By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, January 19 -- Transparency and financial disclosure, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said to the Press last Friday, are the hallmarks of his administration. He said that 99% of his officials make online, public descriptions of their finances.
In fact, numerous officials file a form saying their decline to make any public disclosure. Even for those who do file, the disclosures are so vague as to be useless.
Take for example UN official Francis Deng, Ban Ki-moon's Special Adviser on Genocide. He gets UN assistance to write sections of books about Sudan, while on his financial disclosure he mentions “property in Sudan” and “House in Sudan.”
On January 19, Inner City Press asked Deng to disclose if any of his property in Sudan would be impacted by the referenda or slated popular consultations. Video here, from Minute 29:05.
Deng called the questions too “personal.” Ultimately, he said that he has a large family, and there might be “some huts” that could be construed as owned by his family. But I do not, he said, own a house in Abyei.
The purpose of financial disclosures is to determine when a conflict of interest exists or might appear to exist. With this level of (non) disclosure, it is impossible to make such determinations.
Admittedly, the fault is not only Deng's. Ban Ki-moon brags about financial disclosure, but does not require his officials to make it public. Even when they do, it is vague.
Meanwhile Ban's Spokesman Martin Nesirky cut off Inner City Press from any second round of questions, which he granted to other media. Forgot transparency - a Ban on retaliation would be rare progress in this UN.
Deng insisted that he did not write books on UN time, but his previous defense acknowledges that he wrote the introduction to his most recent book on Sudan while on UN time, with UN help. He says that chief of staff Vijay Nambiar approved it. Click here.
Meanwhile Inner City Press sought to ask, before Deng's and Ed Luck's briefing, a question about the government in Sudan shooting students in El Fasher. Nesirky refused to take the question, although it was only 12:15, barely into the announced noon press briefing.
Later Nesirky refused genocide related questions for the panel. Deng's and Luck's briefing was about Cote d'Ivoire, but Nesirky failed to take in the brieing, or answer when e-mailed, a questions about Cote d'Ivoire.
With many questions unanswered by his office, Inner City Press later submitted only a handful of new question, about Sudan and Cote d'Ivoire, along with a request that top UN lawyer Patricia O'Brien come and give a briefing.
At close of business Wednesday after 6 pm, not a single question had been answered -- not even an acknowledgment of reeipt of the questions by Nesirky and his deputy Farhan Haq. Oh, transparency....Watch this site.
