By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, April 15 -- How weak is today's UN? After Saudi Arabia started it airstrikes on Yemen, knocking out electricity and hitting an internally displaced persons camp, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon belatedly asked Saudi Arabia for a two hour a day humanitarian pause.
When Saudi Arabia said, No, unless Ban endorsed the airstrikes, Ban never went public. More people suffered, more people died.
Now Ban has acquiesced in the ouster of his own envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar - and is poised to accept Saudi dictates and name as Benomar's successor Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmad, previously the deputy chief of the UN Support Mission in Libya.
There, as Inner City Press exclusively reported, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmad used his UN-paid time running a fishing business. Previously, in Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmad was “an embarrassment,” as multiple UN sources put it to Inner City Press. But, hey, whatever the Saudis want.
It's like Ban accepting Sudan's PNG of Jordan's Za'tari - except here, it will be portrayed a good thing. This is today's UN.
Not only did UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon fail to clearly call for a halt in the airstrikes on Yemen at his rare press availability on April 9-- he has also failed to protect UN national staff there, despite their request; despite a request, this has not been explained.
Inner City Press has been multiply and exclusively informed of plans to create supposedly "safe havens" for UN national staff inside Yemen - even after the staff representatives said clearly that "relocation inside the country is not an option any more."
At the April 14 UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric:
Inner City Press: I want to ask pretty specifically about this request by national staff of the UN in Yemen. They basically, in writing, requested the evacuation and they said that relocation inside the country is not an option anymore. And from what I've seen, Helen Clark of UNDP [United Nations Development Program] wrote back and said, we are doing everything we can consistent with UN regulations at this time and saying that we are currently exploring safe haven approaches. So, I wanted to know, is this response by Helen Clark only applicable to UNDP regulations? Has there been any discussions within the agencies? And what regulations are there that are holding back making the offer of evacuation and what safe haven approaches which the staff union said are unacceptable?
Spokesman Dujarric: I'm not going to go into what Helen Clark may or may not have written. I did not see that email. All I can tell you is that our colleagues in the Department of Safety and Security working with the relevant agencies, funds and programs are doing whatever they can to support and to keep safe our staff in Yemen.
Inner City Press: What I want to understand, is it a policy decision by the Secretary-General that no agency of the system will evacuate people? Is there some regulation that prohibits it?
Spokesman: I'm not going to go further into it. Yes, sir
Spokesman Dujarric: I'm not going to go into what Helen Clark may or may not have written. I did not see that email. All I can tell you is that our colleagues in the Department of Safety and Security working with the relevant agencies, funds and programs are doing whatever they can to support and to keep safe our staff in Yemen.
Inner City Press: What I want to understand, is it a policy decision by the Secretary-General that no agency of the system will evacuate people? Is there some regulation that prohibits it?
Spokesman: I'm not going to go further into it. Yes, sir
As noted, it wasn't Ban Ki-moon who told UN national staff in Yemen that their plea was being rejected, it was Helen Clark of the UN Development Program, who answers press questions at UN headquarters even less than Ban, while seeking to succeed him. In the six hours after the noon briefing, apparently the Secretariat did not review Clark's email or ask that any of it be withheld, as Inner City Press initial did. So now her full email is exclusively here (and portion below.)
In the midst of this, the UN Security Council scheduled an April 14 vote on a resolution imposing an arms embargo on the Houthis and Saleh supporters, with no commitment to halt the airstrikes on the country. The resolution passed and afterward Inner City Press asked Saudi Arabia's ambassador about evacuating UN national staff; this part, he did not answer.
The so-called UN Correspondents Association, rather than push for answers or even just more Q&A sessions from Ban (and Clark) instead bragged they will party with Ban and Prosecco -- "UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will attend for a toast! Cocktail and refreshments to be served: Italian Appetizers, Piadina, Ravioli, Dolcini, Red & White Wine, Prosecco and Spirits." They took and tweeted photos of their meno; it was listed on Ban's own "public" schedule, after he met with a minister from Burundi who justified the killing of civilians in 2013.
This is the same UNCA organization whose board and president tried to get the investigative Press thrown out of the UN for actual reporting, on the UN's failure to protect civilians in Sri Lanka then UNCA's ghoulish and conflict screening of a war crimes denial film inside the UN. This is the UN's Censorship Alliance.
At the April 10 UN noon briefing, which UNCA's partier-in-chief attended without asking a single question at, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric:
Inner City Press: Yesterday the UN staff unions, with the plural, I guess, because the one in New York, it's unclear who the union is, basically raised questions about the UN not making any move whatsoever to either evacuate or offer protection to national staff members inside Yemen. Farhan said it's not the policy to ever evacuate national staff. But, if it's unsafe for international staff... the safely level doesn't matter what your passport is. So, what's the UN's thinking?
Spokesman Dujarric: I think we're obviously… our national staff is continuing to work inasmuch as they can to help deliver humanitarian aid, which is critical, and I think we honour their bravery in doing so in very challenging circumstances. We are in touch with them, whether it's through the Secretariat or through the heads of agencies, to ensure that they're as safe as possible. And we're doing that on a daily basis. And if we have anything more to say on that, we'll…
Inner City Press: Does Ban Ki-moon join this call by the humanitarian resident coordinator for humanitarian pause? Is that…?
Spokesman Dujarric: I think I just… I just said we obviously were urging for cessation of hostilities. I think that… I think that covers it fairly broadly.
Inner City Press: Have you conveyed that to the Saudi led coalition?
Spokesman Dujarric: I think that… this is a message that will be passed along to… in the Secretary-General and his contacts and obviously the ones our humanitarian partners are having.
Spokesman Dujarric: I think we're obviously… our national staff is continuing to work inasmuch as they can to help deliver humanitarian aid, which is critical, and I think we honour their bravery in doing so in very challenging circumstances. We are in touch with them, whether it's through the Secretariat or through the heads of agencies, to ensure that they're as safe as possible. And we're doing that on a daily basis. And if we have anything more to say on that, we'll…
Inner City Press: Does Ban Ki-moon join this call by the humanitarian resident coordinator for humanitarian pause? Is that…?
Spokesman Dujarric: I think I just… I just said we obviously were urging for cessation of hostilities. I think that… I think that covers it fairly broadly.
Inner City Press: Have you conveyed that to the Saudi led coalition?
Spokesman Dujarric: I think that… this is a message that will be passed along to… in the Secretary-General and his contacts and obviously the ones our humanitarian partners are having.
In the more than three days since, the UN has provided no information on any evacuation of its national staff from Yemen. But multiple sources have exclusively provided Inner City Press with an email from Helen Clark as head of the UN Development Program, floating among other things the idea of "safe haven" inside Yemen:
Subject: RE: SOS-URGENT- Request for Evacuation for National Staff of UNDP in Yemen
From: Helen Clark, Administrator, UNDP
Date: 04/09/2015 01:27PM
To: [REDACTED]
..."At this time we are also in contact with some Member States asking for all to respect the neutrality and non-belligerent status of UN premises and staff.
For national staff of UNDP who are working from locations outside Yemen, we will adopt a work from home approach until we have reassessed the situation.
"And, finally, we are currently exploring safe haven approaches within Yemen for national staff and families that will allow a place of greater safety for you and allow a return as soon as possible of our international colleagues."
From: Helen Clark, Administrator, UNDP
Date: 04/09/2015 01:27PM
To: [REDACTED]
..."At this time we are also in contact with some Member States asking for all to respect the neutrality and non-belligerent status of UN premises and staff.
For national staff of UNDP who are working from locations outside Yemen, we will adopt a work from home approach until we have reassessed the situation.
"And, finally, we are currently exploring safe haven approaches within Yemen for national staff and families that will allow a place of greater safety for you and allow a return as soon as possible of our international colleagues."
Many have asked, what are these "safe haven approaches," and how do they differ from "shelter in place"? We'll have more on this.
