Use in Mali of Child Soldier Recruiter Chad is Up to Ladsous, "Grace Period, Sure," Says Leila Zerrougui, & More on Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Colombia

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 12 -- How could the UN accept and pay a listed child soldier recruiter as part of its peacekeeping mission in Mali?

  On June 12, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's representative on the issue Leila Zerrougui about Chad, and the "grace period" proposed by UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous for its service in the UN's MINUSMA mission in Mali starting July 1.

  "For sure it will be a grace period," Leila Zerrougui said.Video here, in Minute 28.

  Zerrougui said more than that, including on Myanmar and three other countries Inner City Press asked about which have been critical in different ways of her mandate: India, Colombia and Pakistan. 

 But the move by Ladsous to accept Chad, while still listed by the UN as a child soldier recruiter, into the Mali mission may more seriously undermine the UN's Children and Armed Conflict mandate.

  Zerrougui said it is an opportunity, that a road map has been proposed with five short term goals and five long term. The short term goal are beginning to be implemented, she said. But others point out that there has been an Action Plan in place for two years, and still dozens of child soldiers were recruited in 2012.

Shouldn't an Action Plan be complied with? Inner City Press asked that also with respect to Myanmar. Questions on video here, from Minute 24 and 42:57. 

  Zerrougui said that country will be visited by the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict in October. Fine. In the interim, would Ladsous accept Burmese soldiers into his peacekeeping missions?

  On the specifics of how Ladsous proposes a grace period to work, Ban's spokespeople have repeatedly said that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations will answer. But they have yet to provide the update on Ladsous' rape grace period -- or "three strikes and maybe you're out" -- as applied to the 135 rapes by the Congolese Army in Minovathat Inner City Press requested from Ladsous on May 29.

  Then, Ladsous said, "You know I do not respond to you."Video here. Inner City Press re-asked the question to Ban's spokesperson's office on May 30, but still no answer. Is Ladsous in his own grace period?

  On the use of a listed child soldier recruiter in the mission in Mali, there is a deadline: July 1. Zerrougui said this is up to DPKO, and that DPKO will discuss it with the Security Council. This is the UK's month. Watch this site.

Rules Banning Press Workspace at UN Security Council & Free Speech Finalized by UN & Its Censorship Alliance UNCA

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 12 -- The UN on Wednesday morning issued a final Media Access Guideline, with its partner the UN Correspondents' Association, which purports to ban journalists from working at the Security Council stakeout, including having any table to type on, and which attempts to ban free speech for any organization except UNCA. 

   It's the work of the UN and its Censorship Alliance.

  Despite extensive comments and alternatives submitted by the new Free UN Coalition for Access to the top officials of the UN Department of Public Information, the "final" rules state for example that the Security Council stakeout "including the Turkish Lounge, may not be used as a permanent workspace for the media."

  Before the Security Council moved during the Capital Master Plan renovation, and during the relocation, there was a media worktable on which reporters could use laptops while putting questions to diplomats and UN officials as they entered and left the Council.

  This rule, not only agreed to by the UNCA Executive Committee but pushed for by several of its big media members -- more on these anon -- Bans the table that was in place and in use, well, before Ban Ki-moon. 

   It attempts to Ban new media coverage of the Security Council: short pieces written while remaining at the stakeout to speak with diplomats on a range of topics. Who is against that? Some are.

The rule explicitly seeks to favor UNCA and create, in essence, a one-party system. It states:

"Bulletin boards have been provided by DPI to the media for the posting of notices. All notices should be posted only on those bulletin boards. Signs posted on doors are limited to entry restrictions – for example, 'do not disturb' or 'on air.' DPI will provide a name-plate for each accredited media organization."

  But the UN gives UNCA, its partner in censorship, a big office on which it has an "UNCA" sign on the door, and over the door, and a large glassed-in bulletin board -- on which in 2012 it posted for five months a letter denouncing a co-founder of FUNCA. This new anti free speech rule is a new low. More on it to follow.

  On June 11, UNCA held an apparently private briefing -- it did not inform resident correspondents who have chosen not be be members of UNCA about it. 

Why does the UN give UNCA a big space, set it up as a one party system? 

  Because the UNCA Executive Committee, dominated by among others Reuters and Agence France Presse -- which used it to defend the fourth French head of Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous --agrees to, even lobbies for, reductions in press access, and even lobbies, to UN and non UN e-mail addresses of the official behind these rules, to get Press thrown out of the UN.

  But when the UN eliminates all seat for the press and public at the General Assembly Hall in the North Lawn building, UN DPI dissembles that it is not a reduction, and its Censorship Alliance UNCA is silent. FUNCA raised it, and will be raising all of this.

UN Censorship Alliance, UN in decline. Watch this site.

At UN, Measuring Violence in Turkey, Syria, Bahrain & Sri Lanka Is Claimed To Be Value Judgment Free

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 12 -- Can studies of violence be produced that do not make value judgments about which side is to blame? At the UN on Wednesday, just that claim was made regarding the Global Peace Index of the Institute for Economics and Peace.

  Inner City Press asked the panelists, including one from The Economist Intelligence Unit, which casualty figures they used for Syria, and to explain their report's statement that "Bahrain continues to be affected by increasingly violent protests, largely from the country's Shia majority."

  Are the protests violent? Or do the authorities react violently to them? Inner City Press asked the same question about recent events in Turkey, in Taksim Square.

  Panelist Daniel Hyslop, Research Director of Institute for Economics and Peace, responded that the study is not pointing fingers or making value judgment. But isn't it? If one refers to violent protests, it justifies government crackdowns.

On Syria, Hyslop cited IISS and said the figure of 72,900 killed in 2012 was used. What about Benetech, the San Francisco-based, US National Endowment for Democracy funded, contractor given a sole source contract by the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights?

  Inner City Press asked asked about Sri Lanka -- 40,000 killed or how many? -- but that question wasn't answered. Inner City Press asked about the relatively peaceful score assigned to Haiti, while the UN maintains the MINUSTAH mission there. (How deaths CAUSED by a "peacekeeping" mission, in Haiti by introduction of cholera are treated in this Index is another question.)

  Another panelist said Haiti had improved on such categories as terrorism -- really? -- and nuclear weapons. Well that's a plus. The study is thought provoking, but the implicit value judgments it makes, for example about Bahrain and prospectively about Turkey, need to be re-thought. Watch this site.

Footnote: this Global Peace Index press conference was competing with a Security Council meeting about Tribunals, and a session on Culture addressed by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. 

 Inner City Press thanked the panelists on behalf of the new Free UN Coalition for Access -- the old UNCA was nowhere to be seen. Likewise when Ban Ki-moon passed the Security Council stakeout and graciously stopped for a word, the word was "table," as is, the need for a media worktable at the Security Council stakeout as existed before and during the Capital Master Plan relocation -- before Ban Ki-moon's tenure in fact.

The world, the Institute for Economics and Peace said Wednesday, is less peaceful now. And for now, the media have less access and less workspace at the Security Council. Watch this site.

With Sahel Plan of Prodi Delayed, UN's Piper Pitches Country by Country, Nepal PNG Question Remains

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 11 -- The UN's Robert Piper, who only recently was tapped to coordinate humanitarian issues on the Sahel, told Inner City Press on Tuesday he has gotten involved in the long delayed Sahel strategy report that Romano Prodi was put in charge of back in October.

  He said while there is a humanitarian component, Prodi is focused on big picture infrastructure projects. Would that be solar? Uranium like in Niger? Whatever it is, has taken taken too long. And meanwhile Prodi has charged the UN $1,200 to travel between Bologna and Rome.

  Despite this waste, Piper's pitch on Tuesday was to raise funds. Inner City Press asked him, if Cameroon is at 130% of the amount requested for food security, and Niger at only 12%, couldn't the UN shift the month? Video here, from Minute 20:33.

No, was the answer, the appeals are country specific. Piper said that "the money comes in earmarked for particular appeals in almost 100% of the cases... We naturally try to influence the donors to countries falling off the map, and sectors being neglected. But the money comes with a country's name attached and even a sector."

  One might wonder: why? If Piper is the humanitarian coordinator for the Sahel, why don't they do an appeal for the region, and not country by country? Could that be part of Prodi's long delayed strategy?

  On that, Piper said it's "coming to a close," to be "discussed soon in the Security Council." He said, "I have been part of the process in coming into this job."

  Piper, it seems, lost his appeal in or for Nepal: he left amid calls that he be persona non grata-ed. 

  That's not necessarily a bad thing; time did not permit the question, and at the noon briefing that followed, Nesirky did not call on Inner City Press to ask any question. It was abbreviated for the presentation of ICTR prosecutor Jallow. Inner City Press ran out to try to ask a question of UK ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, who did not take it, video here at Minute 5:29, but arrived back in the Press Briefing Room while another was being allowed a second question. But Piper's in the job. Watch this site.

To Rwanda, UN's ICTR Won't Return Archives, No Answer on Dublin-based Mary Robinson's Borello

                                                                                                 By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 11 -- Even as the UN's International Criminal Tribunal on Rwanda brings its work to a close, with several indictees still at large and the FDLR still active in Eastern Congo, the ICTR will not return the archives back to Rwanda.

  Inner City Press asked ICTR prosecutor Hasan Bubacar Jallow why even the "public" archives will not be returned.Video here, from Minute 20:36.

  Jallow said that the confidential archives cannot be given to "any national jurisdiction," due to "potential risk to witnesses." Video here, from Minute 21:28. 

  He said that some of this becomes public in "ten or fifteen or twenty" years, and that national prosecutors can apply to the Residual Mechanism judges to see if they can access the material.

Meanwhile here is what Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky at noon on June 10:

Inner City Press: it’s been reported that a UN paid adviser to Mary Robinson is one Frederico Borello, he was part of the mapping report, but he was also wrote something called Re-making Rwanda, in which from many people’s point of view he expressed a clear view on the issues between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. So is it possible to know whether Mr. Borello has been hired as an adviser to Mary Robinson, [if so] how the hiring was made and what the response would be to the concerns that some in Rwanda are raising?

Spokesperson Nesirky: I’ll check with my colleagues in Political Affairs on that.

  Twenty four hours later, there had still been no answer to the simple question of whether Borello is now on the UN payroll or not, as an adviser to the Dublin-based Mary Robinson.

  And Nesirky did not call on Inner City Press to ask any question at the June 11 noon briefing, abbreviated for the presentation of ICTR prosecutor Jallow. Inner City Press ran out to try to ask a question of UK ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, who did not take it, video here at Minute 5:29, but arrived back in the Press Briefing Room while another was being allowed a second question. Watch this site.

At UN on Sri Lanka, US War Crimes Ambassador Stephen Rapp Says Disappointed on Accountability, Watching As Pillay Set to Visit

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 11 -- When the US Ambassador at Large on War Crimes Issues, Stephen J. Rapp, appeared at the UN on June 11, Inner City Press asked him about accountability for war crimes in Sri Lanka, particularly four years ago in 2009. Video here from Minute 21:11.

  Rapp said that the US sponsored two resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2012 and March 2013 which "express our disappointment that provisions of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission haven't been implemented, in regard reconciliation... between Tamil and major communities in Sri Lanka and particular disappointment on accountability for the alleged grave atrocities near the end of the conflict on both sides."

  With UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay now scheduled to visit Sri Lanka, Rapp said that the most recent resolution invites Pillay "and the Special Rapporteurs to work with" Sri Lanka's Rapapaksa government "to overcome these deficits."

  Rapp said the US will be "watching that very carefully" to decide what steps are necessary. Video here from Minute 22:57.

  Inner City Press has begun inquiring with Indian diplomats at the UN about the possible appointment by Manmohan Singh of a special envoy on devolution in Sri Lanka, based on India's role in the 13th Amendment in 1987. We hope to have more on this soon. Watch this site.

As US (Samantha) Power Nears UN,CFR's Haass Spins "Responsibility to Respond," Nothing on Sri Lanka, Sudan or Subprime

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 10 -- Twelve stories about the UN Monday night, Council on Foreign Relations president Richard Haass doggedly urged that US foreign policy pivot from the Middle East to Asia. 

  But what about Africa? What about human rights and anti-genocide, the calling card of US President Obama's nominee for US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power? Video here.

  Those were the questions Inner City Press asked Haass, before the session at the International Peace Institute ends so he could sell and sign copies of his book, "Foreign Policy Begins at Home."

  Haass answered that while "humanitarian intervention" could be be one element of foreign policy, "others take priority." He said that the Responsibility to Protect, announced at the UN "eight years ago," could not pass today and said he had "one word -- Syria." (Actually, the word should be Libya.)

  He said he is "not an expert" on Africa - but even on Asia, on which Inner City Press asked about Sri Lanka and Myanmar, he did not answer.

  Referring to his book, he said he'd coined a replacement for R2P -- the "Responsibility to Respond." This seemed more than a little circular. But it was time to sell and sign books.

  Afterward a well placed attendee put Haass in context in this way: he replaced Leslie Gelb at CFR as as something of an acceptable Republican, one who had quietly been opposed to the invasion of Iraq and could not abide the "yahoos" working with Bush II.

  Now it seems Haass is more interested in US domestic politics, specifically "entitlements." It seems a strange focus for the head of the Council on FOREIGN Relations -- but then again, Haass has been there ten years. Perhaps it's time to more on. 

  He joked that he was in the "next generation" of Bush I advisers, after James Baker - and that he'd join any movement in which he could be the next generation. Just as he said "one word -- Syria," here's one acronym: AARP.

  There were other jokes to begin the program: moderator Warren Hoge called Haass the rare Republican on Martha's Vineyard, and recalled Haass praising a butterfly leg of lamb, but writing off the praise to diplomacy. Haass revisited the praise on Monday night, saying it was in fact pretty good (adding that he is now a vegetarian. Ba-dum-dum.)

  Other questions ranged from hand-wringing about the Decline of the West, or only of the United States, to asking why Haass cares so little for the Middle East. (He predicted a "dark time," but opined that Russia's involvement in Syria is nothing like the "Great Game" going on in Asia.)

  Earlier on Monday, Inner City Press wrote about Haass dismissal of Edward Snowden as "not a whistleblower." When asked by an earlier questioner about matters cyber, Haass called Snowden "reprehensible." We couldn't disagree more -click here.

  We'll close with this: if Haass is so focused on domestic US policies, his analysis of the decline in US growth will have to take into account the subprime meltdown beginning 2008. What have been the foreign policy implications of the harm the US inflicted globally through predatory lending? But that's another book, or series of stories. Watch this site.

As UN Bans Press From Back of General Assembly, Ignores Past as on UNSC, Still Murky Rules Final on June 11?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 10 -- As the UN reduces media access it is not even honest about it. There is the pending, at least until tomorrow, matter of eliminating the media worktable that existed in front of the Security Council before and during the relocation for the $2 billion Capital Master Plan renovation.

   And now there is the elimination of seats from the press and public in back or upper deck of the General Assembly Hall.

   For the new relocation of the General Assembly to the UN's North Lawn building, now the only way journalists can cover it is in a few photo booths: there are no other press seats. 

  But in an e-mail Monday evening to Inner City Press, which protested on behalf of the new Free UN Coalition for Access, the UN claims that this is "exactly the same manner as in the permanent facility."

  That is false, as it ignores the press seats in the back upper desk of the "permanent facility," just as the UN's response on the Security Council was false, ignoring that a media table was in use well before the relocation.

  With these, to be diplomatic, factual disagreements, how can the UN Department of Public Information now be prepared to finalize a disputed set of Media Access Guidelines on June 11? 

  But that is what DPI, in its e-mail response to Inner City Press and FUNCA after close of business on June 10 said it is going to do.

   After being turned away from even the back of the room of the temporary General Assembly Hall on June 10, Inner City Press wrote to the three highest DPI officials in part that:

On behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access, the trigger for this communication is the lack of facilities for the media to cover the 'new' General Assembly in the North Lawn building. We hope this is useful. This afternoon I came to cover the (open) General Assembly meeting on HIV/AIDS, UNCTAD, Fifth Committee and other matters. I was not allowed to enter the combined former ECOSOC and Conference Room; a Security Officer told me to 'call DPI.' It was explained to me that the ONLY way for the media to cover the new GA is from a small number of booths above the GA floor.

Clearly, this lack of media space will not suffice for future GA meetings, particularly but not only during General Debate week. On behalf of FUNCA, this is a request that media access be expanded to include back of the GA hall, more booths, more access.

I also note that in the media booths, at least on the former ECOSOC / East River side, there were no tables in in the two booths, and only one chair in each. Even to upload photographs via laptops, tables should be there.

This is even more true with regard to the Security Council stakeout. FUNCA is opposed to the currently pending draft media access guidelines, and urges that it not be finalized until this issue is resolved.

We wish to emphasize again: for particular parts of the UN press corps (that we have explained) and also specifically for new media coverage of the UNSC, which involves speaking with diplomats about a range of issues and producing a number of shorter pieces while still taking in new information, workspace -- at least a table or surface to type on -- at the UNSC is imperative. It harms no one, and it should not be allowed to be blocked.

Without for now getting back into the propriety of the UN automatically giving the first question to UNCA, which does not represent all correspondents and which, significantly on this question, charges dues (leading to a situation in which, for the payment of money, one class of correspondents is formally given precedent over other, non money paying correspondents), FUNCA wishes to state in advance that the installation of an "UNCA" sign on any seat would be inappropriate, particularly in light of the pending rule purporting to ban the posting of the name of alternative organizations even on journalist's doors. (That is unacceptable).

  After 6 pm, UN DPI official Stephane Dujarric -- we've been asked not to personalize, and so here have not -- wrote back that:

From: Stephane Dujarric [at] un.org
Subject: Re: FUNCA inquiry on UNGA media access, options for media workspace at UNSC, thanks
To: FUNCA [at] funca.info; Cc's
Date: Mon, Jun 10, 2013 at 6:07 PM

Dear Matthew, Thanks for your email. Because of the renovation of the GA hall, the meetings of the General Assembly have been temporarily moved to a large conference room in the North Lawn Building.

Journalists wanting to cover meetings of the General Assembly in the temporary hall will do so in exactly the same manner as in the permanent facility. That means that you can either watch the meetings from a booth if you are taking pictures or video taping it, or you can follow the meeting on the webcast from your office or your laptop. Journalists were not allowed on the floor of the General Assembly hall in the permanent facility during official meetings and that will be the case in the North Lawn Building temporary GA Hall.

As to the size of the booths and the number of booths in the temporary GA Hall, while we can not increase the size nor the number we will look into the issue of furniture.

On the guidelines, we plan to issue them tomorrow. As you will see, some of your suggestions have informed the final content of the document.

Stephane Dujarric (Mr.), Director
News & Media Division | Department of Public Information
United Nations Headquarters | New York, NY, 10017

  Again, we've been asked not to personalize, and so here have not. But will the rules alluded to try to ban the signs of one organization but not another? Watch this site.

Through UN PRISM, Snowden UNprotected as Whistleblower, Of Ban's Host Country, CFR's Haass & Negroponte

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 10 -- Attacks on whistleblower Edward Snowden have begun, some expected and some not. Monday at the Council on Foreign Relations, former US Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte said he hopes Snowden "will be punished." Dog bites man.

But the head of CFR, Richard Haass, said that Snowden isnot even a whistleblower, based on a definition and argument that what he has exposed is not illegal. Man bites dog?

  This a narrow definition of whistleblower whose use by the United Nations Inner City Press has previously covered. Given a lack of legal protections in the UN whistleblowers approaching Inner City Press usually need total anonymity. UN peacekeepers, for example, are afforded no protections at all by the UN.

  In the case of the whistleblower for and about the UN Development Program in North Korea, UNDP argued that he was no whistleblower at all. While after a long fight he was awarded damages, it was for a violation of his due process rights, NOT for the obvious retaliation.

  More recently, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appealed, apparently automatically, the award of damages to whistleblower James Wasserstrom -- an award lower than Wasserstrom's own legal costs.

  At the June 10 UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky, in the context of the US National Security Agency PRISM case, if the UN views Snowden as a whistleblower, compared to its treatment of the North Korea case, and for an update on thereport on UN whistleblower protections commissioned by Ban from a Canadian jurist.

  Nesirky said the update will be provided when ready; he did not squarely answer the Snowden as whistleblower or any PRISM question, even though through PRISM as well as Verizon Wireless and the FISA court, UN officials have also been monitored.

  Would that violate the US' Host Country agreement with the UN? That is a question. But would this UN say anything?

  At the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, a civil society statement was being circulated on Monday, to

"express strong concern over recent revelations of surveillance of internet and telephone communications of US and non-US nationals by the government of the USA and the fact that US authorities makes the results of that surveillance available to other governments such as the UK... These revelations suggest a blatant and systematic disregard for human rights as articulated in Articles 17 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as well as Articles 12 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights... But during this session the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Mr. Frank La Rue, reported (A/HRC/23/40) worrying new trends in state surveillance of communications with serious implications for the exercise of the human rights to privacy and to freedom of opinion and expression."

  Civil society might speak - but will the UN? Haass will be speaking on Monday evening at the International Peace Institute, across from the UN. Watch this site.

As UN Plays Musical Chairs in the Congo, Anti-Rwanda Experts, Mis-Use of Reports at Human Rights Council, Hege

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 10 -- Sometimes the UN plays musical chairs; sometimes it allows post-holders to abuse the system to try to keep their positions and discredit their critics. 

  Sometimes, as in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN is engaged at cross-purposes in both at the same time.

  Today Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky announced that Martin Kobler, Ban's envoy in Iraq, will be moving to Kinshasa to replace Roger Meece as head of the MONUSCO mission there.

  By any objective measure, Meece has been a failure. The DRC slid back into conflict under his tenure; the UN partners with Congolese army units which then engaged in mass rape in Minova.

  Despite a stated zero tolerance and human rights due diligence policy, the UN has not suspended support to these units, the 391st and 41st Battalions. Nor has the UN provided the Minova rape accountability update Inner City Press asked for on May 29 (video here) and May 30.

  Can Kobler do better? Could he do worse? 

  Meanwhile on June 10 at the UN, Inner City Press asked Nesirky to confirm that Ban's Dublin-based Great Lakes envoy Mary Robinson has taken on as an adviser on Frederico Borello, author of several anti-Rwanda articles similar to those of former sanctions Group of Experts coordinator Steve Hege. 

  Nesirky said he would check with the Department of Political Affairs.

  Hege used his final report to take shots at some of those who criticized his objectivity, even naming them in his report. To many that seemed like an abuse.

Footnote: now Hege's pot-shots have been echoed in Geneva, where the Special Rapporteur on Palestine has in his report, debated today in the Human Rights Council, denounced a

"series of defamatory attacks demeaning his character, repeatedly distorting his views on potentially inflammatory issues. This smear campaign has been carried out in numerous settings, including at the Human Rights Council, as well as university venues where the Special Rapporteur gives lectures in his personal capacity on subjects unrelated to the mandate. The lobby groups’ smears have been sent to diplomats and United Nations officials, including the Secretary-General, who has apparently accepted the allegations at face value, issuing public criticism of the Special Rapporteur."

  Should a UN Special Rapporteur, even if (mis) described as "honorary," or the coordinator of a sanctions Group of Experts, use a UN report to denounce his or her critics, and as here try to get them dis-accredited? The closed-in world of the UN need more, not fewer, voices. Watch this site.

As Climate Change Refugees Flee Carteret Islands, No UN Help Nor Somalia / Kenay Law of the Sea Answer

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 10 -- The UN made much of World Oceans Day, even as three shades of sea were projected on the Empire State Building in New York. But what is the UN doing for people fleeing rising water in the Carteret Islands? Nothing, or nothing yet, Inner City Press was told Monday at the UN.

  There was a press conference including the UN's Senior Legal Adviser on the Law of the Sea Annebeth Rosenboom and an anthropologist, Dr Jenny Newell. Inner City Press asked each of them a question; Newell responded briefing on Nauru but then mentioned the Carteret Islands, people leaving without government support on supply ships.

  Australia does not accept them, does not accept climate change refugees. So Inner City Press asked what the UN is going to help, since it talks so much about these issues, climate change and refugees. The answer was a conference in Samoa -- next year. How many desperate supply ships from now is that?

  On the Somali government's statement last week "calling 'null and void' the Memorandum of Understanding between the TFG Minister of International Cooperation and Kenyan Minister of Foreign Affairs signed in Nairobi on April 7, 2009," the UN's Senior Legal Adviser on the Law of the Sea Annebeth Rosenboom would say only that every "note verbale" is put on the UN's website.

  Inner City Press has closely covered the issue, including a previous statement by the UN -- after being involved in the MOU - that is was "not actionable." Inner City Press asked if last week's Somali government statement is deemed as note verbale. No, is the answer. We hope to have more on this.

Footnote: this was the first briefing in the UN's new Press Briefing Room. Despite questions that have arisen about the propriety of the UN automatically giving the first question to members of the UN Correspondents Association who pay money for the privilege, UNCA's 2013 president Pamela Falk of CBS took the first question, "on behalf of UNCA."

  So Inner City Press thanked the panelists on behalf of the new Free UN Coalition for Access, and tried to push Ms Rosenboom to offer some answer on her and the UN's role on the Law of the Sea, with respect to the deal with Kenya about Somalia the UN brokered. 

  To say that a background briefing last week was the place to ask this question -- background meaning not quoting anyone by name -- is not sufficient. FUNCA will be pushing on this.