by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
UN GATE, Aug 18 – How corrupt is today's UN under Antonio Guterres? Now with Guterres bloviating without live stream in Japan after a long vacation, his staff tell Inner City Press things have hit a new low about which his spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming refuse all Press questions. Inner City Press has asked them, and others, about the newest sex abuse case against the UN. This, from a UN whistleblower sent to Inner City Press:
Dear Matthew Russell Lee,
Guterres appears increasingly surrounded by what staff describe as “phone-call human resource advisors and legal officers.” These individuals seem less concerned with the state of the United Nations and more preoccupied with shielding the Organization from accountability. Far from safeguarding his legacy, their approach risks undermining it, as they dispense weak legal advice and issue poorly considered human resource directives.
A glaring example is the so-called UN80 early separation agreements currently being circulated among staff. The UN Dispute Tribunal (UNDT) has already ruled that provisions of this nature are unlawful, unenforceable, and incompatible with the principles of the administration of justice. Yet, despite this binding jurisprudence, senior officials appear intent on pressing forward.
Martha Helena Lopez, the Secretary-General’s senior advisor on human resources, has become emblematic of this “don’t care” policy. Observers note she looks fatigued, more focused on retirement than on strengthening governance. Rather than engaging with tribunal rulings, she and her team have defaulted to what staff now mockingly call “phone-call directives,” issuing guidance over the phone without regard to established precedent or proper review. In New York, staff have started referring to her and her legal colleagues as “phone-call officers and advisors” because of their casual approach to matters of grave consequence.
Their advice to the Secretary-General effectively shields misconduct from judicial scrutiny, entrenches his culture of impunity.
Guterres, they say, should end censorship. Application was made on June 19, 2025. Watch this site.
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