By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 23 – UN official Nickolay Mladenov announced in the Security Council on May 23 that "on May 15 Palestine acceded to the United Nations Industrial Development Agency (UNIDO), UNCTAD and the OPCW." Some quickly said that the United States would cut funding, including to UNIDO. But as Inner City Press reported, the US left UNIDO long ago, and France left it in 2013-14. Back on September 13, 2013 when Peru's President Ollanta Humala Tasso and Li Yong, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO, held a media stakeout at the UN on Monday, one expected them to take at least a few questions.
France cut funding to and dropped out of UNIDO in April 2013, following the UK. What does the agency think of this? What did Peru think of it?
But after each man read out a statement, there was confusion. "No questions!" came a call from the side of the stakeout. Inner City Press asked anyway, about the cutting of funding. A spokesperson came up and said, if you want to ask a question, give me your card. Inner City Press did.
But what is the point of a stakeout, with the media present, if no questions are taken? Are the journalists just extras? This is a question asked by the Free UN Coalition for Access, @FUNCA_info.
Ironically under Guterres the UN's chief executive board in April 2017 met on, and Inner City Press published an internal list including, this Montreux topic: the UN common position on the admission of the State of Palestine to UN Specialized Agencies, Programs and Funds by Sept. 2107, how to thrive without UN/Western funding - learn from the experience of UNIDO and UNESCO in this regard." Thriving? We'll have more on UNCTAD, and on this. Watch this site.
