By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un1democracy091509.html
UNITED NATIONS, September 15 -- While the Ambassador of Honduras to the UN representing ousted president Mel Zelaya has been quoted that the UN will be stopping planned funding of the November election in Honduras, UN Assistant Secretary General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco told the Press on Tuesday that UN technical assistance will continue.
Inner City Press asked Fernandez-Taranco, at a Democracy Day news conference, about the UN's approach to Honduras as well as Sri Lanka. Fernandez-Taranco said that in Honduras, "the UN has been providing assistance" to the Independent Electoral Tribunal since November 2008, and continues providing assistance. Video here, from Minute 42:40.
Off camera, Inner City Press asked Fernandez-Taranco about the Honduran Ambassador's quote, about UNDP cutting funding. We are in discussions, Fernandez-Taranco said, adding that no "written request" to cut UN assistance has been received. This contradicts the reported comments of Honduran ambassador Jorge Arturo Reina...
Fernandez-Taranco's comments came at a press conference about a WorldPublicOpinion.org study of the public's view of political tolerance in 24 countries. Notably, North Korea and Myanmar were not included. China was, but WPO's Steve Kull said that in China the question about the views of opposition parties was omitted. Four countries were surveyed for views of the exclusion of indigenous people: the US, Mexico, Chile and Argentina.
Kull called these the countries with significant indigenous populations, excluding from this list India and Indonesia, among others. This group always reports happy results: everyone loves the UN, there is an emerging consensus for apple pie.
Footnote: the US Mission to the UN held a reception, also to celebrate Democracy Day, to promote a "Democracy Challenge" video contest. As reporter grumbled that the the invitation's lunch -- or was it "launch"? -- was mere finger food, the master of ceremonies mocked elections in Iran and Afghanistan. He said it will be a demonstration of democracy, people voting on the Internet to choose the winning video. But can they vote multiple times? Will Hamid Karzai's video escape a run off?
