by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
UN GATE, June 30 – How corrupt and decrepit has the UN system become under Antonio Guterres, in this case due to Guterres? Today's example is again from the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, to which Guterres appointed his unqualified Austrian crony Volker Turk more than two years ago.
Now in Vienna, the head of UNODC is out - staff sent Inner City Press this on why: "
Turk dreams of an elected position in Austria. But:
From OHCHR staff: Dear Mr Lee,We, the staff of UNOV/UNODC, welcome Ghada Waly's recent decision to step down with relief and satisfaction, even if she will stay on for a few more months. However, we remain deeply concerned that corruption, harassment and lack of transparency will continue to prevail at UNOV/UNODC.
Ghada Waly has appointed senior officials who share her corrupted practices and prohibited conducts. They all come from a very small group of northern countries, despite her preaching all the time about the importance of geographical diversity. Without removing this gang, the situation in Vienna will not change. For example, we have the UNOV/UNODC Chief of Staff, Jeremy Douglas.
Appointed by Ghada Waly without any open and transparent selection process, Jeremy Douglas has given a very well-paid consultancy to Mark Shaw, a very good friend of his who heads of a research institute in Vienna that has always been very critical of UNOV/UNODC. Not only: Mark Shaw is also the husband of Brigitte Strobel-Shaw, the head of the anti-corruption branch of UNOV/UNODC. This trio of friends and family members is wasting much needed resources of the organisation for personal gains. We ask for an in-depth investigation of this case, the termination of this expensive consultancy and the suspension of both Jeremy Douglas and Brigitte Strobel-Shaw from their positions until the investigation is finalized.
Now that Ghada Waly is about to leave, Jeremy Douglas is looking for a suitable alternative post, and that he will be offered the position of Deputy Director, naturally without any open and transparent selection process, by the most feared of this closed group of advisors: Bo Mathiasen, the master of all UNOV/UNODC operations around the world, who was promoted by Ghada Waly to the rank of Director. He is notorious for his lack of empathy, for his repeated harassment of staff, and women in particular, for threatening to terminate the contracts of staff who do not submit to him and for his discriminatory attitudes towards staff from southern countries. UNOV/UNODC staff also complain about the preferential treatment he reserves to a small circle of friends, who are free to do whatever they want, while most managers and staff under him are subjected to countless controls and restrictions in whatever they do. Bo Mathiasen also distributes appointments and promotions according to personal relationships and loyalty to him, not because of merit or seniority, and with results that speak for themselves: we have just heard that the UNOV/UNODC Director for Kenya, chosen by him and appointed by Ghada Waly, is leaving her post in rush to avoid being found guilty, by an official investigation, of serious prohibited conducts...
Bo Mathiasen's name is well known to the UNOV/UNODC Staff Union, which has received a long list of complaints about him from many staff members. However, he can count on a strong network of friends and allies, especially in the UNOV/UNODC human resources department, whose head comes from his region. Therefore, he can continue to abuse people with total impunity and give senior jobs to friends and acolytes: two posts as UNOV/UNODC Regional Directors will soon become vacant, and staff in Vienna are assuming they will go to close friends of Bo Mathiasen's. The same will happen to the post of Deputy Director in his department, if he ends up not giving it to Jeremy Douglas. Earlier this year, two other senior and coveted jobs in his department have already gone to close associates of his, despite the strong candidatures presented by other colleagues who were more seasoned and more experienced. Is this justice? Is this what the UN should be about? For how long will staff in Vienna have to tolerate all that? More will follow on this gang of untouchables
Turk as a staffer on Guterres' 38th floor did nothing when his boss Guterres had the critical Press roughed up and thrown out. There has been no due process since, not even a response to Guterres' Melissa Fleming to a pro bono inquiry for Inner City Press from the law firm Quinn Emanuel. On June 19, 2025, this re-application.Watch this site.
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