Team Ban Says Over $191 Million to Victims of UN Cholera in Haiti, If Donors Give the Money

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 29 -- As Ban Ki-moon nears the end of his term as UN Secretary General, with his eye on running for president of South Korea, he or his advisers have adopted a new strategy: do nothing, but tell eager media they are doing something, or will do something.

That was the case again on September 29, when UN official David Nabarro, already running to head WHO, spoke to a single media outlet about Ban's twice announced, yet to be implemented about-face on Haiti cholera. Beyond the Vine video here; UN transcript here: 

Inner City Press: On Haiti, I've seen this interview by David Nabarro, I guess with AFP (Agence France-Presse).  It's mostly in French, and it seems to be saying that… previewing the plan and saying some $181 million in renewed funding and at least that amount in reparation to victims to be announced by late October.  So since he said it and he works for the Secretary-General, is that the current thinking?  Is that a solid commitment of $181 million for…?

Spokesman:  I think what we're talking about is really a minimum.  There really… I think the Secretary-General was very clear.  He said he would come back to the General Assembly.  He has talked about the moral responsibility that the UN has towards the victims of the cholera epidemic and also helping Haiti overcome the structural issues it has in fighting waterborne diseases.  There really are two tracks to this new approach that the Secretary-General will announce in more details later.  One would be to intensify support to the country for cholera control and response and address the sanitation issues.  And the second one would be to provide material assistance and support to those Haitians who have been most directly affected by cholera.  Now, both of those will require generous and active participation of donors.  There has been… you know, I think, for the two-track approach, it will be more than $185 million, as I think… I think Mr. Nabarro was really talking about a minimum for one of the tracks.  We've had some initial contacts with donors, and we'll continue to do so.  And, as I said, the Secretary-General will present a more detailed plan soon to the General Assembly.

ICP Question:  And what's his goal… I mean, I'd heard some reference to the… I mean, is it tied in any way to the… to the budget committee here, or is it something he aims to raise?  Does he aim to raise this money or get the commitments before he leaves office, or is he announcing it in October with… what's the…

Spokesman:  No, I think the Secretary-General aims to get this well underway before he leaves office.  Obviously, this will not come out of the regular budget.  It will have to be funded by donors, but it is something he does… he wants to leave on a solid footing by December.

  On Auugst 18 after years of harming families in Haiti after bringing cholera there, Ban's deputy spokesman Farhan Haq -- who accused Inner City Press of “bullying” him for actually asking follow up questions -- with a single email casts Ban Ki-moon as reformed on accountability. Has Ban done anything? No. He dodged legal papers.

  Likewise after dropping Saudi Arabia from the Children and Armed Conflict annex on Yemen, and issuing surreal statements equating Saudi airstrikes to low-tech firing across the border, a Ban defender quoted unanmed Ban officials that Ban is about to do something.

On August 18, Inner City Press asked Haq, Vines here (Haiti) and here (Yemen), UN transcript here: 

Inner City Press: to deal with the Haitians impacted, and these obviously include families who lost a… a family member or breadwinner who died due to the cholera.  So, I guess what I'm wondering is, there are headlines all over the world saying Ban Ki-moon is acknowledging his responsibility and putting it in a very positive light.  What… what exactly… I mean, what would you say to a theory that says that these… this combined with the Yemen announcement that Ban Ki-moon may or may not write to the Saudis and reiterate his list is sort of an attempt to make… the Secretary-General is taking action on these two controversial topics without actually doing anything.  What has he actually done?  Is he going to write a letter to Saudi Arabia?  They're two issues.  I'm mixing them because I see…

Deputy Spokesman:  You're kind of mixing two topics.  If you’re…

ICP Question:  They came out on the same day, and they're both quoting unnamed UN officials, and the other one quotes you.  So, what is actually being done on these two topics?

Deputy Spokesman:  Indeed, I'm a named UN official.  And what I can say about Yemen, on the question of a letter… ultimately, what I can say is that there's an ongoing review of measures that the Saudi-led Coalition is taking to stop and prevent violations against children and other civilians in Yemen.  That review is continuing.  And, as you would expect, as part of that review, there will be communications back and forth.

ICP Question:  Right, but, so, it… unless that story is inaccurate, there are senior Ban Ki-moon officials saying that this letter's going out.  And so, stories come out saying Ban Ki-moon's getting tough with the Saudis.  Is this… given that the statement yesterday sort of equated a relatively unprofessional attack across the board onto Saudi Arabia with airstrikes from the air that have been ongoing for days, what is… what's the timeframe for him to take action on Saudi Arabia?  Two months, as well?

Deputy Spokesman:  I don't think that there's an equation.  I think, if you've noticed, in the last four days, there have been three statements about Yemen.  Each of them say fairly tough things, and each of them apply across the board to the need to protect civilians and particularly children in Yemen.  That's one of his priorities.

ICP Question:  Does he now think it was a bad idea to take them off the list, that this may have emboldened them to take these airstrikes?

Deputy Spokesman:  What we have said repeatedly is that they continue to be under review.  That review is ongoing.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's “Special Envoy For Disaster Risk Reduction and Water” Han Seung-Soo is listed on the board of directors of South Korean firm Doosan Infracore - which does business with the UN. Was this approved by Ban Ki-moon? Now it seems Yes. But should it have been?

Especially when, as now, it is exposed that Doosan has billion dollar business with Saudi Arabia, to whose money Ban deferred in dropping the Saudi-led Coalition from the UN's Children and Armed Conflict Yemen annex? This is Ban's UN: see new Inner City Press 47-minute film here, "Banning the Press: Corruption in the UN of Ban Ki-moon, John Ashe and Ng Lap Seng, Yemen."

As Inner City Press first reported and asked about on August 11, Han Seung-soo is on the board of directors of Standard Chartered bank, awarded the UN's master banking services contract (see this UN document, at Paragraph 50), and a brokerage contract (UN Procurement website, here).

When Inner City Press asked about this and how many OTHER board Han is on that do business with the UN, Ban's spokesman Farhan Haq cut off the questions and claimed Inner City Press was “bullying” him.Video here; UN Transcript here:

Inner City Press: Mr. Han Seung-soo is also on the board of Standard Chartered Bank, which was awarded, according to the… the most recent report of the… on the Chief Executive Board's proceedings, Standard Chartered Bank was awarded the UN's master servicing banking contract.  So I wanted to know… I mean, this is why I think I was asking for kind of a more comprehensive response from the Ethics Office in terms of what restrictions they've placed on Mr. Han Seung-soo, because if, as is reflected by the bank's website, he's on the board of a bank that, in fact, has this major contract with the UN, can you please describe to me what possible restrictions deal with this?

Deputy Spokesman:  I've described to you how the Ethics Office's guidelines work and that those guidelines apply to Mr. Han Seung-soo.  He has engaged and informed them of a number of his business dealings, and they have taken those into account.

ICP Question:  How can you be on the board of a… of a… of a bank that has a con… you just made a point of pointing out that Doosan, although it's listed in procurement contract… procurement database, didn't have contracts during this particular period of time.  But if… I'm… I'm informing you that the Chief Executive Board's report said that Standard Chartered Bank has this contract with the UN, and he's on their board.  So is he still on their board, or is he somehow half on their board?

Deputy Spokesman:  I've described to you what the series of procedures are, and those are what applies to him as well as to other special advisers.

ICP Question:  So how is…

Deputy Spokesman:  We're not going to interfere with their own outside-of-UN lives by going into all of their details at great length, but the Ethics Office has been dealing with this, and they have a series of guidelines, and he's aware of them and is in compliance…

ICP Question:  How can you be on a board of a corporation…?

Deputy Spokesman:  You keep interrupting me.

ICP Question:  All right.  I'm asking because I see you already looking away, and I want… this is a very simple question.

Deputy Spokesman:  I'm looking at someone else who is raising a hand.  But, please, behave yourself.  You need to understand that when someone is asking a question, you allow them to answer.  I've actually lost my train of thought.  So I'll have to gain it…

ICP Question:  I'm asking… I'm willing to because I have a follow-up question…

Deputy Spokesman:  Because the continued interruptions… you're doing it again… actually break people's train of thought.  He has been in touch with the Ethics Office.  And, like I said, they have a series of remedies for the steps which I've detailed.  Beyond that, this is what we have.

ICP Question:  What other boards is he on?  That's my follow-up question.

Deputy Spokesman:  Matthew, Matthew…

ICP Question:  It's simple.  It's simple, because he's on the board of a bank that does business with the UN… I'm finishing my question.  You're cutting me off.

Deputy Spokesman:  No…

ICP Question:  My question is, how many corporate boards that do business with the UN…

Deputy Spokesman:  Matthew, when I start to say something in reply to your question and then you cut me off, then don't accuse me of cutting you off.

ICP Question:  Right, you tried to call on someone else, and I was asking another question.  How many boards is Han Seung-soo on that do business with the UN?

Deputy Spokesman:  At this stage, you're actually just trying to bully me.  To be honest, I've given you a wealth of information about this, including details about how the Ethics Office goes about it.  That's what we've got.  Yes.  Carole?

  As noted, Han Seung-soo is also on the board of Standard Chartered Bank - which was recently awarded the UN's master banking services contract:

“Early in 2016, the master banking services agreement between the Secretariat and Standard Chartered Bank will be the first such global contract to be signed, enabling United Nations system entities to access banking and treasury services in 28 countries from Standard Chartered Bank and its subsidiaries.” (undocs.org/E/2016/56)

   So Ban Ki-moon and his Ethics Office let Ban's mentor and adviser Han Seung-soo serve as UN Special Adviser for Water and Disaster Risk Reduction and give speeches in that capacity while Doosan, on whose board Han sits, sells water desalinization equipment to the same countries he speaks to for the UN.

   Han is on the board of Standard Charter bank, awarded the UN's master banking services contract. This is Ban's UN.

On August 9 Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Farhan Haq directly about Han Seung-soo giving speeches at UN special adviser on water while Doosan, which he directs, makes sales including but not limited to water desalinization equipment in the same places. This is a blatant (mis) use of the UN, by Ban Ki-moon's mentor.

   The UN left Ban Ki-moon's webpage down for August 9, and as of 9 am on August 10 has still not put the August 9 transcript online. Haq read out some generic advocacy points from Ban's Ethics Office, that restrictions are custom-designed for particular conflicts of interest, but would not disclose a single restriction on Han Seung-soo. Anyway, the public record speaks for itself. Watch this site.

After Inner City Press asked, on August 8 Ban Ki-moon's Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said, "I was asked last week about Special Adviser Han Seung-soo and his dealings with a company named Doosan Infracore. Mr. Han disclosed this outside interest to the Organization, and the Ethics Office provided advice on the matter.  Mr. Han was informed of the restrictions on his involvement with the company in the context of the nature of his contract with the Organization, under which he serves on a "when actually employed" basis.  The measures put in place serve to ensure that the UN staff rules and regulations are adhered to, that there is no conflict of interest, and that the Organization's interests are fully protected."

From the August 8 transcript:

Inner City Press: I want to ask, given… you said that there's some… advice was given to him about how to operate to comply with the rules.  I wanted sort of… sort of throw in a new fact, which is that Doosan also does business and has large contracts with, for example, Saudi Arabia.  So I'm wondering, can you provide a little more detail on what the safeguards are for… for a UN Special Adviser to be on the board of a for-profit corporation that deals not… not only does business with the UN but which does business with… with countries with… the Secretary-General himself had said, like, Saudi financial threats caused him to change policy essentially.  So I'm wondering…

Deputy Spokesman:  That's… those are two very separate issues.

ICP Question:  So you say.  I'm simply asking you, can you describe what the safeguards are?

Deputy Spokesman:  Like I said, there are safeguards put in place.  He brought this to the attention of the UN organization in 2015, last year, at a time, by the way, when Doosan did not have business dealings with the United Nations.  Over that period, since then, guidelines have been prepared to make sure that there is no conflict of interest and that the organization's interests are protected.  But, like I said, this is part of the way the process works in terms of dealing with officials, including those, like Mr. Han Seung-soo, who are on a when-actually-employed basis and are not full-time employees.

ICP Question:  Okay.  Is it possible to know what these guidelines are?

Deputy Spokesman:  These are the details I've gotten.  I just got them over the past hour.

After publishing these links, Inner City Press on August 4 asked Ban Ki-moon's deputy spokesman Farhan Haq about it, and about Jane Holl Lute for the second time -- this time, answered unlike the five days of questions about UN Security Inspector Matthew Sullivan being on an outside board of a corporation which has held events for, among other things, sneakers in the UN.

So does the UN only answer when it can say that Yes, Ban Ki-moon approved? On August 5, Inner City Press asked again, video here, UN transcript here:

Inner City Press: Yesterday I'd asked about Han Seung-soo and whether he's the Special Adviser.

Deputy Spokesman:  Yes, yes, he remains Special Adviser.  I've put in a request to the Ethics Office to see whether he's made any notifications of different business dealings.  I believe he may have done some, but I'm trying to get it from the Ethics Office.  Alas, at this time of summer, there are some offices that are… will be harder to get replies back from so I'll let you know once I have it.

Question:  Sure.  I guess I want to understand.  There's a rule that says a person needs approval from the Secretary-General for outside.  Does that apply here, or is it just a matter of saying that you're doing it?

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, first I need to check, again, whether the Ethics Office has had any notifications of any other activities.

Three days later, no answer from the UN - even as Doosan's Saudi business is exposed: Doosan, "a South Korea power equipment maker, said today that it signed a 1.1 trillion won ($1.2 billion) contract to build a power and desalination plant in Saudi Arabia." This is Ban Ki-moon's UN see new film here.


 Video here. From the August 4 UN transcript: 
Inner City Press:  I thought you might have it.  Yesterday, I'd asked Stéphane, and he'd said it was not an unfair question, whether the Secretary-General approved the service of Jane Holl Lute on the Union Pacific's Board.

Deputy Spokesman:  Oh, yes.  Yes, we checked, and the answer is yes, she did seek approval and did receive it.

ICP Question:  And what I wanted to ask as a second question, which is that the special… is Mr. Han Seung-soo still the Special Adviser on Water and Risk Reduction?

Deputy Spokesman:  I believe he was appointed that some time ago.  Whether he still has that portfolio or not, I would need to check.

ICP Question:  Because what I want to know is that he's also on the board of directors of a South Korean firm, Doosan Infracore, which is listed in the UN procurement database as doing business with the UN.  So, I wanted to know if maybe you can get like… actually send me the answer, whether, in fact, if these two services are concurrent, whether it's been approved by the Secretary-General and whether… whether there's some special kind of safeguards that he recuse himself from business involving the UN or whether it's possible to be a UN Special Adviser on the board of a company that does business with the UN.

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, first and foremost, I'll need to check what his status is, whether he's an adviser or not.  Have a good afternoon, everyone.

The UN was set to play host on August 2 to a for-profit event led by agroup on which UN Security official Matthew Sullivan is on the board of directors, apparently with the approval of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who has yet to address his and his Under Secretaries General's role in the Ng Lap Seng / John Ashe bribery scandal which resulted on July 29 in a 20 month prison sentence for Sheri Yan's, whose father's one-man show Ban attended in the UN Secretariat lobby.

   The event involves COPsync, Inc, a for-profit company which sells equipment to police departments and whose CEO has previously beensued for securities law violations.

Now Ban's lead spokesman Stephane Dujarric, having retured from two weeks away, has flat out refused to say whether, as UN rules require, Ban Ki-moon approved UN Security Inspector Matthew Sullivan's presence on an outside board of directors. Video here.

   Because of the now five times refusal to answer this question, it must be noted that for example Ban Ki-moon's new (February 2016) coordinator against peacekeeper rapes, Jane Holl Lute, was later in April 2016 named to the board of directors of Union Pacific, a position thataccording to Internet research pays $250,000 a year.

On August 3, after publishing the above, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Dujarric about it. Video here, UN transcript here:

Inner City Press: I'm going to go at this a different way.  On this… the issue that there is a rule saying that the UN… I mean, I can quote from it, but saying you should receive permission for outside engagements.  Rather than ask about the one you've refused to answer on, I want to ask you this.  Jane Holl Lute apparently was hired in February 2016 for this post or put into the post of sexual abuse, bring it under control.  In April of 2016, she was named to the board of directors of Union Pacific, which seems to pay $250,000 a year.  So, on this… in this case, can you say whether this outside engagement was approved by the Secretary-General?

Spokesman:  I can check if that outside engagement exists and see what I can say.

Inner City Press:  There was a press release by…

Spokesman:  I understand.  I have not seen the press release.

Inner City Press:  Do you acknowledge it's a fair question to ask whether…?
Spokesman:  I'm not saying it's not a fair question.

Inner City Press:  When you answer that one, maybe you can answer the other one.

  But Dujarric and his office did not answer the question(s) in the hours that followed. At 6:45 pm, under the eviction order of Ban and his head of Communications Cristina Gallach, Inner City Press was ordered to leave the Security Council stakeout (where it had just asked Ambassador Oh Joon and Samantha Power about the THAAD deployment in South Korea) - even as Gallach passed by, offering a tour of the Trusteeship Council Chamber where under Ban many dubious events have taken place.

   Now this: Ban's “Special Envoy For Disaster Risk Reduction and Water” Han Seung-Soo is listed on the board of directors of South Korean firm Doosan Infracore - which does business with the UN. Was this approved by Ban Ki-moon? Could it be?