Bachelet Will Leave UN, Return to Chile for Reason Personal - Political?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 15 -- Michele Bachelet announced she will leave the UN and return to Chile for “personal reasons,” widely viewed as political reasons. 

The announcement came past 8 pm on Friday, after the adoption of a compromise outcome document at the Commission on the Status of Women. 

Libya spoke against the gay rights language, the US said it wasn't strong enough. But then Bachelet dropped her news. And Inner City Press tweeted it.

Bachelet has headed UN Women. She had been viewed, without much basis given the UN's sytem of regional rotation and near automatic two terms for Secretaries General, as a possible replacement for Ban Ki-moon.

She was higher profile that Ban's other officials, which include as chief of UN Peacekeeping a French former spokesman, Herve Ladsous, who was rejected by Ban's predecessor for the same post that Ban let him have. France dumped Ladsous on the UN as a last minute replacement for Jerome Bonnafont, without even an interview.

By contrast Bachelet was a former (and perhaps future) head of state. Inner City Press spoke with her not infrequently; she quickly developed knowledge of the UN system including the unions. 

In this she can be contrasted with Ban Ki-moon, who answered Inner City Press' question about opposition to him budget cuts and mobility proposal by called opponents “selfish” then standing behind it. This extends to departments under Ban, interfacing with or casting a pall over the freedom of the press. We'll have more on this. Watch this site.

In UN Commission on the Status of Women, Dueling on Reproductive Health and ICC, Occupation and Media

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 15 -- At the stated deadline for the Commission on the Status of Women talks, on Thursday night countries ranging from Switzerland to Syria, the United States to the African Group, made final proposals on issues ranging from gay and lesbian rights to the International Criminal Court.

  Sources told Inner City Press that the deadline might be extended because of “desperation” to have an outcome document, unlike last CSW.

  But issues like the ICC and gay rights rarely breed consensus in the UN. Inner City Press has obtained and is now putting online the draft, the ICC proposals, and other last minute proposals. 

  These include Switzerland proposing “the Commission urges States to strongly condemn violence against women and girls committed in armed conflict and post-conflict situations.”

  To this, Syria proposes to add “foreign occupation,” i.e.Palestine. Israel and the US are sure to like it.

  The US and South Africa propose that “the Commission recognizes the vulnerability and the serious risk of violence women face because of their ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED sexual orientation and gender identity.”

  Norway is on “sexual and reproductive health.” The EU and Cuba are dueling over what the media should do, and which media. 

   The African Group has an international justice paragraph that, unlike Liechtenstein's and others', does not mention the International Criminal Court. And so it goes at the UN. Watch this site.