On UN's Congo Scandal, Ban Defers to Ahlenius' OIOS, Which Itself Stands Accused

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un4oiosmonuc050508.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 5 -- A scandal stretching from the Eastern Congo to UN Headquarters in New York gathered force last Friday, while UN Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon was in London at a meeting about Gaza.

Internal reports by and about the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services were released by whistleblowers, showing among other things that complicated allegations about Indian peacekeepers trading gold, guns and ivory with rebels were abruptly dismissed in less than two weeks by OIOS in February of this year. More systemically, two reports about OIOS, which the unit's director Inga-Britt Ahlenius had previously refuse to release, were put online by Inner City Press here and here, which describe a "lack of trust in investigative outputs," politicization, nepotism and a need for a "break from the past" at OIOS.

Inner City Press on Monday asked Mr. Ban what he intends to do about the Congo, OIOS and the lack of transparency and any freedom of information law at the UN. In a two-minute on-camera response, Ban said that it will be up to OIOS, which he hopes "will look at this issue carefully." But since the allegations are against OIOS itself, Ban was asked "how does one hold OIOS accountable?" Ban said that he cannot, that it is up to the UN General Assembly, which created the Office. Video here, from Minute 18:55; transcript here.

In interviews Monday with Inner City Press, sources from both the UN General Assembly's budget committee and its Advisory Committee of Administrative and Budgetary Questions said that OIOS' most recent proposals have not been kindly viewed, that OIOS "doesn't have an idea so far." Proposals to withdraw investigators from peacekeeping missions such as the one in the Congo to so-called regional hubs are described as "unclear" and not well-argued. "I would not give a good rating on management," a well-place source responded when asked about Ahlenius' tenure.

The problems with the Ahlenius era at OIOS are not limited to the Congo. Despite telling the Washington Post of Feb. 17, 2008 -- just as the Eastern Congo allegations about the Indian Battalion were being summarily dismissed -- that "it seems to me that the ones who argue for secret reports have something to hide," Ms. Ahlenius refused repeatedly to release the two reports about her agency. In her May 2 statement to Inner City Press, she explains

"The report was commissioned by me solely for my own managerial information to provide an independent opinion on issues in the Investigation Division. This review was only part of many inputs in the process of considering a reform. I am the owner of the report."

But one of her colleagues, who is to retire in three months time, last week told the press that regular UN budget funds were used to commission the reports. So does Ms. Ahlenius own them?

BAN did not answer whether he favors, as part of UN reform, a freedom of information law which would make clear to UN officials like Ms. Ahlenius that they do not "own" records paid for by the public.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un4oiosmonuc050508.html