By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Periscope
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - CJR - PFT
UN GATE, May 25 – In the United Nations from which Secretary General Antonio Guterres has banned Inner City Press 1058 days for asking about his complicity in the killing of civilians in Cameroon, poisoning them in Haiti with cholera and COVID in South Sudan, and their mass imprisonment by China in Xinjiang, on January 29 Inner City Press wrote to the Mission of the United Kingdom, and its Ambassador Barbara Woodward, as incoming UN Security Council president, with questions including about Cameroon, Western Sahara, Haiti and Libya.
She and the Mission has yet to answer any of these questions about countries on the agenda of the Security Council. But on May 25, Woodward fielded softball questions about returning to the UNSC Chamber, with the help of China:
"Q" This was your first day in the Council. What was that like?
Woodward: It's great to be in the Council in person. It makes, I think, for a very different dynamic about the discussions. Of course we had the briefing via VTC, but it's a good feeling, and also, I think, a sense of place, which reminds us all of the importance of the work we do in terms of promoting global peace and security. So it feels great to be in the Council and I know that my colleagues in the Council feel the same.
"Q" Was there any concern about anyone with vaccinations, being close, being masked?
Woodward: We kept our masks on when we weren't speaking. We have persPex partitions between the desks now. The Chinese Presidency has been in close touch with the UN Secretariat about how this works."
Yeah, China is in very close touch with Antonio Guterres - its CEFC China Energy tried to buy the oil company of Gulbenkian Foundation, payments from which Guterres omitted from his financial disclosure, and had Inner City Press roughed up and banned when it asked about it.
Back on January 29, Inner City Press specifically asked to be provided the WebEx codes to be able to ask its questions:
This is a timely request that you sent Inner City Press the pass code(s) to access your UNSC Presidency press briefing on February 1.
I have questions to ask on what you will do this month about the conflicts in Cameroon, Yemen and Libya - and on the sexual harassment charges against Fabrizio Hochschild on which Inner City Press first reported in April 2019, picked up here in July 2019, for example - Inner City Press is asking to be provided with access / the passwords to your UK mission's stakeouts and press conferences this month as UNSC President. Given your stated focus on the rule of law, you should ensure due process (and access) for Press covering the UN. Please note that Inner City Press and I participate in the WebEx briefings of, for example, the IMF here and here.
As I hear that you may be moving the Council back into its Chamber, either way I would also like to ask you to instruct MALU / USG-DGC Fleming to allow me to enter to cover it, for Inner City Press. Please immediately confirm receipt.
No answer - including to this reiterated request on January 31: "on deadline, for UK's response to current developments in Myanmar / Burma. Please confirm receipt." This was sent on January 31 to PR Barbara.Woodward, Jaclyn Licht, Sorcha Lowry and Isabella Olex."
Nothing. Not even a confirmation of receipt. Then Woodward held a February 1 press conference with not a single question on anything in Africa, much less former UK colony Cameroon.
Now on April 21, this: Today the UK Government confirmed the drastic extent of its aid cuts to global humanitarian operations, which have been a lifeline to millions of vulnerable people around the world. In the coming year, the UK will spend £906m to support to humanitarian preparedness and response. This represents a more than 40 per cent drop compared to the 2019. At the same time, a record 235 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection throughout 2021, a near 40 per cent increase on 2020.
Martin Hartberg, Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council in the UK, said in a statement sent to Inner City Press (to which the UK Mission following the UN refuses to answer) - “Today’s announcement confirms that titanic aid cuts will hit the world’s most vulnerable communities with deadly force, and comes at the worst possible time when we are facing record levels of global humanitarian needs. The UK’s status as a global aid superpower is dealt another massive blow
Woodward, reading off index cards, repeated again and again a "three Cs" - but Cameroon and colonialism are not among them. She made a point of saying they will celebrate the Lunar New Year, and did not seem to understand at least one of the agenda items for the month.
The UK took questions from two retires, four state media, a former UN staffer - but not Inner City Press. It was run by one Mungo Woodifield - Periscope video here.
And because we'll be covering them, apparently despite the censorship by UK Mission, here is the UNSG Program of Work for February, here.
We'll have more on this.
Watch this site.
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