By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 19 – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is in Washington DC, for the third day in a row, this time to receive an honorary degree from Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service. When they introduced him at 5 pm, it was said Guterres has worked for decades for the least of these, bringing about peace. Well, people in the Anglophones zones of Cameroon have yet to see it: Guterres dropped by and accepted a golden statue from 30+ year president Paul Biya who's been engaged in targeted killings, his Army burning and looting villages. Meanwhile Guterres maintains restrictions in the UN on the Press which asks about this; his speechwriter is cited for the order to ban Inner City Press' live-stream Periscope of events in Guterres' conference room which his state media UNTV films. When Guterres gave his speech, he called the greater Middle East the world's biggest problem - no mention of the DR Congo, Central African Republic or Somalia, much less Cameroon - and then went on to offer praise to a particular insurance company, Allianz, by name. This while China Energy Fund Committee, funded by oil, is still in special consultative status with UN ECOSOC even with its chief Patrick Ho in jail after being indicted for bribery including of then UN President of the General Assembly Sam Kutesa. These things were not brought up at Georgetown; it was just good publicity for them to get a UNSG. But who benefits from this? On May 17 Guterres met with Nancy Pelosi and on May 18 with Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, then with Donald Trump. While the first meeting was not on Pompeo's scheduled and there has been no read-out, of the Trump meeting the White House sent this out: "President Donald J. Trump met today with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and discussed issues of mutual interest, including North Korea, Syria, Iran, and reform of the United Nations. The President reiterated his support for the Secretary-General’s efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the United Nations. The two committed to work together in the months ahead to address these and other common threats and challenges." Fifty minutes earlier, the UN sent out this: "The Secretary-General met this afternoon at the White House with US President Donald J. Trump. The Secretary-General and the President discussed the situation in the broader Middle East, the Korean Peninsula and the ongoing United Nations reform. The Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for the continued US engagement in the work of the United Nations." That's all. The use of the term "broader" Middle East implied some earlier, more specificreference was omitted. The White House says Iran was discussed; the UN says "the broader Middle East." We know of Guterres' Pelosi meeting from a photo tweeted by his Spokesman, who as "Who's in this photo?" tagged not only Pelosi but also a for-profit public relations executive, "DPK Public Relations Founder Daniel Keeney." Photo here. Why? While Guterres' Global Communicator Alison Smale moves to use public money to hire outside consultants for her "terms of reference" or secret Compact of trying to make Guterres look good by censoring the Press, is Guterres using public money to hire or promote this PR man? Keeney's self-description: "Dan Keeney, APR is the president of DPK Public Relations, a public relations firm specializing in crisis communications planning, crisis communications response and crisis recovery as well as media relations, marketing communications and spokesperson training. He has led numerous high-profile communications initiatives, from corporate restructurings to product introductions and from international crisis communications response... Through DPK Public Relations' Media Interview Skills Training, Dan has trained thousands of spokespeople across the country to be more confident and comfortable in the media spotlight." Why did Dujarric, who before he left town tried to exclude Inner City Press from covering Guterres then has tried to ban its live stream Periscope from photo ops of which UNTV shoots video and audio, say Keeney was in the picture? We'll have more on this. Guterres on May 14 in Vienna told UN staff that sexual exploitation and abuse is not relevant, only sexual harassment is. This statement was made amid allegations of physical sexual abuse by UNAIDS' Luiz Loures, and the purchase of sex by a D1 UN official in Somalia. Are those cases of harassment? Inner City Press asked the UN to explain Guterres' statement, below - and then was informed by sources in Vienna that the #MeTooUN problem there is wider than heretofor reported. An abrupt resignation at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, of Tero Varjoranta, was by some like Reuters linked to Trump's pull out from the Iran JPCOA deal. But Inner City Press is exclusivelyinformed it is more tied to an incident witnessed by many, and inquired into by press pursuing the impunity in the UN system for sexual harassament and abuse. Inner City Press' source, understandably afraid of retaliation in Guterres' UN (which continues to restrict Inner City Press) says, "at a senior management retreat at the start of the year, the Deputy Director General was seen to publicly 'kiss a female subordinate long and hard' and then was seen retiring to the bed chamber with the female person. Nonetheless, Amano approved a contract extension for the DDG subsequently. An investigative journalist from [a] magazine pursuing the #MeToo syndrome in the UN system visited Vienna and was made aware of this incident along with other previous incidents involving safeguards staff and female subordinates. Why the DG asked for the resignation now remains a mystery. In my view the DG also should resign for his cover up - but he is laying the ground for a fourth term citing DPRK denuclearization." If the Director General urged the exit in order to cover up, is he little more than another Michel Sidebe, the UNAIDS director whose resignation is being sought? And what does Guterres support of Sidibe, and oblivious or worse junket through this UN killing field say about him? On May 17, Inner City Press asked Guerres' deputy spokesman, UN transcript here, Inner City Press: Earlier this year, I asked a number of questions about UNFPA in India and the allegations of sexual harassment and abuse against a Diego Palacios there and there's just been a large press conference of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in India, both saying that the… asking that the Secretary-General remove immunity from Mr. Diego Palacios and also tying it into the situation at UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme against HIV/AIDS) with Michel Sidibé, but I wanted to know an update from you. They seem to say at this press conference that Mr. Palacios hasn't really even been interviewed, that there's not… that the UN hasn't acted in any way on this detailed allegation of sexual harassment. Are you aware of what UNFPA has done, if the Secretary-General is aware of and may act on this request that immunity be removed, particularly given the inaction by the UNFPA?
Deputy Spokesman: As far as I'm aware at this stage, it remains in the hands of the UN Population Fund, and they're the ones who are looking into this, and we'll leave it in their hands.
Inner City Press: Recently, there was an abrupt resignation of a Deputy Director General of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) in Geneva, Tero Varjoranta, and we've been hearing various reasons for it, and since the Secretary-General was just in Vienna, is he aware of any quote "#MeToo issues” at IAEA, and if so, what did he do while he's there?
Deputy Spokesman: I don't really have any comment to share on this. As far as I'm aware, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that he had stepped down for personal reasons, and so that is the information we have on that." Really. Guterres' statement was made at a staff Town Hall meeting for which he was 45 minutes late. After he said it, a staff member complained that her application to set up a #MeToo club had been denied and would Guterres help? He did not say yes. So on May 15 in New York, Inner City Press asked Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: At yesterday's town-hall meeting in Vienna, one of the questions from the floor was from a self-described victim of sexual harassment within the UN system, and she asked Secretary-General whether he supported the idea of a "me too" club, I guess, within the UN in Vienna. He didn't seem to say yes. He seemed to say, well, if I understand it better. She said, do you support it, and they just moved on. Can you say now does the Secretary-General support the idea? She was apparently rejected by the UN in Vienna to set up this, such a club. Does he support that idea, and will he follow up with the staff member who asked him this explicitly in the town-hall meeting?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, first, we are trying to get input from all staff about what needs to happen in order to deal more effectively with sexual harassment, including through a survey of staff, and so we will try to evaluate what staff broadly say and see what steps need to be taken." Oh. Guterres also on May 14 said his attempted reform of the UN development system had "passed silence," with but without assessed contributions. On May 15 Inner City Press also asked Haq: He also seemed to say that, I don't know if that the assessed contributions, that the reform of the development system had passed through silence procedure; it still has not been voted on, but he seemed to say that it's passed, but without the Resident Coordinator system being funded through assessed contributions. What is his plan, given that it seems like that he thinks that now it's going to be approved by the General Assembly, hasn’t passed through, what is the plan to actually fund these resident coordinators?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, first, we will see what the final results are once the Member States agree on it. We hope in the coming days we will be able to provide some details about what the development reform is about. " Back on May 14 in New York at the UN noon briefing Inner City Press asked Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq if Guteres doesn't think the Loures cases is about sexual abuse, beyond harassment. Haq seemed to say Guterres uses these terms based on the identify of the victim, not the use of force or economicpressure. #MeTooUN?
Deputy Spokesman: As far as I'm aware at this stage, it remains in the hands of the UN Population Fund, and they're the ones who are looking into this, and we'll leave it in their hands.
Inner City Press: Recently, there was an abrupt resignation of a Deputy Director General of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) in Geneva, Tero Varjoranta, and we've been hearing various reasons for it, and since the Secretary-General was just in Vienna, is he aware of any quote "#MeToo issues” at IAEA, and if so, what did he do while he's there?
Deputy Spokesman: I don't really have any comment to share on this. As far as I'm aware, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that he had stepped down for personal reasons, and so that is the information we have on that." Really. Guterres' statement was made at a staff Town Hall meeting for which he was 45 minutes late. After he said it, a staff member complained that her application to set up a #MeToo club had been denied and would Guterres help? He did not say yes. So on May 15 in New York, Inner City Press asked Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: At yesterday's town-hall meeting in Vienna, one of the questions from the floor was from a self-described victim of sexual harassment within the UN system, and she asked Secretary-General whether he supported the idea of a "me too" club, I guess, within the UN in Vienna. He didn't seem to say yes. He seemed to say, well, if I understand it better. She said, do you support it, and they just moved on. Can you say now does the Secretary-General support the idea? She was apparently rejected by the UN in Vienna to set up this, such a club. Does he support that idea, and will he follow up with the staff member who asked him this explicitly in the town-hall meeting?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, first, we are trying to get input from all staff about what needs to happen in order to deal more effectively with sexual harassment, including through a survey of staff, and so we will try to evaluate what staff broadly say and see what steps need to be taken." Oh. Guterres also on May 14 said his attempted reform of the UN development system had "passed silence," with but without assessed contributions. On May 15 Inner City Press also asked Haq: He also seemed to say that, I don't know if that the assessed contributions, that the reform of the development system had passed through silence procedure; it still has not been voted on, but he seemed to say that it's passed, but without the Resident Coordinator system being funded through assessed contributions. What is his plan, given that it seems like that he thinks that now it's going to be approved by the General Assembly, hasn’t passed through, what is the plan to actually fund these resident coordinators?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, first, we will see what the final results are once the Member States agree on it. We hope in the coming days we will be able to provide some details about what the development reform is about. " Back on May 14 in New York at the UN noon briefing Inner City Press asked Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq if Guteres doesn't think the Loures cases is about sexual abuse, beyond harassment. Haq seemed to say Guterres uses these terms based on the identify of the victim, not the use of force or economicpressure. #MeTooUN?
