On Malala Day, UN Won't Answer on Gordon and Sarah Brown's Charity A World at School, or How Access Granted

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 12 -- Malala's speech at the UN on Friday was an inspiration. But the UN at least in part used it to direct concerned people to a non-UN charity, A World at School, which was started by Gordon Brown's wife Sarah in 2002.

  When Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky about this at Friday's noon briefing, he insisted that the focus should be on Malala's speech. 

 While the UN might have preferred narratives of the day, it seems to Inner City Press (and to the new Free UN Coalition for Access) that the purpose of the UN noon briefing is to answer the questions that are asked.

  If it's just a one-way communication, like much of the UN system's social media, there's no reason to have an in-person question and answer session.

  When Inner City Press said it had “additional questions about this the World at School and the media access, but if you say it’s not the right day, I will ask them another day,” Nesirky said he would get back with responses. 

 But as of 8 pm, no answers have been provided, on A World at School or why the UN Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit told journalists there were no tickets, when Nesirky said there were ten. Who got them? On what basis?@FUNCA_info has asked.

From Friday's noon briefing transcript by the UN:

Inner City Press: on media access, there ended up being no tickets available through [Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit] to attend it. But in trying to pursue tickets, we were referred to something called A World at School and also to the office of the UN Special Envoy on Global Education, Gordon Brown. What is the connection between A World at School and the United Nations? Is it a UN body? And the office of Gordon Brown, it says at the bottom of it, “copyright Gordon and Sarah Brown and the reds” [sic - made up by UN], the website was registered by this World at School, so I wanted to know, is it a UN office, is it funded out of the UN’s budget, both entities are laudable, but it seems a little bit blurry. Is this a UN entity or not? Gordon Brown is a UN official, but why is his website not a UN website?

Spokesperson : Gordon Brown has a very specific role given to him by the Secretary-General as the Special Envoy for Global Education and for, as the leading champion of Global Education First, the initiative that the Secretary-General launched. And of course, the presence of Malala here today on her birthday — and after all, that is what this should be about — was extremely powerful. Anybody who listened to her speech, I imagine could not fail to be moved by it and to feel inspired and motivated by it, too.

As for your question about access, tickets were available. Ten tickets were indeed available and were distributed. It was first-come, first-served. And as you will have seen, and as I think people around the world saw, it was being broadcast, and therefore, people who did not get into the room — and it was not only journalists who could not get into the room — believe me, there are many who would have wished to have been there. It was possible to cover this, and I think many people did cover it, even if they were not in the room.

Inner City Press: A World at School, it seems laudable, the speech was great. I am just trying to figure out, Gordon Brown, what relationship is the UN?

Spokesperson: Listen, Matthew, I think, I am happy to take this up with you, but I truly believe that the focus today should be on Malala and the work that she has done, the symbolism of her visit here. And I think that anybody who has been listening to that, and indeed followed the Youth Assembly that has followed, there are many, many extremely courageous, bright and eloquent young people who are advocating strongly for what is fundamental rights. And I think that’s where the focus should be today. Other questions, please. Yes?

Question [Journalist from Pakistan, not on UNCA board]: But, Martin, that’s all very well about Malala, but why should some outside body be controlling the access to the General Assembly Hall and not the United Nations itself?

Spokesperson: Well, it’s the Trusteeship Council Chamber, and as I have said, the tickets were available.

To whom? These questions should be answered. Watch this site.

  

UN Shunts Malala Fans to Gordon Brown's Wife's Charity, Which Doesn't Answer on its Links with Gordo's "UN" Office

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 12 – The UN made much of Malala Day, and at least Malala herself did not disappoint in her speech. But what is the UN connection?

The UN referred the Press and many people to “A World at School” -- which turns out to be a UK charity set up by Gordon Brown's wife Sarah in 2002.

When Gordon Brown, out of power, was given a UN Envoy job by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, he linked it to his wife's charity.

  But neither Brown's office, nor his wife's A World at School, responded when contacted – as the UN directed – on Friday morning, nor to a request for information about their connection(s) and budget.

Malala spoke movingly; Gordon Brown and Ban much less so. 

  Malala said, "a deal that goes against rights of women is unacceptable," readable as a reference at negotiations with the Taliban by the US and others.

  The UN Department of Public Information, which fumbled or worse on transparency in media access to the event, devoted much time to promoting it with verbatim quotes, and links to Gordon Brown's wife's charity. 

  In fact, even the "UN" website of Gordon Brown's office was UN Envoy was registered, not by the UN, but by the Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown. What is going on?

More than a week ago on July 3, the UN Department of Public Information announced that “Education activist Malala Yousafzai will mark her 16th birthday, on Friday, 12 July 2013, by giving her first high-level public appearance and statement...a limited number of seats will be available for media, contact” the UN Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit.

Inner City Press immediately wrote to MALU, also on behalf of the new Free UN Coalition for Access, asking

“this is a timely request for access to cover youth / Malala events on July 12. Please confirm, and also, How many media seats ARE available? Also, what about media seats to cover the new / interim General Assembly hall, and separately, media worktables in the photo booths, as the Free UN Coalition for Access raised to DPI on June 10? The request for media worktable(s) at Security Council stakeout also remaining outstanding.”

  The chief of MALU wrote back that “We have put you on the list of people who have requested a ticket. I am waiting to hear from the organizers how many tickets there will be for the press. There is no mezzanine in the temporary GA for extra seating.”

  But a week late on the eve of Malala Day, as resident correspondents covering the July 11 Security Council meetings on Sudan / South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo were told to stand back and not block photographs of Gordon Brown and his entourage, there was still no word on media access to cover Malala Day and her speech.

  Inner City Press, again on behalf of FUNCA, inquired with UN Media Accreditation Thursday afternoon and was told they still didn't know how many tickets there would be.

  Despite further explanation by FUNCA of how bad the UN will look if it continues to totally exclude the public from the new General Assembly hall in the North Lawn building, and excludes the press from all but a handful of translation-less photo booths during the General Debate in September, both positions were reiterated.

At the UN's noon briefing on July 10, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky.

  We will return to that ongoing issue, and to recent UN reductions in access and even threats to accreditation. But as to Malala Day, after the second inquiry on the afternoon of July 11, there was still no word that evening, nor on the morning of the speech / Day, less than two hours before it's all set to begin.

  Like the exclusion of the press and public from the new General Assembly Hall, and the continuing defense of that despite detailed critique and constructive suggestions from FUNCA, the Free UN Coalition for Access, what does this say about the UN? Watch this site.

Update: After publication of the immedately above UN Media Accreditation & Liaison Unit e-mailed that it:

"will not receive any tickets from the organizers for mezzanine seats to attend Malala Day from 9:30 am to 11:30 am in the Trusteeship Council. For any inquiries, contact Justin van Fleet justin [at] educationenvoy.org or Mara Sirbu mara [at]aworldatschool.org"

   This means that if you followed the directions of UN DPI a week ago -- to write to MALU to access -- you were left until two hours before the event and then told to contact Gordon Brown's flacks.

WORSE: Gordon Brown's wife's charity, which didn't answer. Transcribing Malala's speech from the hall outside the Trusteeship Council Chamber, there was loud hammering and a tour group. The 2013 president of the UN's partner UNCA, Pamela Falk of CBS, was seen inside the TCC by an eagle-eyed FUNCA member; the UN's partner, predictable, did not complain of how (other) media was excluded. It's an Alliance. 

Again, what does this say about the UN?