Donors Ask for UN Jobs, America Owns Some, UNHCR Deputy Johnstone Says

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1hcrjohnstone042208.html

UNITED NATIONS, April 22 -- Donor countries ask for jobs, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees L. Craig Johnstone told Inner City Press on Tuesday. In the last week alone, he said, three countries have lobbied him for more representation based on the money they give. "I would cast an eye toward trying to help a country out," Johnstone said.

Following Inner City Press' reporting on UNHCR's agreement with the United States to aim to hire 13% of its professional staff from the U.S., UNHCR's spokesman stopped responding to questions, including about the agency's lack of insurance for those working for it in Algiers, impacted by the December 11, 2007 bombing there. Even without a stonewall from UNHCR, Inner City Press published that story, and one on staff dissatisfaction within the agency. Johnstone came for a 45 minute interview, to clear the air.

Johnstone's selection as Deputy High Commissioner is explained by some close observers as a deal in which the Europeans supported his candidacy in exchange for UNHCR directing its out-posting of jobs not to Asia but to Eastern Europe. Simultaneous with Johnstone beginning at the number two UNHCR post, the agency announced the awarding to Budapest of back-office jobs moved from Geneva.

Johnstone pointed out that the U.S. essentially owns the Deputy High Commissioner slot. He said that High Commissioner Gutteres reserved the right to go outside the selection process if he was not satisfied with the result. "To be perfectly frank," Johnstone told Inner City Press, "I got added to the list to make sure that wouldn't happen."

On a secondary theory, that PriceWaterhouseCoopers was given the job of choosing or recommending the out-posting city in exchange for contributions, Johnstone said, "Ask Wendy," Chamberlin, his predecessor.

Inner City Press asked why Africa hadn't even been one of the four locations considered . (The others were Bucharest, Chennai and Kuala Lumpur.) "Is Africa the right place to establish a procurement center?" Johnstone asked. "A payroll center? What are the capability of the local people to carry out the functions?"

He said that Hungary gave a building free of change. "Did that help? Of course." But is this who the UN should do business, if the result if the exclusion of Africa?

A former UN envoy to the DR Congo, William Lacy Swing, is the U.S. candidate to take over as head of the International Organization on Migration. Johnstone asked, Has his battle with Brunson McKinley been resolved? He said, "to be perfectly frank," that those casting secret ballot in the IOM election need to "think carefully" about not having an American head up an agency of which the U.S. is the major funder. And so we've come full circle.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1hcrjohnstone042208.html

UN Refugee Agency Makes Deals with Donors for Jobs and Contracts, Non-Answers including on Safety

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1unhcr032508.html

UNITED NATIONS, March 25 -- The UN's refugee agency has been accused of doling out jobs and contracts under agreements with certain donor countries which violate the UN Charter and applicable rules. The allegation was made publicly in Rome last week at a High Level Committee on Management that "UNHCR has signed with a donor government an agreement which contains a clause that requires UNHCR to increase the percentage of the nationals of that donor country to 13% of all Professional staff [and increase access to procurement opportunities]. Such a clause is clearly contrary to Article 101 of the Charter and simply undermines all the principles of international civil service."

Four days ago, Inner City Press requested comment from UNHCR's two lead spokespeople, and its representative in New York, without response. The details of UNHCR's arrangements are more damning than the above-quoted, or the underlying Board of Auditors report, A/AC.96/1025, which noted

"the agreement with the United States of America required UNHCR to increase the percentage of its American staff to 13 per cent of all Professional staff and to provide equitable access to procurement opportunities for American suppliers. UNHCR has signed a similar agreement with Denmark. Such clauses are contrary to Article 101 of the Charter of the United Nations, United Nations Financial Regulation 3.11 and article 3.1 of the Financial Rules for Voluntary Funds administered by the High Commissioner for Refugees."

Given this Board of Auditors finding, one would expect UNHCR's spokespeople to have a response. But no. And so, further detail: after the agreement with the biggest donor, the U.S., had been signed, other donors who knew about it started asking questions. Subsequently the agreement with Denmark was signed. But as the news of these agreements spread, Ambassadors or their envoys began paying visits to the Former High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers, who resigned amidst a sexual harassment scandal, and since then and the current High Commissioner Antonio Guterres to appoint their nationals too.

In order to do so, the High Commissioner and/or the Deputy High Commissioner Craig Johnston had to act in the aforementioned breach of the organization's rules on recruitment and posting. Many staff were so appointed including to key positions such as the Head of the Investigation Unit in UNHCR's Inspector General's Office, IGO. Although a qualified internal candidate was identified through an elaborate selection procedure established by the IGO, including an interview panel, written tests and the like, and a formal review by the Appointment, Postings and Promotions Board (APPB), the former Deputy High Commissioner Wendy Chamberlin, an American who was at that time acting High Commissioner following Lubbers resignation, decided to externally recruit a male external candidate, American Michael Dudley, who reportedly did not meet the published minimum requirements for the P-5 post, citing the higher interests of the organization -- seemingly, a reference to the 13% agreement with the U.S..

More recently, current DHC Craig Johnston reportedly violated the established procedures for the selection of the UNHCR Mediator and appointed in September 2007 a staff member of his choice, Eddie Gedalof, after which the Inspector General (IG) Kofi Asomani then tried to oppose the recruitment of an under-qualified Head of Investigation Unit but to no avail. The Head of the Investigation Unit Michael Dudley was reportedly then transferred in or about December 2007 to a position in OIOS and that important post in UNHCR is currently vacant.

Looking forward, a similar scenario is expected by insiders to happen with regard to the filling of the newly created D-1 post of Director of Ethics at UNHCR. Currently, a junior P-4 is appointed to the post of Ethics Officer, Jane Rasmussen, and is reporting to the Head of Policy Unit within the Division of Human Resources Management. UNHCR may belatedly purport to comply with the Secretary-General's already weak bulletin on whistleblower protection - in the above-mentioned way.

Inner City Press submitted questions about the above, and also about safety and security and other matters, to three separate spokespeople within UNHCR, without response. Watch this site for updates.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1unhcr032508.html