UNITED NATIONS, January 2 – When US Ambassador Nikki Haley held a press availability in front of the UN Security Council on January 2, she said the US will request emergency meetings on the Iran protests in New York and Geneva, and that while North Korea may talk to Seoul, the US will not “acknowledge” such talks until Kim Jong Un agrees to ban nuclear weapons on the Korea peninsula.
She said US cuts to Pakistan are not related the Jerusalem vote in the UN General Assembly, then brought up the upcoming US reception for those countries which did not vote yes. Several are from Africa, but Africa did not come up at the stakeout (Inner City Press asked, audibly, about the DR Congo protests and crackdown, Periscope videohere.). Kazakhstan is taking over the Presidency of the US Security Council for January. We'll have more on all this. Watch this site.
The UN's more than five billion dollar budget was supposed to be adopted by the UN's Fifth Committee on December 22 then, the Committee chairman told Inner City Press, noon on Saturday December 23. Ultimately the Committee approval didn't finish until 2 in the morning on Christmas eve, with the ultimate approval postponed until 10 am on Christmas eve. Inner City Press, the only media covering it, was required to get a UN "minder" to access the General Assembly, unlike other no-show non-critical UN resident correspondents. From a booth about the GA it Periscoped the approval, and even an impromptu holiday carol. And holiday was the word. While in previous hears a colorful Christmas tree has been displayed on the GA Hall after the last session, this year it was a generic pine tree with no ornaments. Afterward, US Ambassador Haley said, "The inefficiency and overspending of the United Nations are well known. We will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked. This historic reduction in spending – in addition to many other moves toward a more efficient and accountable UN – is a big step in the right direction. While we are pleased with the results of this year’s budget negotiations, you can be sure we’ll continue to look at ways to increase the UN’s efficiency while protecting our interests." There are a lot more steps needed for accountability. In all other ways, it was routine: opposition to Responsibility to Protect and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to funding the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions 2231 (Iran) and 1559. Myanmar opposed any UN envoy being funded, but it passed 122 yes, 10 no, 24 abstaining.There was vague praise of reforms, even as absent S-G Guterres hasn't even ordered an audit of the most recent UN bribery indictment, much less his own Deputy's signing of 4000 rosewood certificates. Reform? And end of UN censorship of investigative Press? We will Press on this. On a document Inner City Press obtained, Speial Political Missions was blank. The Comptroller read it out orally, including $853,800 for the belated UN envoy to Myanmar. On a vote on R2P, Liberia spoke up and said having been asleep, an abstention was intended. There was laughter. It was after 1 am. Earlier Tommo Monthe confirmed Inner City Press' reporting on constraints on freedoms the vacationing Secretary General Antonio Guterres had wanted, the overall $166 million budget cut figure including 15% and higher in human rights. (He smiled.) Others told Inner City Press about North Korean ships, here. Particular opprobrium was reserved for the Department of Public Information under Alison Smale. DPI had requested 18 new posts or jobs, all of which were rejected, with the word "abolished" reserved for (GS)OL and Public Information officer (Japan) and UNIC-DC (G77 and China). Quitting time? On the other hand, no thanks to Smale, the push continued for posts in the Kiswahili and Portuguese UN Radio units. 18 posts or not, Smale or not, the UN and DPI must implement content neutral accreditation and access guidelines. We'll have more on this.
