By Matthew Russell Lee, Photos
UNITED NATIONS, November 10 – When UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres presented his proposed “peace and security” reform to the General Assembly in UN Conference Room 2 on November 9, it was initially going to be in a closed meeting. Inner City Press asked about it two days in a row and, an hour before the meeting, it was changed to open “but no UN webcast.” (But see below). Then on November 10, when Guterres and his Deputy Amina J. Mohammed embroiled in the "Rosewood Racket" scandal touching on not only Nigeria but also Cameroon, presented their development reform proposals in ECOSOC, Inner City Press could only cover it with a minder. Other correspondents could go there freely - but did not. Even with the minder still required by the UN Department of Public Information's Alison Smale, the UN Security officer in front of ECOSOC indicated he'd make sure Inner City Press remained "minded," even as tourists wandered freely. This is censorship. Inside ECOSOC, questions included what the role of states would be in appointing Resident Coordinators? Ecuador for the Group of 77 said the process must be transparent - on a day the UN canceled its noon briefing, and did not answer Inner City Press' e-mailed questions. Mexico said it wants ECOSOC to be more of debate or deliberative body. The US spoke (briefly) against duplication and waste. In the middle of this, Mohammed tweeted about the Sahel: a robo-tweet? The duo, set to leave New York, left with UN Security and entourage, no answers. Earlier on November 10 Guterres has gotten even less transparent. When he left a media stakeout for which the day's noon press briefing was canceled after a mere three questions, none on Yemen much less Cameroon, it was not disclosed where he was going. Guterres' public schedule did not list anything after this. But it emerges Guterres is at the Lotte Palace Hotel, in the Villard Ballroom on the second floor. Previously, Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric has refused to tell Inner City Press with whom Guterres had a one on one lunch meeting on the 38th floor of the UN before flying off on the public dime to his home in Lisbon. But how could this one not be on his public schedule? Dujarric, before refusing to answer any follow up questions, told Inner City Press, "The UN70 is a group of member states and they are organizing the retreat. It’s an internal meeting." In the Lotte Palace, tweeted by at least six states? On November 9, Inner City Press told the UN it would Periscope and was led to the photo booth; there due to Kafka-esque threats from the UN, it unilaterally decided only to broadcast what Guterres, paid by the global public, said. It was a mouthful: Guterres called Kenya's Ambassador Kamau “sincerely unfair; as the meeting was gaveled closed he turned on his microphone to tell Djibouti how support to AMISOM in Somalia would be effected. Russia raised many questions; others provided rote support. Reviews afterward were mixed. But Inner City Press remains under restrictions imposed by the UN Department of Public Information 20 months ago for covering UN corruption. It raised the issue again to the head of DPI on November 9; watch this site. When Guterres held his pre-General Assembly week press conference on September 13, Inner City Press asked him about reform, in light of the Ng Lap Seng UN bribery guilty verdicts and new reports of peacekeepers' sexual abuse. Guterres responded on the latter, see below. Now a month later, Guterres is pitching a reform plan that many do not understand, and others don't agree with. Inner City Press went to cover Guterres' presentation to the UN's Fifth (Budget) Committee on October 11, but was quickly told by UN Security, "No Press." So it went to the photo booth and streamed a Periscope video, here. Guterres sat next to Cameroon's Ambassador, here. There were speeches by Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago (fresh off its elimination of the US from the World Cup), the EU and Australia. Then Guterres left, before the US spoke. There was nothing else on his schedule for the day. We'll have more on this. Here's a sample Guterres "reform" proposal: "A Standing Principals’ Group of Under Secretaries General (USGs) and the EOSG, to provide leadership for all strategic, political and operational functions and ensure a coherent 'whole-of-pillar' approach... Interaction with the global operational support and management departments would be facilitated at the level of the Standing Principals’ Group as well as through dedicated capacity within the Departments at the strategic and operational levels, including within the integrated operational team [IOT] concept." Sources close to Guterres exclusively complain to Inner City Press this is little more than "Lacroix' DPKO trying to grab the IOTs." They point to the lame duck status of Jeffrey Feltman at the Department of Political Affairs as leading to DPA "losing the turf war with Peacekeeping." Meanwhile, the sources say, there is increasing frustration on the UN's 38th floor at the "message" not getting out, even talk of hiring outside communicators, rather than holding those already getting paid accountable. The new head of Global Communcations, Alison Smale, never responded to a detailed petition to her before the General Assembly week, nor to one after the week - nor since (it was raised to her again on November 9). Ah, Communications, f/k/a DPI which evicted and still restricts Inner City Press which every day asks questions and reports, in favor of no-show state media like Egypt's Akhbar al Yom which has not asked a single question during Guterres' tenure. The UN is UNreformed.
