By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 10 -- There should be no more than five years at any one UN position, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced.
But Inner City Press reported on October 7 that the head of the Bangkok-based Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Noeleen Heyzer of Singapore, had been in place more than SIX years now. She was put into the position in August 2007.
On December 10, the UN announced that Heyzer is being replaced at ESCAP by Shamshad Akhtar of Pakistan.
Back in October, Inner City Press noted that Singapore is a serious UN country, so another USG post would have to be identified and given to Heyzer or another Singaporean.
The UN's December 10 announced slipped in that Heyzer will stay on, as a Special Adviser on Timor Leste. Is that a USG position? And what about other UN officials with more than five years in their position?
Beyond this finessing of Ban's five year rule, it brings to mind again the need for a more meaningful reform: no COUNTRY should be able to control a UN department for more than five years. France has held onto Peacekeeping, even since demanding it in exchange for not vetoing Kofi Annan becoming Secretary General. Here they are:
Secrétaires généraux adjoints des Nations Unis aux Opérations de Maintien de la Paix :
Kofi Annan : de mars 1993 à décembre 1996
Bernard Miyet : de janvier 1997 à octobre 2000
Jean-Marie Guéhenno : d'octobre 2000 à juillet 2008
Alain Le Roy : du 30 juin 2008 au 2 septembre 2011
Hervé Ladsous : à compter du 2 septembre 2011
This is UNacceptable: over 16 years, 10 months. It should end.
Meanwhile the Department of Safety and Security now says that of the 10 staffers given lay off letters earlier this month, only six are now at risk. Earlier, more security was been gained, commitments from acting Under Secretary General Kevin Kennedy. This emerged at the best "End of General Debate" party of the season, under the (broken) satellite dish over the East River in October. Compared to the fauxceremony of the UN Correspondents Association Executive Committee, which after spying for the UN through its first vice president had to beg interns to come via a rare flyer, and now solicits a donated Samsung TV, DSS had steak and an open bar and plenty of good vibes. There will be another one soon.
UNCA is given its clubhouse, in which it held a faux UN briefing by Gulf-supported Syria rebel boos Jarba (a/k/a Jarbucks), by the UN; Ban will help them raise $250 a plate in Cipriani's next week. Of the Samsung TV to UNCA, we have publicly requested an explanation. The new Free UN Coalition for Access holds, if the explanation makes sense, fine; either way it will be published.
And now it has, here: UNCA misspoke that no mission was involved in the donation of the Samsung equipment. Watch this site.
