By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, August 16 -- During the UN's $2 billion renovation and attendant relocations, not only was a decision made, at least initially, to eliminate all seats for the press and public in the interim General Assembly Hall -- the UN also shifted to plastic water bottles and plastic cups for the meeting rooms in apparent disregard of the environmental consequences.
Here's a photo of the UN's new stock of plastic water bottles for meetings:
Yesterday Inner City Press reported that after more than two months of protest by the Free UN Coalition for Accessof the loss of press and public seats in the GA Hall, the Department of General Assembly and Conference Management told it that media seats will now be provided.
"We heard your question," a DGACM official said on the morning of August 15. So at the day's noon briefing, Inner City Press asked more questions:
Inner City Press: yesterday, I tried to ask a number of times, video of the stakeouts done by Ms. [Valerie] Amos and Mr. [Babacar] Gaye didn’t go online until at least after 8 p.m., so they couldn’t be used for stories. I’m aware that things happen and there’s a need for patience, but maybe if we could get a readout on this stress test. Are these videos going to be ready when the general debate time comes around, so there’s not an eight-hour delay? And the other question is actually more positive, I heard this morning from DGACM [Department for General Assembly and Conference Management], not DPI, that there will now be arrangements for some media seats to be provided in the [General Assembly] during that week. And I wanted you to confirm it in a more formal way, and also to make sure that those seats are not only for media traveling with the Heads of State, but some will be for resident correspondents here, whether on a lottery basis or how ever.
Deputy Spokesperson Del Buey: Well, I’ll have to check on that, Matthew.
Twenty three hours later, there is no answer, either from Del Buey's Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary General, or from the Department of Public Information offices and the official, Stephane Dujarric, to whom the@FUNCA_info questions have been directed.
Nor did DPI answer why they took down three Free UN Coalition for Access informational flyers that were on the bulletin board, installed after FUNCA pointed out the right to free speech and more than a one-party system. Public Information indeed. On August 15, the media was penned in a stakeout area without a work table, and was banned again from entering the so-called Turkish Lounge, which FUNCA has protested for more than two months. We'll have more on this.
Meanwhile, DGACM whistleblowers have complained to Inner City Press of a change in UN meetings "set up" which they say is intended to reduce the UN work force and jobs. Until now, water has been served in glass pitchers.
Now, the shift is made to plastic bottles, and plastic cups. Inner City Press is today publishing a photograph of a four-deep stack of the UN's water bottles, here. It's similar to the decision in the UN Cafeteria to use plastic and aluminum for plates and forks and spoons.
The difference is that the cafeteria is run by Aramark (said to be preparing to charge big money to to the sponsors of a "UN Day" event in the Delegates' Dining Room on October 23). Meetings set-up, and the decision to switch to plastic, is a UN decision. Greening the Blue? Hardly. Watch this site.
