By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 18 – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on May 14 in Viennatold 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 UNofficial 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 exclusively informed 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." After that exchange, UNFPA in India said its investigation is over; the victim learned of this by reading the newspaper. On May 18 Inner City Press asked the UN's Haq, video here, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: on sexual harassment, I wanted to ask you this. I had asked you yesterday about the case at UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) in India and since then there's been a development that I was not aware of at the time. The case of Prashanti Tiwari and what she said and Diego Palacios, who's the UN official, and since your answer yesterday, it's reported that the UNFPA office in India says that the probe is over and the findings are awaited, and so the complainant had been told that she would be told and finds… and is pretty surprised by that, given how little she's been spoken to. So I wanted to know, one, is it true? Is it your understanding that the probe is over? Two, is the probe only by UNFPA or by OIOS (Office of Internal Oversight Services)? And two, how is this a kind of victim-centred approach if the victim reads about it in a newspaper?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, first of all, as I had mentioned yesterday, the matter is in the hands of the UN Population Fund. We'll await and inform you of any information that we get from them about this, but the matter is in their hands and it will be up to them to inform you about what stage they are at in this.
Inner City Press: Is there some minimum standard for what victim-centred means? I'm asking because the Secretary-General has made a big deal about this saying how he's talking to all of his heads of agencies so here's an agency that announced to a newspaper that the probe is over. Is this consistent with his approach?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, my UNFPA colleagues have assured me they were looking into this and they've been doing this for some time now." 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.
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." After that exchange, UNFPA in India said its investigation is over; the victim learned of this by reading the newspaper. On May 18 Inner City Press asked the UN's Haq, video here, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: on sexual harassment, I wanted to ask you this. I had asked you yesterday about the case at UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) in India and since then there's been a development that I was not aware of at the time. The case of Prashanti Tiwari and what she said and Diego Palacios, who's the UN official, and since your answer yesterday, it's reported that the UNFPA office in India says that the probe is over and the findings are awaited, and so the complainant had been told that she would be told and finds… and is pretty surprised by that, given how little she's been spoken to. So I wanted to know, one, is it true? Is it your understanding that the probe is over? Two, is the probe only by UNFPA or by OIOS (Office of Internal Oversight Services)? And two, how is this a kind of victim-centred approach if the victim reads about it in a newspaper?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, first of all, as I had mentioned yesterday, the matter is in the hands of the UN Population Fund. We'll await and inform you of any information that we get from them about this, but the matter is in their hands and it will be up to them to inform you about what stage they are at in this.
Inner City Press: Is there some minimum standard for what victim-centred means? I'm asking because the Secretary-General has made a big deal about this saying how he's talking to all of his heads of agencies so here's an agency that announced to a newspaper that the probe is over. Is this consistent with his approach?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, my UNFPA colleagues have assured me they were looking into this and they've been doing this for some time now." 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.
