By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, August 5 -- When for UN Youth Day, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon took questions from youth and advocates from Beirut to Brazil, from India and in the UN's new interim General Assembly Hall, there was some hope in the air - mostly from the youth. But there were false notes and unanswered questions.
As UN Youth Envoy Ahmad Alhendawi introduced questioners by video conference from Nigeria, India and Brazil, he said in advance what the question would be about. And, Inner City Press noted even from the broken down photo booth which is the only way to cover the GA, Ban Ki-moon looked down at notes as he answered.
The question arose: was Ban given the questions in advance? Inner City Press posed questions by Twitter not only to Ahmad Alhendawi but also Department of Public Information official Stephane Dujarric, who promoted the event in advance, and tweeted a photo of Ban as he began.
Dujarric was also the DPI official who, back in early June, replied to the Free UN Coalition for Access that something would be done or looked into at least about the broken down media booths above the GA floor. But on August 5, as before that for a session on Syria, there was no interpretation, a single broken chair, and no work table just as DPI has for now left the Security Council stakeout.
The question from Beirut cited Palestine and "Israeli occupation" -- but Ban's answer did not mention or address these. Dujarric was gone before Ban was.
As Ban left, Inner City Press uploaded a story including unanswered questions about the drones that Herve Ladsous, the fourth Frenchman in a row to head UN Peacekeeping, has bragged about procuring, without answering on crashes, funding, and who gets the information. There's more to be said, and asked, but that's it for now. Watch this site.
Footnote: after Ban left, the questions got more wide open, for example to contraception. Had such questions been banned?
