By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/undp3hclark123009.html
UNITED NATIONS, December 30 -- Helen Clark, who has yet to hold a UN press conference since taking over at the UN Development Program, is reportedly set to receive New Zealand's "highest accolade, becoming a member of the Order of New Zealand."
There is only one problem: this would appear to violate UN system rules.
UN Staff Rule 1.2 provides that "No staff member shall accept any honour, decoration, favour, gift, or remuneration from any Government....If refusal of an unanticipated honour, decoration, favour or gift from a Government would cause embarrassment to the Organization, the staff member may receive it on behalf of the Organization and then report and entrust it to the Secretary-General, who will either retain it for the Organization or arrange for its disposal for the benefit of the Organization or for a charitable purpose."
So does Ms. Clark intend to pass the honor along to Ban Ki-moon? Inner City Press has asked Ban's Spokesperson's Office about the case, on deadline. Is it Ms. Clark's claim that to refuse the honor would somehow "embarrass" the UN?
Inner City Press has previously reported how Ms. Clark used UNDP resources to promote herself back in New Zealand, and how while dodging the press corps at the UN in New York, she has even come into her office early on a Sunday to appear in New Zealand media.
The cited UN rule is meant to prohibit exactly this type of abuse:
ST/IC/2006/31 Honours, gifts or renumeration from outside sources
Para 2. Given the importance attributed by the Organization to the requirement that staff are, and are perceived to be, independent and impartial, staff members are reminded that they may not accept any honour, decoration, favour, gift or remuneration from any Government. This rule applies whatever the reason for the award, even if the award is unrelated to the staff member’s service with the Organization.
By its terms, this is open and shut. But Ms. Clark, for example, refused for months to meet with Cameroon's Permanent Representative to the UN, who wanted to argue for his country's candidate for the number two UNDP post, which he and other African Ambassadors said was promised to Africa.
Ms. Clark preferred a woman from Costa Rica, Rebecca Grynspan, and so refused to meet with Cameroon's Ambassador.
More recently, the Deputy Permanent Representative of a major South Asian country ridiculed Ms. Clark as a do-nothing official, only interested in promoting herself.
There are UNDP corruption scandals in China, Uganda and elsewhere. Under Ms. Clark's "leadership," UNDP has dallied five months already in investigating a nepotism scandal in which the UN's top envoy to the Congo Alan Doss asked UNDP to break the rules and give a job to his daughter, which was done.
Now Helen Clark prepares to accept an award from New Zealand, in violation of UN rules. But will anyone stop her? See update here and below:
Helen Clark Claims Waiver of UN Rules By Ethics Office, Won't Say When
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 31 -- "I've spent a lot of years at the top," Helen Clark was quoted about accepting the Order of New Zealand honor. At the UN in New York, Inner City Press asked how her receipt of this honor doesn't violated applicable UN rules, which contain no provision for waiver.
After deadline Wednesday evening, the UN Spokesperson sent a reply that "you asked about an accolade being received by Helen Clark of UNDP. UNDP has informed us that, in accordance with the relevant rules, Helen Clark informed the Chef de Cabinet of the honour she is to receive and was informed that she could accept it."
Inner City Press immediately wrote to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's "chef de cabinet" -- French for chief of staff -- asking among other things
I have just been informed that you somehow waived the Staff Rules with regard to USG Helen Clark receiving an honour from New Zealand.
ST/IC/2006/31 "Honours, gifts or renumeration from outside sources," provides
Para 2. Given the importance attributed by the Organization to the requirement that staff are, and are perceived to be, independent and impartial, staff members are reminded that they may not accept any honour, decoration, favour, gift or remuneration from any Government. This rule applies whatever the reason for the award, even if the award is unrelated to the staff member’s service with the Organization.
Given that this honor not only falls under Rule 1.2, but also the purpose of the Rule, this is a request
a) that you explain your rationale (and precedent and authority) for ostensible waiving the rule
b) that you provide a list of instances in the past three years you have waived this rule, and requests for waiver that you have denied.
The following morning, having no response, Inner City Press sent the above again to the chief of staff, explicitly to "do everything possible to make sure you get this before asking the Office of the Spokesperson at noon."
Nearly immediately, a second response issued from the Office of the Spokesperson issued a second response:
Subj: Further to your questions on Helen Clark
From: unspokesperson-donotreply [at] un.org
To: Inner City Press
Sent: 12/31/2009 12:20:53 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
As you are aware, we had previously informed you that the Chef de Cabinet was informed by Helen Clark of an accolade that she is to receive and had told her that she could accept it. Further to that information, we can add that these honours are routinely reviewed by the Ethics Office , which sets specific conditions under which honours can be accepted in particular cases. In addition, any such honours conferred to individuals are held by the individuals' respective offices while they work for the UN.
We will also share with you any relevant information from the Ethics Office about the rules for accepting honours once we receive it.
It is entirely unclear how membership in the Order of New Zealand could be "held" by UNDP. In this second answer, the Chief of Staff's approval is grounded, after the fact, in some review by the UN Ethics Office.
But when did the UN Ethics Office review Ms. Clark accepting an honor from New Zealand, and why was this raised only in a second response? In fact, when was it, that Ms. Clark asked the chief of staff for a waiver? We have asked the Spokesperson's Office, which closed at 3:30 on December 31. Watch this space.
