UNITED NATIONS, August 28 -- The UN says it is doing its all for Small Island Developing States, that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will convene a meeting of the UN's Chief Executives Board on Samoa in early September.
But will climate change refugees be on the agenda? Apparently not.
On August 28, Inner City Press asked the Permanent Representative of Vanuatu, as well as his co-panelist from the UN Development Program, for their positions on environmental refugees. UNDP apparently has no position; Vanuatu's Odo Tevi called it sensitive and said there is no solution in sight.
Inner City Press is informed the concept is not in the outcome document for the Samoa meeting. At this Third International Conference on SIDS there, one of the topics is “debt sustainability.” But what is the UN system doing about that?
On this, UNDP's Deputy Director for the Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, Nicholas Rosellini, said debt is a bigger problem in the Caribbean than in the Pacific. Vanuatu's Odo Tevi said that given "new models" coming up, it would be good to be cautious. We don't hear enough from Vanuatu, so Odo Tevi's comments were appreciated.
Because UNDP has declined to directly answer questions about the layoffs planned under Administrator Helen Clark, despite extensive complaints from staff unions, to endeavor to understand the specifics of the cuts Inner City Press asked Rosellini how UNDP's research would be impacted.
Rosellini said UNDP has three centers in the Pacific, and cited one in Suva which will continue as-is. The same was previously said about UNDP's Human Development Report arm. So where are the cuts?
Recently UNDP refused to answer simple Inner City Press questions about irregularities in programs it adminsters in Afghanistan, then only answered after two weeks, following Inner City Press questions at a half dozen UN noon briefings. With this type of stonewalling, with no end in sight, the questions must continue.
By contrast, even the International Monetary Fund answers questions -- for example, Inner City Press' question on ebola on August 28, here. The IMF is sending Min Zhu to Samoa: we'll have more on this.
On Gaza, Inner City Press on July 24 asked the International Monetary Fund for its estimate of the economic impact of the conflict in both Gaza and Israel, including specifically with the FAA and now Delta and other airlines' decisions on access to Ben Gurion Airport.
IMF Deputy Spokesperson William Murray read out Inner City Press' Gaza question (and others from Inner City Press on Ukraine and Liberia) at the IMF's embargoed briefing on July 24. On Gaza, the IMF's Murray answered Inner City Press:
“With the conflict ongoing, it is too soon to make an accurate assessment of the impact, which will depend on the conflict's duration. Post-conflict reconstruction poses risk to Palestinian Authority finances absent additional donor financing. The Palestinian Authority does not have fiscal room to take on this additional burden.”
On Israel, after noting that he saw news of renewed access to Ben Gurion Airport, Murray answered Inner City Press:
“As for Israel, Israel financial market have remained stable, with shekel steadily appreciating, the Tel Aviv 100 has been little changed in past two weeks. The cost of the conflict of past two weeks, point two percent of GDP... The impact on economic activity, tourism and SMEs in southern Israel has already been felt. A further deceleration of GDP growth could be likely in 3d quarter. Once conflict ends we expect growth in Israel to rebound relative quickly.”
A tale of two economies, you might call it. Watch this site.
UNITED NATIONS, March 12 -- New / old UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric refused to answer before noon any single one of a set of simple questions e-mailed to him on the morning of March 12, saying "we are working on the briefing and will not be in a position to answer before noon."
These were the questions asked by Inner City Press, followed by the 3:42 pm responses:
-On South Sudan, what is the UN's response to NGO Rally for Peace and Democracy critique of worsening conditions in UNMISS camps, specifically that "most of IDPs reported that their food security situation in the camps is deteriorating further and that their repeated complaints are falling on deaf ears... Domestic flies, mosquitoes and cockroaches infest the camp dwellings as the rainy season almost approaching. This has driven fear for reason of high morbidity and fatality caseloads of bacterial diseases – bloody and watery diarrhea (dysentery), malaria, typhoid, pneumonia and warm infestations."
-As requested in person at the March 10 noon briefing, please confirm or deny that Haiti cholera court papers were taped to the door of the Secretary General's residence on or around January 20; please state not only the title (inserted into the transcript) but the current terms of reference, mandate and pay scale of Mr. Iqbal Riza, and confirm that Augustine Mahiga has been paid as a USG since June 2013. What lessons has he conveyed to Nicholas Kay? Has Margaret Vogt conveyed lessons to Babacar Gaye?
Relatedly, please state the current terms of reference, mandate and pay scale of Mr. Joseph V. Reed, and state how many days Terje Roed Larsen has worked on his mandate, where (Bahrain?) and at what level of compensation.
- on behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access, asking why the Secretary General's photo op with NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio, in his daily scheduled, has not been listed in the UN Media Alert.
-Please state why the Secretariat has declined to recognize (or give work-release to) those who garnered the most votes in the December election, and state who the Secretariat recognizes as the Staff Union at this time.
Please email answers as soon as they become available, as requested, before noon (several of these questions were asked on March 10). Thank you.
Tellingly, even when responses came, they did not MENTION Mahiga or Margaret Vogt, much less Joseph V. Reed or Terje Roed Larsen; because Ban's meeting was canceled, why it was not listed in the day's UN Media Alert, a longstanding request to Dujarric by theFree UN Coalition for Access, was not answered. Here's what Dujarric's office sent:
Subject: Your emailed questions
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply un.org Date: Wed, Mar 12, 2014 at 3:42 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
Cc: Stephane Dujarric [at] un.org
Regarding your emailed questions, the Spokesperson read the following on the conditions at an UNMISS camp at today's noon briefing:
"Moving on South to South Sudan, as we told you on Monday, heavy rains in Juba have damaged tents at the Tomping compound.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that it has exacerbated already difficult living conditions. Aid agencies responded with measures to improve drainage and shelters in the site, and will assist people to move to plots in the UN House base later this week.
The UN Mission also says that it is finding ways to improve conditions by trying to extend current sites and is building new ones. Our humanitarian colleagues further says that displaced communities and the aid agencies supporting them expect to face similar challenges in several sites once the rainy season starts in earnest in April."
On your question on Haiti, the Spokesperson has repeatedly said that we would not be able to comment on claims against the Organisation, as per standard legal practice.
On your question on different special advisers, the Spokesperson provided an answer at the noon briefing two days ago. In addition to what was said then, we can add that Iqbal Riza is a Special Adviser, who has advised the Secretary-General on the Alliance of Civilizations, among other topics.
The meeting with Mayor di Blasio was postponed, following the building collapse in Manhattan today.
We have no comment on the question on staff representation in New York.
Confirming that legal papers were taped to the door of Ban Ki-moon's residence is not commenting on a legal case. In fact, refusing to discuss the service of papers is another way for Ban's UN to try to dodge the cases, and its responsibility.
The answer on March 10 on Mahiga called nine months of pay a short time; of the written questions, Vogt, Reed and Roed Larsen are not mentioned. This is a complete lack of transparency about high UN officials - and about money. This is the UN.
Tellingly, some in the press briefing room applauded before Dujarric even said a word. He read a statement for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about "The Ukraine."
On the case against the UN for bringing cholera to Haiti, Inner City Press asked Dujarric to confirm that the court papers were taped to the door of Ban's residence on January. Dujarric declined to confirm - or deny - this.Video on Haiti (and Sri Lanka) here.
As it did days ago, Inner City Press asked for the status of selecting Dujarric's replacement as head of the News and Media Division, in charge of UN media accreditation. No answer has been given about this status. This is of concern.
A flier the Free UN Coalition for Access posted on this topic, on the "non-UNCA" bulletin board it advocated for, was torn down on March 7. At a second briefing, by the CTBTO, on March 10 Dujarric called first on UNCA, then on others.
When Inner City Press thanked CTBTO's Zerbo on behalf of FUNCA - the point is, there cannot be only one organization given UNCA's track record of attempted censorship and even more now with Dujarric's history with them -- Dujarric tried to move on (back to UNCA) before the related question on France's nuclear tests in the Pacific was answered.
It is a new era, requiring a new approach.
Two years ago Dujarric was re-introduced to UN journalist as the chief of the News & Media Division, in a reception in what the UN called "UNCA Square." And then the censorship attempts began.
A journalist for Iranian TV, found to have a rubber gun which was a prop in an independent film he was working on, had his UN accreditation revoked, permanently. Dujarric was in charge of Media Accreditation, and Inner City Press asked him for a justification of this "one strike and you're out policy." No answer was ever provided by Dujarric.
Also in his Media Accreditation role, Dujarric chastised Inner City Press for daring to go stand outside and try to cover a meeting of Ban's Senior Advisory Group on Peacekeeping Operations, which included controversial Sri Lankan military figure Shavendra Silva. After the Sri Lankan government directed a complaint letter to the aforementioned UNCA, Inner City Press was told it could not cover the meetings.
Inner City Press, then on the board of UNCA, was not notified when the organization's then president agreed to screen a Sri Lankan government film denying war crimes. After it published an article noting that the UNCA president had in the past rented one of his apartments to Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN, demands were made that Inner City Press remove the article from the Internet.
UNCA took to sending copies of correspondence to Dujarric, about articles Inner City Press had written about officials and diplomats of Dujarric's native France. Finally, UNCA first vice president Louis Charbonneau of Reuters sent a complaint against Inner City Press to Dujarric, calling it "for the record."
More recently, Charbonneau has gotten one of his complaints to Dujarric banned from Google's Search, using a filing under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act -- straight up censorship. What does Dujarric say?
In fact, Dujarric solicited complaints against Inner City Press from otherbig-mediaUNCAboard members, through a private, including through non-UN email address. Freedom of Information Act responses show thatUNCA board members met with "the UN" to request that Inner City Press be thrown out. Once Inner City Press published some of these, Dujarric on June 29, 2012 asked to meet Inner City Press.
Dujarric told Inner City Press not to refer to Ban Ki-moon as "Wan Ki-moon" and not to refer to Herve Ladsous, the fourth Frenchman in a row atop UN Peacekeeping, as The Drone despite Ladsous proposing the UN's first use of drones and refusing to answer Press questions about it.
Criticism of stories, coverage and even tweets is fine -- but when done by an official in charge of accreditation, and even tied to accreditation, we call it what it is: censorship.
Disgusted, Inner City Press and another long time correspondent from Brazil founded the Free UN Coalition for Access as an alternative to the insider UNCA, which did not for example offer any defense to the cameraman thrown out for the rubber gun. (Reuters' Charbonneau, in fact, wrote a story playing up the Iranian angle.)
When Dujarric's Accreditation Unit led a raid on Inner City Press' office, photos from which quickly appeared on BuzzFeed, Dujarric denied any role in giving out the photos. But the published photos are identical to the ones his unit took that day.
Since the letter with the false "off the record" claim, the raid and photos and attempt to censor tweets, there has been very little contact (though there was an attempt to essentially ban FUNCA, another limitation on freedom of association, speech and press). FUNCA has continued, working with UN-focused journalists not only in New York but as far afield as Somaliland and Colombia.
Now Stephane "The Censor" Dujarric is the spokesperson. Can he use this position to pursue the censorship he's sought for the past two years? FUNCA opposes it, and says these questions must be answered. Watch this site.
UNITED NATIONS, December 30 -- Just after the gunfire in Kinshasa, the spokesperson for Joseph Kabila's government Lambert Mende called it a "terrorist attack."
But twelve hours later, the UN Security Council under its French presidency had not issues any press statement, as it routinely does for terrorist attacks and an attempted coup d'etat.
Inner City Press asked Herve Ladsous, the fourth French head of UN Peacekeeping in a row, if after this attempted coup or terrorist attack it still made since to move a battalion of UN peacekeepers out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Ladsous, who as France's Deputy Permanent Representative in 1994 argued for the escape of genocidaires from Rwanda into Eastern Congo, replied, "I do not answer you Mister." UN video here from Minute 4:34; Inner City Press YouTube video here.
Later on December 30, even the French government owned France 24 channel reported that DRC soldiers had looted people's houses near the Army headquarters in Kinshasa.
Inner City Press reported this, citing France 24 -- but Kabila defenders rejected it, blaming Rwanda even for this. Call it, dysfunction. And as to Ladous, call it FrancAfrique.
The question remains: will France, which holds the UN Security Council "pen" on the DRC and controlled the Council's recent trip there now draft a Council press statement on the chaos?
For a week since Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced that he would move peacekeepers and "assets" including attack helicopters from DRC, Darfur, Abyei, Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire to South Sudan, Inner City Press has asked Ban's spokesperson Martin Nesirky about any UN analysis or recognition of the potential impacts on the places the peacekeepers would be removed from.
Mende's use of the word "terrorist" has significance: the Security Council routinely issues fast press statements condemning terrorist attacks. (See yesterday's Inner City Press story here.) So will France propose a press statement now on the DRC? And will it address, as the UN Secretariat hasn't, the pull out of a battalion from MONUSCO at this time? Watch this site.
Footnote: Meanwhile for hours after what Mende called the "terrorist attack," nothing has been heard from the UN's envoy to the DRC Martin Kobler. One wag wondered if Kobler was "pulling a Hilde Johnson" -- the UN's envoy in South Sudan said little in the days after the fighting and killing in Juba. Is Kobler now as aligned with Kabila as Johnson is with Salva Kiir?
The UN spends most of its multi-billion dollar budget in Africa, but the Continent gets dropped like a hot potato (or yam) the moment Ban Ki-moon sees a change to be relevant on a more telegenic issue.
On Africa -- DRC and Somalia -- Sri Lanka, access and lack of transparency, Inner City Press submitted some questions to Ban's two top spokespeople at 12:30 pm on Tuesday, a half hour before Ban's short press encounter, including:
1) please provide an update on fighting and any UN / MONUSCO involvement including as supporter in Kibumba or Mabenga or elsewhere in North Kivu.
Veerasan Yogeswaran, who runs the Centre for Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, said five or six plainclothes policemen visited him at midnight and before dawn at his home in Trincomalee, just hours after the meeting with Pillay.
3) please state the status of the UNOPS investigation into complaints about lack of impartiality, sexual harassment etc at UN Mine Action Service and other UN in Mogadishu, and the current status of David Bax. [Redacted for now]
The Free UN Coalition for Access opposes the cancellation of the daily noon briefing, particularly for a short media encounter on a single subject. Other questions, particularly on the DRC and Great Lakes, should be answered.
By the end of the day -- in fact, by 7:30 pm on Tuesday -- only one of the questions had been answered, and thusly:
Subject: Your question on the DRC From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org Date: Tue, Sep 3, 2013 at 3:11 PM To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
Regarding your question on the Democratic Republic of the Congo: The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) reports no major fighting in the past few hours between the M23 and the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) in North Kivu province. The mission is closely monitoring the situation and remain on high alert to protect civilians.
We'll return to this. But what about Sri Lanka? What about Somalia? What about access to Ban, and the faux "UN briefing," etc? Watch this site.
UNITED NATIONS, December 27, updated twice -- The UN, which preaches for rule of law all over the world, it seen by those inside it as wracked with corruption, nepotism and conflict of interest.
Inner City Press receives many such complaints, some of which it asks UN spokespeople about, some of which it publishes.
But of late the spokespeople of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon have simply stopped answering questions, and have even given answers to questions Inner City Press has been asking to other media but not to Inner City Press. (The belated rationale, distinguishing Press questions about the presence of UN personnel in conflict zones from their relocation, doesn't hold water.)
On the morning of December 27, Inner City Press asked Ban's top three spokesmen for an explanation, and for response on deadline to the following questions, including about complaints received about the hiring in the UN system, arranged by Philippe Douste-Blazy, of Ban's youngest daughter:
Please provide the Secretariat's response to the allegation, received by Inner City Press, that "Hyun Hee Ban has been hired without a legitimate selection process by the UN agency UNITAID," that "she has a P3 contract, unlimited duration, NO SELECTION PROCESS;" and that "Philippe Douste-Blazy, chairman of executive board of UNITAID, arranged the deal."
Has she been hired by UNITAID?
Unless no: at what level? What rules or safeguards, including regarding the hiring of family members of high UN system officials, apply? In this context, please describe the recruitment, and any role played by Philippe Douste-Blazy.
Dec 27 - 2 Also on personnel: please deny or confirm / comment on the UN Secretariat's consideration of current ACABQ vice chair Richard Moon of the UK to head OCSS in the Department of Management, specifically what safeguards are in place given the potential for conflict of interest in offering a job to a person ostensibly objectively analyzing the Secretariat's budget and human resources proposals at ACABQ.
Dec 27 - 3 Please state when UN Police Adviser Orler's contract expires or when she is expected to leave, and please deny or confirm / comment that the Secretariat is considering a French replacements despite France already occupying DPKO.*
The occupant at the top spot of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Herve Ladsous, is the fourth Frenchman in a row in the post, and by most accounts by far the worst. On November 27 he refused to answer Press questions about Congolese Army rapes in Minova, thensummoned into the hall a handful of favored media, video here. We will have more on this as well.
* Update: after 5 pm on December 27, one question -- not on UNITAID -- was responded to, thusly:
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org Date: Thu, Dec 27, 2012 at 5:08 PM Subject: Question To: Matthew Russell Lee [at] innercitypress.com On the Police Adviser: DPKO advises that the post of Police Adviser is a rotational post that is filled by active-duty officers on secondment from national service, normally for a limited period. The current Police Adviser has been in service since 2009 and a note verbale has been circulated to seek nominations from member states to the post. The selection process is in progress.
Note on note: It's from the Note Verbale that sources tell Inner City Press that France, despite already controlling, and not well, DPKO wants to grab the Police Adviser post too.
Update of Dec. 28, 7 pm -- still the UN had not answered the question about UNITAID and Hyun Hee Ban, asked more than 30 hours previous. Watch this site.
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 23 --
The day after
UN Peackeeping
boss Herve
Ladsous
refused to
answer
Inner City
Press'
questions
about Kadugli
in South
Kordofan and
deadly attacks
on
peacekeepers
in Darfur, the
UN had no
further
information on
Darfur and
could not
confirm or
deny
the reported
killing of two
children by
shelling in
Kadugli.
Nor
could or would
the UN or
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations say
whether the
six recently
injured
peacekeepers
in Eastern
Congo were
attacked by
the M23 or the
FDLR or Mayi
Mayi militia.
On
October 22,
according to
DPKO's
transcription,
Inner City
Press
asked:
Question
(Matthew
Lee, Inner
City Press): A
question about
Sudan. You
said
that you are
right-sizing
the Darfur
force, but it
seems like
five
peacekeepers
have been
killed there
this month –
first four at
the
beginning of
the month and
then a South
African
recently. And
at
least it seems
that the
attack was
done with
anti-tank guns
and other
very serious
weaponry. What
steps is
UNAMID going
to take to
protect
the
peacekeepers?
And also the
peacekeepers
that you have
in Kadugli
in Southern
Kordofan, I
wanted to know
do they have
any at least
observing
mandate? Can
they, if they
become aware
of fighting or
attacks on
Kadugli? I
heard that you
mentioned in
the Council in
the
South Sudan,
Sudan
briefing, you
mentioned
stuff about
Kadugli, is
that as DPKO
or simply
passing it on
from others?
USG
Ladsous:
Mister, I told
you already
that I would
answer your
questions when
you stop
making
insulting
insinuations
about me.
Thank
you.
Question
(Matthew
Lee, Inner
City Press):
What is
insulting
about these
questions?
Peacekeepers
are dead. Can
you answer the
question?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Moving on.
On
October 23
Inner City
Press asked
Nesirky again
about reports
that
the Darfur
peacekeepers
were attacked
with anti-tank
weapons, to
stop
any
investigation
of human
rights abuses
in Hashaba.
Nesirky still
did not have
the specifics
of the attack,
but said
UNAMID is
committed to
investigating.
But
as Inner City
Press asked,
investigating
WITH the
government?
This is
the type of
question, with
all due
respect, that
Under
Secretary
General
Ladsous is
being paid to
address.
Even
further back,
six Indian
peacekeepers
in the DRC
were injured.
Some
reported said
by the M23
mutineers,
some said by
the FDLR or
Mayi
Mayi militia.
Since
fortunately
they survived
-- as of last
report,
given DPKO's
chief's
communications
strategy, one
never knows --
don't they
have some idea
who attacked
them? Nesirky
said he would
check.
Again, this is
the type of
question, with
all due
respect,
that Under
Secretary
General
Ladsous is
being paid to
address.
