By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, January 28 -- Rather than admit that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon misspoke when he claimed two weeks ago that 99% of his officials have made public financial disclosure, Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky told Inner City Press on Friday, “I wouldn't get hung up on the ninety nine percent figure as a mathematical absolute, because it is also a metaphorical expression, that nearly everyone” disclosed. Video here, transcript below.
But this claim of 99% transparency has been Ban's response to questions about the UN's lack of accountability under his watch. On January 14, Ban told the press that “now ninety nine percent of senior advisers of the United Nations have declared their financial assets publicly on the website.”
Inner City Press reviewed the UN's web site and found that this was not the case. On the eve of hearing before the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee about the UN, Inner City Press published a list of the many Ban officials who instead of making even basic disclosure state that “I have chosen to maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed by me in order to comply with the Financial Disclosure Program.”
The officials not making public disclosure range from Ban' two Sudan envoys Ibrahim Gambari and Haile Menkerios through Rule of Law chief Dmitry Titov to Ban's close ally and envoy to Cote d'Ivoire Choi Young-jin.
The lack of public disclosure came up at the House of Representatives hearing on January 25, and Inner City Press that day and each day since has e-mailed Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky with this request:
“Please explain Ban Ki-moon statement that 99% of his officials have made public financial disclose in light of the actual, much lower figure on [the UN website], with non public disclosure by inter alia Gambari, Choi Young-jin, Jan Mattsson, Greg Starr, Iqbal Riza, Terje Roed-Larsen, Said Djinnit, Mr. Diarra, Ajay Chhibber, Haile Menkerios, Ray Chambers, Peter Sutherland, dead links Nicolas Michel and Achim Steiner, only "outside activity" and no finance or clients for Alexander Downer, Douste Blazy, etc.”
Nesirky, who on January 21 after Inner City Press asked about the UN's seeming failure to comply with its own Regulation 1.2 said he wouldn't answer any more questions until Inner City Press somehow acted “appropriately,” never answered this e-mail question.
At the UN noon briefing on January 28, Inner City Press finally asked Nesirky directly about Ban's statement that 99% of his officials have made public financial disclosure.
Nesirky began by dodging the questions, saying that "financial disclosure means to disclose to the United Nations what your assets are and so on. And then it is fully within the rights of the individual to elect or not to elect for that to be publicly disclosed. And I think you will see that in the vast majority of cases, this is publicly disclosed."
But Ban specifically used the word “publicly” on January 14, saying that “ninety nine percent of senior advisers of the United Nations have declared their financial assets publicly on the website.” Click here for footage of Ban's claims from a recent piece on Swedish TV including Inner City Press and a FAC hearing witness.
Inner City Press on January 28 asked Nesirky if Ban considered disclosing a refusal to make public any financial information to be “public financial disclosure.”
This is when Nesirky told Inner City Press, “I wouldn't get hung up on the 99% figure as a mathematical absolute, because it is also a metaphorical expression, that nearly everyone” disclosed. Video here.
So at the UN, a claim by Ban Ki-moon that 99% of his officials have made public financial disclosure is just a metaphor.
From the UN's transcript of January 28:
Inner City Press: In his last press conference in here, the Secretary-General said when asked about the [Inga-Britt] Ahlenius book, that 99 per cent of officials have made public financial disclosure. And just having looked at the website of disclosures, it doesn’t, that number is not the number. The number of his officials including Mr. Choi [Young-jin] of Côte d'Ivoire, [Ibrahim] Gambari, [Haile] Menkerios, Said Djinnit, Michael Williams, whom you mentioned, they have all filled out a form saying “we chose not to disclose”. So, I just… I have been trying to figure out, what is the 99 per cent figure based on? Does he include people that say “I won’t disclose” as having made a public disclosure? Or, what is the actual number?
Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: Financial disclosure means to disclose to the United Nations what your assets are and so on. And then it is fully within the rights of the individual to elect or not to elect for that to be publicly disclosed. And I think you will see that in the vast majority of cases, this is publicly disclosed.
Inner City Press: When he said public, that’s the phrase that he used — he said that 99 per cent of my officials have made public financial disclosures. So, is that… that’s not what he meant? He meant that they have actually… they have made disclosure to the UN?
Spokesperson: Well I think also I wouldn’t get hung up on the 99 per cent figure as a mathematical absolute, because it is also a metaphorical expression meaning nearly everyone, okay?
Inner City Press: But, Mr. Choi, does he think that Mr. Choi, kind of a close ally, long-time person that he has worked with, does he think that Mr. Choi should publicly disclose? Would he call on him to publicly disclose?
Spokesperson: Again, this is a matter for the individuals concerned. Okay, yes?
No, not okay. Watch this site.
