By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive Series
UNITED NATIONS, May 25 – Inner City Press asked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres why he hasn't released his budget speech, or reform plans on May 25, the day after Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric refused to provide the speech to Inner City Press when it asked. Guterres paused then said it should be public, seeming to believe that Dujarric had, in fact, released it. Video here. But he had not and has not. It was Dujarric who evicted Inner City Press, and has kept it restricted in its movements in the UN for the 144 days so far of Guterres' tenure. On May 25, Inner City Press asked Dujarric again, video here
UN transcript here: Inner City Press: I just now asked the Secretary-General about what I had asked you yesterday, about whether his speech at ACABQ can be released and whether his reform proposals will be released. He seemed to, maybe I misunderstood and you can look at the video, but he seemed to think that it had been released so I wanted to ask you, can it be released? Also… Go ahead.
Spokesman: The budget documents for the proposed reform are public documents and those are available and that is basically what he presented, the outline of which he presented to the ACABQ yesterday.
Inner City Press: Two questions: Is there a problem with releasing, I'm sure there was a written and about it was off-the-cuff what he said to ACABQ; and, secondly, I've seen and published a document called safety and security pillar model A regarding three ASGs, a mixture of political affairs and peacebuilding, a variety of delegations, and maybe there wasn't time to explain the whole thing, basically the idea is if he is proposing reforms, why aren't these proposals public as they are in most countries…?
Spokesman: Well, I think, first of all, these reforms, especially ones that have to involve, that involve budgetary issues, first have to be approved by the Member States and there is an ongoing discussion on the peace and security architecture, and once things are formally proposed, I'm sure they will be shared. All the budget documents I think are under, I was told, A/72/6, and those are all available in detail.
Question: This chart, I guess what I'm saying, having seen the chart…
Spokesman: I haven't seen the chart, so I…
Inner City Press: There was a meeting yesterday, so maybe you can ask them. There seemed to have been a meeting that went to 6:10 yesterday upstairs. Everybody was in it, Mr. Lacroix, Mr. Feltman, you know, the whole team was there, and my understanding is this chart was discussed, so I'm asking you…
Spokesman: What I'm telling you is that whatever meetings may have occurred upstairs on reform between the Secretary-General and his top aides, those are informal meetings and I have no documents to share from those.
Inner City Press: Can you just look at the tape of what he said there?
Spokesman: I did look at the tape. I did, it feels consistent to me.
Inner City Press: Well…
Spokesman: Ali?
Inner City Press saying "double talk" was not transcribed by the (double standards) UN. Later on May 25, an NGO representative who corresponded "secretly" with Dujarric to get Inner City Press evicted and restricted was allowed onto the UN's second floor without the UN minders imposed on Inner City Press. This is UNtransparent. Even facing budget cuts, the UN remains as untransparent as ever, even more so. On May 24 Inner City Press asked Secretary General Antonio Guterres' holdover spokesman Stephane Dujarric for a copy of Guterres' budget speech or budget, but none was given. Later on May 24 the head of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, which Guterres spoke before, issued three tweets about the presentation. Inner City Press has obtained and tweeted a copy of Guterres' placemat-like "Peace and Security Pillar" chart, with three separate Udner Secretaries General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Peace Operations and Field Management and Support. Many are left wondering, where is the reform? Inner City Press on May 24 asked Dujarric, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: on the budget, could I just… it's a factual question. You've listed today at 3 presenting his pro… proposed programme budget for the biennium 2018-19 to ACABQ [Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions]. One, is it open? Two, can we see the budget? And if… three, if not, why not?
Spokesman: The process remains the same. This is a budget that has start… that was elaborated before the sec… this Secretary-General came into office. As you know… as you may not know, but it's kind of a long process. This is the first step. It will go to the ACABQ and then go to the Fifth Committee. The Fifth Committee deliberations are often open, and then I think we'll get a clearer picture then.
Spokesman: The process remains the same. This is a budget that has start… that was elaborated before the sec… this Secretary-General came into office. As you know… as you may not know, but it's kind of a long process. This is the first step. It will go to the ACABQ and then go to the Fifth Committee. The Fifth Committee deliberations are often open, and then I think we'll get a clearer picture then.
But it's not clear. On May 24 before 6 pm Guterres held a meeting with his senior management group since after a two week trip he is in New York for only three days, leaving tomorrow. At the appointed time for Azerbaijan, streaming out of Guterres' conference room were USg Jeff Feltman, Jean Pierre Lacroix who declined to answerInner City Press' question about France's 20+ year rule of UN Peacekeeping, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Fabrizio Hochschild and others. Earlier on May 24 Inner City Press asked Dujarric to "please state if a David J Vennett is now a/the principal advisor to the SG, if so why he is not in iSeek and how he was recruited and hired and, again, please provide a list of who works in / or the Executive Office of the Secretary General and whether they are paid by the UN, by a UN affiliate like UNOPS, or by a country and is so which." There was no answer. Dujarric announced, "Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will be heading out of New York for Italy to attend the G-7 meeting. On Saturday, he will participate in the outreach session of the summit, which is taking place in Taormina. The focus of the discussion will be "Innovation and Sustainable Development in Africa." He will leave Taormina Saturday afternoon." Does it take from Thursday to Saturday to get to Italy? Is there a stop over on the way back? What was in Guterres' budget speech on May 24, a copy of which Inner City Press requested? Why was corrupt censor Cristina Gallach speaking in the General Assembly Hall on May 24, and why has her censorship continued, without hearing or appeal?
