By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, February 16 – How can the ostensibly public UN's Department of Public Information say that its agreements with an airline and undisclosed media organizations are confidential and not to be disclosed? By what authority are these blue-washing deals made by Under Secretary General Cristina Gallach secret?
The UN has now hit a new low: while refusing to disclose to the Press and public its "cooperation agreement" with an airline, it is bragging about having a logo about its climate change goals painted on the side of a single aircraft.
Inner City Press asked for a copy of the agreement on February 16. The response was a press release later in the day - but no copy of the agreement. So Inner City Press on February 17 asked UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq again for a copy of the agreement. He said he didn't think it's public. What? The Department of Public Information?
Haq's office has also sent Inner City Press this, which we publish in full:
"Regarding the question you asked at noon, we can say the following: DPI establishes partnership with media outlets and other private sector entities to help disseminate information about the UN. This includes with airlines who broadcast UN programmes in-flight and disseminate UN information through in-flight magazines and other means. Xiamen Airlines of China is the latest to join such a partnership, including undertaking to help promote awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals by painting its aircraft with SDGs livery."
Inner City Press on February 17 asked for a list of those signing such deal with the UN - it has not been provided. We'll have more on this.
Some UN Departments have strayed so far from what they claim to do they should be broken up and salvageable functions re-distributed. So it is with the UN Department of Public Information under Cristina Gallach.
Under Gallach, DPI brought the UN into further disrepute by approving, without due diligence, UN events and "investments" by Macau-based businessman Ng Lap Seng, now under house arrest facing prosecution for UN bribery in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. See UN audit, Paragraphs 37-40 and 20b.
After Inner City Press asked Gallach about her links to Ng Lap Seng and his South South empire, she had Inner City Press evicted without any hearing or appeal, letter here, audio here, NYT here, and keeps it restricted to minders for one year since and counting: it is ongoing.
Now this censor Gallach on February 15 appeared at a "UN" event with an airline which while held in the UN's Delegates Dining Room was otherwise unpublicized, other than by the airline itself.
So at the February 16 noon briefing Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Farhan Haq for a copy of the agreement, video here, and gave him a copy of the promotion about the meeting to help the process.
Four hours later, rather than the requested copy of the agreement, DPI put out a press release beginning:
"New York, 16 February 2017 – China’s Xiamen Airlines has committed to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations announced today. In an effort to create more awareness about the goals, the airline plans to paint the exterior of one of its aircraft in a special livery, a first for the airlines industry.
“This is an extraordinary and very exciting way of broadcasting information about the global development agenda, and the first of its kind,” said UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Cristina Gallach. “We hope millions of travelers will now gain a better insight into the Goals and how the UN is working every day to improve the lives of all.”
The agreement, which was signed at the UN headquarters in New York by Ms. Gallach and Mr. Zhao Dong, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Xiamen Airlines, underscores the airlines’ commitment to support the new development agenda, adopted by the UN’s 193 Member States in 2015 to end poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change...
Xiamen Airlines also plans to feature the UN’s multimedia programming in its inflight entertainment and at its VIP lounges, as well as include information on the goals in its magazine."
“This is an extraordinary and very exciting way of broadcasting information about the global development agenda, and the first of its kind,” said UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Cristina Gallach. “We hope millions of travelers will now gain a better insight into the Goals and how the UN is working every day to improve the lives of all.”
The agreement, which was signed at the UN headquarters in New York by Ms. Gallach and Mr. Zhao Dong, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Xiamen Airlines, underscores the airlines’ commitment to support the new development agenda, adopted by the UN’s 193 Member States in 2015 to end poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change...
Xiamen Airlines also plans to feature the UN’s multimedia programming in its inflight entertainment and at its VIP lounges, as well as include information on the goals in its magazine."
Exploiting the concept of the Sustainable Development Goal, Gallach has turned DPI into a machine for censorship, propaganda and corruption.
Other UN high officials, as Inner City Press has reported,“have been freaking out. They don't know how much is going to be cut, and from where.”
Here's a suggestion, based not only on Inner City Press' personal experience at the UN (NYT here) but also interviews with staff, diplomats and elected officials: if there is one UN Department to be cut, even eliminated, it is DPI.
Since Cristina Gallach of Spain took DPI over, the Department has been in decline, reaching the point where it used public fundsto pay a trainer to tell UN-accredited non governmental organizations that Detroit, Michigan is a "third rate city" in "flyover country."
Other UN high officials, as Inner City Press has reported,“have been freaking out. They don't know how much is going to be cut, and from where.”
Here's a suggestion, based not only on Inner City Press' personal experience at the UN (NYT here) but also interviews with staff, diplomats and elected officials: if there is one UN Department to be cut, even eliminated, it is DPI.
Since Cristina Gallach of Spain took DPI over, the Department has been in decline, reaching the point where it used public fundsto pay a trainer to tell UN-accredited non governmental organizations that Detroit, Michigan is a "third rate city" in "flyover country."
But UN holdover spokesman Stephane Dujarric told Inner City Press, of Gallach, "Everything that this official’s done was done in accordance to the rules." Video here, UN Transcript (with Inner City Press asking why Dujarric was leaving without answering air-brushed out) here:
Inner City Press: last Friday, so a week ago, I sent in five questions. I haven't actually received an answer to any of them, but one of them was a very simple one, whether an official received approval to get an award in a personal capacity and… and spent UN funds to go and get it.
Spokesman: Everything that this official’s done was done in accordance to the rules.
Inner City Press: So…
Spokesman: Thank you.
Inner City Press: last Friday, so a week ago, I sent in five questions. I haven't actually received an answer to any of them, but one of them was a very simple one, whether an official received approval to get an award in a personal capacity and… and spent UN funds to go and get it.
Spokesman: Everything that this official’s done was done in accordance to the rules.
Inner City Press: So…
Spokesman: Thank you.
On February 14, Dujarric's also holdover Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq as Inner City Press asked about the use of UN funds called it "obsessive," on Gallach's UNTV - then an "a*hole" once the audio went off. Many changes are needed at the UN. Watch this site.
