UN Budget Panel Chair Won by Mexico Over UK "Spy," Moon Ties Gabon for Vice

By Matthew Russell Lee

 

UNITED NATIONS, November 19, updated -- In the UN's Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, a new chairperson was elected on November 21: Carlos Ruiz Massieu of Mexico.

  He won 9-7 over the UK's Robert Moon. Ever classy, the UK Mission tweeted its congratulations. Later a UK spokesman added, "The UK always supports those we believe to be the best candidates for the job. We have a rigorous selection process for selecting all UK candidates."

   After that first vote, Moon ran for Vice Chair, tying 7-7 with the member from Gabon.

  As Inner City Press reported on November 19, multiple sources have exclusively detailed to it how UK Permanent Representative Mark Lyall Grant was calling his counterparts of the native countries of other ACABQ members, lobbying for this Moon, has been on ACABQ since January 2011.

  It's said that such lobbying for ACABQ is standard practice. There is a question of principle here: if it is argued that ACABQ members and chairpersons do not represent their countries, how much lobbying by their country to get the position is appropriate?

  Since vice chairs like Carlos Ruiz Massieu often move up to chair, Moon's seven votes in the first round show efficacy of Lyall Grant's and the UK's lobbying. But the second round tie?

  The UK notes, Moon was  on the "GA's Fifth Committee from 1999 to 2003; and then moved to the ACABQ, leaving at the end of 2004. He has been a member of the Committee on Contributions since 2005."

   Opponents of Richard Moon becoming chair - and they do exist -- have made much of a website listing the UK's overseas spies which lists a "Richard John Moon: dob 1959; 85 Jakarta, 93 Rome, 99 New" York. These do line up with Moon's c.v. on the UK Mission web site.

  In fairness even if true there is a lot of back and forth between diplomatic and intelligence service: witness not only Sir John Sawers but many other switches, in both directions, in the Permanent Five members of the Security Council and beyond.

  And we now note, in terms of the "spy" list's credibility or lack thereof, the UK Mission spokesperson until November 2010 is listed: "2004 Kabul, 2007 Ankara. 5. Cross, Harriett Victoria Saltonstall."

  Regardless, some have told Inner City Press they find the UK's lobbying inappropriate, either because ACABQ members are supposed to serve in their personal capacities only -- yeah, right -- or because a Permanent Five member of the Security Council should also chair the ACABQ.

  Of course, the American Susan McLurg previously chaired the ACABQ. But perhaps pushback at the P5 is only growing, as reflected by the recent passage of the resolution requiring Ban Ki-moon to be more transparent on how the P5's Special Political Missions are decided on and funded.

  On the other hand, there was a competing and devious theory that the Secretariat, represented by chef de cabinet Susana Malcorra of Argentina, reached out to Kelapile to see if he would use his position to support Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's "mobility" proposal.

  Once rebuffed, the theory goes, Malcorra "got GRULAC," the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, to support Kelapile's ouster, assuming that the vice chair, Carlos Ruiz Massieu of Mexico, an expert on issues ranging from Darfur to the Capital Master Plan, would assume the top stop and be more amenable.

 
    This theory has been directly denied, as well as any pre-existing support of Ban's mobility proposal, which we will be following. Watch this site.

At UN, Politics Pollute Budget Advisory Post, Sources Say, of ACABQ and Revolving Doors

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un4acabq093009.html

UNITED NATIONS, September 30 -- In a switch that may more accurately reflect the UN than the speeches given here in the past week, political pressure has resulted in steering a top UN budget advisory job away from a Thai citizen who came in first place in the interviews.

The executive secretary position in the UN's Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions or ACABQ has been open since it was vacate by Mark Gilpin. Of the applicants, the first place finisher was Dennis Thatchaichawalit of Thailand, currently serving as a Chief of Service at the D-1 level in the UN's Program Planning and Budget Division.

But well placed sources tell Inner City Press that the Under Secretary General of the ACABQ, Susan McLurg of the United States, intervened to move up the third place finisher, Shari Klugman, currently a D-1 in the Ted Turner financed UN Fund for International Partnerships.

The Secretary General's office on the 38th floor, sources say, gave its blessing to this legerdemain. Members of the ACABQ, many of whom know the UN well from previous service for their countries on the Fifth (Budget) Committee, are grumbling about what they call corruption. A senior UN official who Inner City Press asked about switch shrugged and said, "That's how the UN works."

Inner City Press telephoned Ms. Klugman on September 30 and she genially confirmed that she begins as executive secretary of ACABQ on October 1. Inner City Press then asked UN Spokesperson Michele Montas about the hiring. Ms. Montas did not answer, saying it is a "General Assembly matter." But sources say that the Secretariat had not only the normal, but an abnormal, role in the selection of Ms. Klugman, and bypassing of Mr. Thatchaichawalit, who had been rated higher. If the Secretariat provides any further information, it will be published on this site.

See Inner City Press' previous ACABQ stories: 1st 2nd 3rd

The ACABQ is one of the few bodies which can oversee the UN that is quasi independent. When even the ACABQ staffing is politicized, in a fashion some participants in the selection process call open, there is no oversight at all.

Inner City Press previously interviewed and profiled Ms. McLurg's predecessor Rajat Saha, on his views of the need for reform of the ACABQ. After the interview and Saha's return to India, Inner City Press learned that before he left, he got his daughter a UN staff job.

The ACABQ reviews and opines on UN Secretariat budget proposals, among other things. If its officials can be influenced or appear to be influences by job offers to themselves or family members, the oversight function is undermined. So too if there are irregularities in the application, interview and rating processes to fill the top staff job.

Footnotes: Inner City Press has had simple request to confirm or deny UN hiring pending with UN spokespeople for weeks now. Longer time UN hands note that Saha's predecessor Vladimir Kuznetsov ended up in jail for impropriety, since sent back to Russia. And beyond ACABQ, the General Assembly's Fifth (Budget) Committee is also a launching pad for jobs with the Secretariat.

Recently, Egypt's representative on the Fifth Committee Hesham Mohamed Eman Afifi was awarded a P-4 post in UN peacekeeping's Department of Field Support. DFS chief Susana Malcorra, who Inner City Press was able to directly ask about the hiring, said it was through the normal process. But should the revolving door between the budget committee, and the agencies whose budgets it votes on, be closed or slowed down? Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un4acabq093009.html