Saturday, July 30, 2022

UN Guterres Gives China Yet Another DESA Turn In Returns For Gulbenkian Bid & Support

 

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book
BBC-Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN NY Mag

SDNY COURTHOUSE, July 25 – The United Nations hit a new low, with its supposed human rights commissioner Michelle Bachelet whitewashing China's genocide against the Uighurs during a stage-managed trip to the country. 

At the end, in a press conference dominated by scripted questions from Chinese state media in response to which she read from prepared notes, she said she was unable to access what is happening in Xinjiang.

On July 25, Guterres handed UN DESA again to China, to a CPC diplomat who previously oversaw and defended killings in Burma: "Guterres announced today the appointment of Li Junhua of China as the next Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.  He will succeed Liu Zhenmin of China to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his commitment and dedicated service to the Organization.   Mr. Li brings to the position perspectives and visions on fostering multilateral economic and social cooperation, with a commitment to engage with all parties to further implement the 2030 Agenda including dedication to serve member states. He has contributed to numerous meetings of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council, as well as other multilateral meetings including the G20, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM), BRICS etc.   He is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Italy and San Marino.  Prior to this, he was Director General of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China (2013-2019).   Mr. Li began his career at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in 1985.  Since then, he has served in various capacities, including as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Myanmar." Yeah, Burma, today executing people and Guterres hiding behind who else, Bachelet.

On June 13, Bachelet having served China said she was now leaving. And Guterres praised her: "She has moved the needle in an extremely challenging political context." Yes - she moved his UN's needle even more pro-China. And did nothing about Guterres' ban on Press. Defund the UN.

 Some say they are surprised by this outcome. But a fish rots from the head. The head of the UN system is Antonio Guterres, and the reasons for his silence on China's abuses is more sinister.   

Before being selected - by China, which like Russia could have vetoed him - Guterres took money from the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. The China Energy Fund Committee, whose Patrick Ho was convicted of UN bribery involving UN President of the General Assembly, offered top dollar for Gulbenkian's oil company.

   Guterres omitted the money he took from Gulbenkian from his financial disclosure form.

And after Inner City Press, which had aggressively reported on Guterres' predecessor Ban Ki-moon from inside the UN, asked about it, Guterres had Inner City Press roughed up and banned from the UN ever since. Very Xi. 

   In the run up to Bachelet's trip, Inner City Press put written questions repeatedly to Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who daily takes three of more questions in his noon briefing from Chinese state media. But to Inner City Press, no answer.  

Likewise, when pro bono law firm Quinn Emanuel wrote to Guterres' head of media accreditation Melissa Fleming asking for Inner City Press to be allowed to re-enter the UN and ask its questions, she refused to response, as did the supposed UN Correspondents Association, on whose Executive Committee China has a permanent seat.

  So how is it surprising the the UN covers up for China? 

 But where if the US Administration and US Mission to the UN under Linda Thomas-Greenfield on this? They praise the UN and their work there, amid all the failures and censorship.

 There is no accountability mechanism for today's UN. Defund and decamp. Watch this site - and this book by Inner City Press, "Belt and Roadkill." (Also, Genocide Games of Guterres)

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