the South Korean mission to the UN, raising unanswered policy questions under and about the UN's rules. On January 24, UN deputy spokesperson Marie Okabe announced that, as Ban had requested, a number of his senior officials were making available online portions of their financial disclosure forms. Kim's form discloses a "house, joint with spouse, Republic of Korea." Income from the Korean Foreign Ministry is described as in the past, as is "Outside Activity" connected with the Korean Foreign Ministry. Kim's entry in the UN's list of senior officials names his spouse, Mrs. Park Enna. The UN's publication, Permanent Missions of the UN, lists as a Counselor for the Republic of Korea the same Mrs. Park Enna.
Questions about UN officials receiving benefits, directly or indirectly, from their governments have been multiplying this year. On January 10, Inner City Press published a story about a UN Development Program official, Eveline Herfkens, who was receiving housing subsidy from the Dutch government. At that day's UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked UN spokesperson Michele Montas about Ms. Herfkens, and if Ban as Secretary General believes that no UN official should receive housing or any other benefit from a government. "Definitely," Ms. Montas answered.
On January 15, after Ms. Herfkens belatedly admitted receiving the subsidy, Inner City Press again asked Ms. Montas about the prohibition's applicability throughout the UN, and whether any exceptions had been granted. Ms. Montas replied that "it is the rule that no staff member should receive... any subsidies from their own Government. All senior officials who requested were told that there was no way that the UN would accept exceptions and that there would be no subsidies to be accepted."
But what if the subsidy is given to or through the UN official's spouse? How is this possibility dealt with, and what safeguards and public disclosures are in place? On January 29, having conducted a review of the online public disclosures, Inner City Press asked UN deputy spokesperson Marie Okabe the generic question, without satisfaction, and asked about Mr. Kim's situation. Three times Ms. Okabe said she was looking into it, and was awaiting an answer. Similar information on other, less connected officials was provided much faster. But this one, clearly, was sensitive.
To broaden the inquiry, and in fairness to Kim Won-soo, consider that Terje Roed-Larsen, Ban's Special Envoy for the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559, is listed as the husband of an ambassador with Norway's UN Mission, Mrs. Mona Juul. As an Under Secretary General, Roed-Larsen was asked by Ban to make a public financial disclosure, but his name is not including in the online list. Ms. Okabe has provided an explanation of the list, that "available on the SG's website is the current list of those senior UN officials who have elected to provide a public summary of their disclosure in accordance with the Policy on Voluntary Public Disclosure." Since the list includes, as participants, even officials like Oil for Food figure Iqbal Riza who marked his form "I choose to maintain confidentiality," it seems fair to conclude the Roed-Larsen has not "elected to provide a public summary" of any kind.
Again in fairness, there appears to be some misunderstanding by senior UN officials. Number two UN peacekeeping official Edmond Mulet, whose name is not on the list, wrote to Inner City Press on Wednesday that "I am not certain what you are referring to, since I made my financial report long time ago. I am now traveling and unable to answer your queries but I will ask my colleagues in NY to follow-up with you." The on-the-road response was appreciated, but no follow-up was received. UNDP, meanwhile, responded that official Kathleen "Cravero fully participated in the financial disclosure program. The PricewaterhouseCoopers External Financial Disclosure Office for the United Nations informed Ms. Cravero that... the electronic version of her disclosure form will be on-line shortly." But while there are other UNDP names on the list, without links to any forms, Ms. Cravero's name does not appear.
On January 29, Inner City Press asked U.S. Ambassador Alejandro Wolff about the failures to file public financial disclosure. Amb. Wolff called this "regrettable." Asked if a government's payments to the spouse of a UN official violates the prohibition on housing subsidy, Amb. Wolff said, "That's a very good question" that deserves to be inquired into. But inquiries over two days with the UN spokesperson's office have yet to obtain a clear statement, or factual answers to the questions about the situation of, and the application of the rules to, Ban's Deputy Chief of Staff.
In a written response to Inner City Press' specific questions about UN officials' housing subsidies received by or through a spouse, Ms. Okabe provided a statements that "there is no need to publicly disclose their private interests." Inner City Press asked if Ethics Office director Robert Benson could come and provide a briefing to UN correspondents about the omissions in the financial disclosures. Ms. Okabe first said that given the written explanation, no briefing should be necessary, then the following day suggested that questions be put directly Mr. Benson directly, who she said was prepared to answer them. Inner City Press submitted such questions to Benson, but by deadline had received no response. Inner City Press reiterated to Ms. Okabe that questions about the public financial disclosures and employment arrangements of senior Secretariat officials should be answered by the Secretariat's spokesperson's office, on the record.
News analysis: That there is confusion as the UN implements even mild public financial disclosure may be understandable. But to fail to recognize or acknowledge that the exclusion of all spousal information may open a loophole that undermines the disclosure, and to fail to provide by midnight simple answers to factual questions posed before noon about potential conflicts of interest and government's arrangements with UN officials' spouses, is unacceptable. If and when answers are provided, they will be given coverage on this site. Developing.
