Darfur Deal Followed by Bombs, UN Silent, Chad Pollution

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/darfur1deby022610.html

UNITED NATIONS, February 26 -- After Sudan's President al Bashir cut a deal with the Justice and Equality Movement rebels, then began bombing the remaining SLA rebels in South Darfurf, messages of congratulations kept on rolling in. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed, through his spokesman, the JEM and Bashir deal. Inner City Press asked, but what about the bombs continuing to fall upon Darfur? Ban's spokesman had no comment.

Inner City Press asked a permanent five Security Council Ambassador, do you think the deal's a scam? The response first dealt with Chad and Sudan, the Deby - Bashir peace deal that preceded the JEM deal. Maybe they both realized it was in their interest to stop fighting, the Permanent Representative said. Both are facing elections, Bashir in April and Deby after that.

But why is Deby moving to throw out the UN mission? Deby "never wanted it," the Ambassador explained. Deby took offense when it was suggested he wanted the UN out before he cooked his upcoming election. "MINURCAT has no election watching mandate," Deby pointed out, as did his UN Ambassador Allam-mi. A skeptic noted that even if it did, just like Hamid Karzai, Deby need not worry.

Top UN Peacekeeper, Frenchman Alain Le Roy, is in Chad meeting with Deby. The P-5 Ambassador said it cannot be all or nothing. The Mission was supposed to leave in March 2011 anyway, the Perm Rep argued. What we want is an organized withdrawal, say in nine months instead of three. And Deby takes over all the infrastructure built there? But of course.

Inner City Press has been told, during the hand over from the European Union to the UN, that France asked the UN to "indemnify" it for pollution it caused, in Abeche and elsewhere. What is the purpose of the UN and its blanket immunity, but to further shield of the P-5 from their own pollution? The UN did quietly agree to pay for much of what it used for its mission in Eastern Chad. Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/darfur1deby022610.html

On Swiss Uighurs, UN Dodges, China Accuses US of Post-Torture Double Standards, Won't Cooperate, Iran Talks?

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/china1torture022610.html

UNITED NATIONS, February 26 -- With China having protested Switzerland's decision to accept from Guantanamo Bay two Uighurs, Inner City Press asked both China diplomats and UN counter terrorism officials about the case. The officials, from the UN's Committee on Security Council Resolution 1267, dodged the question by pointing to the narrow scope of their work.

Inner City Press asked, is the East Turkestan Islamic Movement on the 1267 list, does it exist, and are its alleged members supposed to be return to the accusing country, China?

The answer was that the 1267 committee only deals with travel bans and asset freezes. It was said that perhaps the U.S. and China had a duty to notify the Committee -- until it was explain that the two Uighurs are not named on the list. Organizational bans do not automatically apply to all of a group's members, they said.

The Chinese diplomats were more straight forward. "I am always amazed why America does this -- if the two are no threat, settle them here, this is an immigration country. But if you think they are dangerous for national security, as we believe, then why not return them to us?"

Inner City Press responded that some of the Uighurs, it seems, were just leather jacket merchants in Afghanistan. The Chinese diplomat said, "some re-engage in terrorism. Under the Bush administration, America invited Chinese police to Guantanamo Bay to talk to these guys. Now they say the two would be tortured in China. But they have already been tortured in Guantanamo Bay. We cannot beat the record of the Americans."

A second Chinese diplomat walked over. "And now the Americans ask us to cooperate," he said, shaking his head.

Footnote: China's Mission to the UN is, it seems, boycotting effort to impose more sanctions on Iran. The Number One is leaving, and the Number Two, while smiling, is leaving too. Is Hillary Clinton's timeline of an Iran resolution in 30 to 60 days realistic? Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/china1torture022610.html

At UN, Misdirection on Census in Iraq and Congo, of Kirkuk and the Kivus

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un1census022510.html

UNITED NATIONS, February 25 -- The UN helps countries like Iran, Liberia and the Congo conduct their census, but glosses over the tough questions. On February 25 Inner City Press asked Nuha Al-Sharma, Executive Census Director of Iraq's COSIT, if the October census will take into account the two or more rounds of ethnic cleansing around Kirkuk and its oil fields, regarding Kurds. Video here, from Minute 42:45.

"There is no ethetic data," she responded. This seemed to mean no "ethnic" data. But after the briefing, UNFPA's Mr. Luay Shabaneh confirmed that the census will ask if a person is Kurdish, Turkenman or Arab. He said a curfew will be announced, then people counted in their homes, with fingerprinting is necessary. So why wasn't that said during the briefing?

When Inner City Press asked the DR Congo's Gregoire Kankwanda Ebuleland is the census there will count FDLR rebels from Rwanda, he bristled that "outsiders" often "do not have good information." He insisted that there are only "pockets" of resistance in the Congo.

Inner City Press asked Paul Cheung the director of the Statistics Division of UNDESA if the UN would be helping Haiti with a census, given the current failure to even register the birth of children. No, he said, Haiti has not asked for help.

Mr. Cheung was listed as the moderator of the press conference, but no one seemed to have organized anything. The Liberian representative Edward Liberty droned on for fifteen minutes -- who could stop him?

The DRC's Gregoire Kankwanda Ebuleland spoke only in French, although no translation was provided. After he finished -- and Inner City Press asked its question in French -- Mr. Cheung asked, does anyone need translation? It was classic UN -- unrealistically upbeat, badly organized, barely covered and thus unaccountable. And yet here is this report.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1census022510.html

UN Ban Defends IPCC Report, No Comment on Pachauri, Derides Comparisons

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/ban3ipcc022410.html

UNITED NATIONS, February 24 -- Three weeks after the UN told the Press that "it's not really for the Secretary-General to weigh in on this specific report" of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Ban Ki-moon pointedly urged member states to "reject the last-ditch attempts by climate skeptics to derail negotiations by exaggerating shortcomings in the [IPCC] fourth assessment report."

Some wondered, if the UN saw no need to respond three weeks ago but now belatedly steps into the ring, does this indicate the type of desperation exhibited by the UN's hastily put together press conference after Yvo de Boer announced his resignation?

At Wednesday's UN noon briefing, three weeks after Inner City Press asked for comment on the IPCC's misuse of NGO press releases as science, it inquired into Ban's belated comment on the controversy, and his characterization of all who critique errors in the report as "climate skeptics."

Inner City Press asked asked how Ban's upbeat read out on Copenhagen squared with his Timor L'este envoy Ameerah Haq's frank statement to the Press that Copenhagen was a disappointment, reiterated February 23 at the UN Security Council stakeout.

Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky was once again testy, chiding Inner City Press that

"if you want to try to chip away between different people saying different things at different times, you could do that pretty much every day, and maybe you will... if you look at what might have been, had there not been the level of movement that there was in Copenhagen, then things would look even worse. Nobody has said that this is precisely what everybody wanted. Many people -- Yvo de Boer, Janos Pasztor -- who sat here right after the Copenhagen Conference with Bob Orr and spelled out what the role of the United Nations had been in getting to a good point, but that it was not good enough; that more needed to be done. So, it’s very easy to try to push a wedge between two different people."

After this diatribe, several correspondents asked Inner City Press in essence, what is wrong with Nesirky? To compare two statements is basic journalism. And to report on now-acknowledged errors in an inter governmental body's scientific report is not necessarily "climate skepticism" -- it is journalism. The UN does not seem to understand this.

Inner City Press asked, on February 3 and 24 and even before, for Ban's comments on IPCC chair Pachauri's refusal to make financial disclosure about income he receives from Deutsche Bank and others for advice related to his IPCC job. Nesirky responded that "To come back to the part of the question about business dealings and disclosure, this is something that he himself, Mr. Pachauri has spoken about himself, and I have no need to elaborate further on what he himself has said."

That's leadership. The person more and more widely accused of lacking transparency has rejected the charges. What more could the head of the Organization need to say? Perhaps, as on Himalaya Gate, Mr. Ban will comment in three weeks. Watch this site.

Footnote: beyond her refreshingly candid comments on Copenhagen as disappointment, Ms. Haq also answered Inner City Press' questions about an incident in which UN Police in Timor L'este were filmed standing by at Timor L'este police beat up a protester. She said it is under investigation, and that UNPOL has a duty to report. But don't they also have a duty to protect civilians?

And see, www.innercitypress.com/ban3ipcc022410.html

Censorship Omitted From UN Study of Internet Access by ITU, No Comment on Cuba, Dissident's Death

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/itu1censor022410.html

UNITED NATIONS, February 24 -- Access to the Internet in 161 countries was compared by the UN's International Telecommunications Union in a recent report, Measuring the Information Society 2010. Inner City Press asked ITU's Susan Teltscher whether her agency considered the quality and content of the internet provided -- that is, censorship -- noting the exclusion from the final data tables of such countries as Turkmenistan, Cuba and North Korea.

Ms. Teltscher said that ITU did not consider internet censorship. Why not? It "cannot be captured in statistics," she replied. Video here, from Minute 18:18.

To some, any UN study of access to the Internet should take into account the varieties of Internet censorship, from China's Great Firewall to more total bans in countries like North Korea. The press conference's moderator, ITU's New York representative, said that the ITU like the rest of the UN system supports Article 19, on access to information across frontiers in all media.

But when Ban Ki-moon's two envoys Lynn Pascoe and Kim Won-soo recently visited Pyongyang, they did not even raise the issue of press and internet freedom. Click here for that story. Likewise, in November 2009 when protesters raised a banner about China's net blocking at a UN conference in Egypt, UN security removed the banner. Click here for that story.

It is important that someone study the pricing of Internet access. But an entirely amoral investment bank could do that, as a business proposition. For the UN to fail to include some measure or mention of censorship in its more than 100 page study of

Footnote: while Cuba was omitted from the ITU final tables, on February 24 UN spokesman Martin Nesirky was asked:

Question: On Cuba, yesterday, a Cuban political prisoner called Orlando Zapata Tamayo died after 85 days on hunger strike in prison. And people in Cuba and Latin America in general are very shocked by this event and they consider it as a clear human rights violation. My question is, does the UN have a comment on this issue or will have a comment on this issue?

Spokesperson Nesirky: The Secretary-General is aware of the case. We don’t have anything to say at the moment. But he is aware of the case. We don’t have anything to say at the moment.

Question: But will you say something?

Spokesperson Nesirky: I said he doesn’t have anything to say at the moment

Well, Orlando Zapata Tamayo is dead. Even Raul Castro has "lamented" it. But the UN's Ban Ki-moon is aware but silent.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/itu1censor022410.html

As UN Holmes Confirms Return to UK, Ripert for the Job, and US for Peacekeeping?

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/ocha1music022410.html

UNITED NATIONS, February 24 -- Top UN humanitarian John Holmes has confirmed to The Times that he will leave New York later this year, setting off a major powers game of musical chairs for senior UN posts. This comes ten days after Inner City Press reported that Holmes would be returning to the UK, and Holmes denied the story vociferously on the margins of a press stakeout about Haiti and Somalia.

According to the Times' James Bone, Sir John will take over from Jeremy Greenstock at the Ditchley Foundation, consider once of the easiest UK Foreign Office sinecures: putting together conferences on a country estate in Oxfordshire.

The UK initially said it would not be seeking to retain the humanitarian post but rather seek Political Affairs, currently held by American Lynn Pascoe, or the S-G chief of staff post, currently held by India's Vijay Nambiar. But the UK has clarified that no decision has been made to forgo OCHA for one of the two other posts.

Francophone sources predict that former French Ambassador Jean Maurice Ripert, who last year was given a temporary post as the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Pakistan, may return to New York to take over Holmes' OCHA post. Bernard Kouchner, Ripert's mentor, is said to want to control UN Humanitarian Affairs. But this would require Alain Le Roy, also French, to step down as head of UN Peacekeeping.

There continue to be rumors that the Obama administration would like to take over UN Peacekeeping. During the last General Debate in September, Obama convened a meeting about peacekeeping -- which India boycotted, as they want the top post based on how many troops they contribute to the UN. (If India somehow got Peacekeeping, Nambiar would have to leave.)

Obama's UN Ambassador Susan Rice, headed through bad weather from DC to the UN for Wednesday's Security Council briefing on drug trafficking -- she began her statement at 11:40 am-- spoke earlier this week on Peacekeeping, and Tweeted it too.

Factual footnote: Susan Rice and and U.S. General Fraser are scheduled to meet with Holmes on February 24 about Haiti.

For the US to take Peacekeeping, Lynn Pascoe would have to go. Then the UK could take Political Affairs, and Ripert's France take over Humanitarian Affairs. The Western Permanent Three play musical chairs.

But what of Nambair? What of India's aspirations for the Peacekeeping post? What of Egyptian USG Shaaban Shaaban, currently under fire in the UN Dispute Tribunal? If Shaaban is removed, perhaps Egypt's Permanent Representative will get the UN post he has long sought. Watch this site.

Footnote: Also on the UK tip, when Labour Party deputy leader Harriet Harman came to New York she targeted invitations to female Permanent Representatives. But some countries responded that their PR is otherwise occupied, and proposed that the Deputy come instead. So the UK had to ask, or look up: is the Deputy a female?

And see, www.innercitypress.com/ocha1music022410.html

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/undt2shaaban022310.html

UNITED NATIONS, February 23 -- The UN's new justice system is already frayed and exposed, as Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reflexively appeals from orders urging him to review the actions of his Under Secretary General Shaaban Shaaban.

Three weeks ago, Inner City Press reported on and asked about a UN Dispute Tribunal decision which slammed Shaaban Shaaban and questioned whether he should be ordered to pay $20,000 damages personally. When asked, Mr. Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said that Ban would appeal. When Inner City Press asked "appeal what" and "appeal on what basis," Nesirky said that needn't be answered.

Now, Judge Adams has issued a second order, after Shaaban Shaaban refused to appear at his February 3 hearing. Adams writes that "the interests of the Secretary-General as chief executive officer of the Organization plainly conflicted with those of Mr Shaaban. It seems to me self-evident that it was inappropriate for a lawyer from the Office of Legal Affairs to advise Mr Shaaban about what he ought to do in order to avoid the step that triggered the Secretary-General's duty."

And so at the February 23 noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Mr. Nesirky:

Inner City Press: in this case it is the Shaaban Shaaban case, Abboud v. Secretary-General. I understand yesterday, earlier you’d said an earlier ruling was going to be appealed. Maybe you could say if it’s been appealed, but yesterday Judge Adams ruled saying that the respondent, i.e. the Secretary-General, is to appoint an official of at least the rank of Under-Secretary-General other than Mr. Shaaban to consider afresh the complaints of the applicant. And what I am wondering is that, is this something that the Secretary-General is going to do, even pending appeal of I guess the findings against Mr. Shaaban. This seems like… This is the judge yesterday has asked and he talked about “as a matter of courtesy”. Is this also going to be appealed, so that no one other than Mr. Shaaban will consider the applicant’s case?

Spokesperson: I don’t know the answer to that, but I am sure I can find out. All right, other questions? No?

[The Spokesperson later reiterated that the Organization has determined that an appeal of the Abboud judgment would be appropriate and would be filed.]

When one reads Adams' second decision, which Inner City Press is putting online here, it is difficult not to conclude that Ban Ki-moon is undermining the justice system he claimed was an improvement. We will contineu to follow this case.

Footnote: at a recent UNDP hearing, counsel joked that Adams may in fact stay on past June, given the backlog of cases. There is talk of building a new UN court room in the so called Teachers' (TIA-CREF) building on Third Avenue, where the UNDP will rent space. But as set forth above, the "new" system appears broken.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/undt2shaaban022310.html

UN Official, "Elated" by Rapes, Says Corruption Watching is Up to Haiti's Preval

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/ban1bury022410.html

UNITED NATIONS, February 24, updated -- "Three rapes? That almost elates me," the UN's second in command in Haiti Tony Banbury told the Press on Wednesday. "There are rapes in New York, in any refugee camp in the world." Video here, from Minute 34:17.

Some were surprised at this UN official's statement. While he may say that the quote -- caught on film -- is out of context, Inner City Press would counter that the quote was created by, and reflects, the context.

Banbury's presentation, billed as a description of the situation in Haiti, was in fact a defense of the UN's performance. Banbury said the earthquake in Haiti was harder to deal with than the tsunami or Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, in which he was involved.

Inner City Press asked Banbury how the UN, which has made appeals for over $1 billion, will ensure that rubble removal contractors are transparently selected based on merit, and that the landowning elite in Haiti doesn't gain super-profits from the move to acquire land for new housing.

Banbury said that both of these are up to the sovereign Haitian government. He derided procurement rules as causing delay. But US-based companies like Ashbritt, under fire for post-Hurricane Katrina profiteering, have already held private meetings with President Rene Preval.

To be fair, Inner City Press reiterated the question: was Banbury saying the UN would do nothing to try to ensure that money donated to help poor Haitians wasn't grabbed by profiteers? Yes, Banbury said, we have an interest in that, and the UN will pursue it "on a political level... with the World Bank." But by leading with the UN's deference to sovereign Haitian decisions, a message is sent.

In fact, Banbury's involvement in the UN's and World Food Program's response to Cyclone Nargis involved knowing, but keeping quiet, about currency exchange losses of up to 25% to the Than Shwe military government of Myanmar.

What correspondents were and are looking for is facts, not UN spin. And if one is the UN's spinmeister, it might be better not to say, "Three rapes? That almost elates me." What happens next? Watch this site.

Update: two days after Banbury's comments and the article above, and one day after the UN was asked about the comments, and promised an update, the following came in:

On Fri, Feb 26, 2010 at 2:40 PM, UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply wrote:

At the noon press briefing on February 24, Assistant Secretary-General Banbury was asked about a report by Human Rights Watch on security and protection conditions in IDP camps in Haiti, including a report that there had been three cases of women being raped.

ASG Banbury adds the following comment: “My remarks make clear my strong commitment to human rights protection issues, and my conviction that three rapes is "far too many". I said that reports of only three rapes "almost elates me" because of deep concern--by myself and human rights protection experts--that the large numbers of people who are living in cramped and onerous conditions in displaced persons camps could lead to serious protection issues, especially with regard to sexual violence against women and children. If the total number of rape cases is indeed three, while "far too many", it would show that efforts by the UN and our partners to enhance protection measures for women and children in the camps were working to a large extent, and our worst fears were not materializing. This would be a source of encouragement. I have dedicated many years to protecting the human rights of vulnerable populations, and my career to public service. Far from belittling the crime of rape, my clear intention was to convey a sense of UN commitment and concern about human rights protection.”

Media outlets which heard but never wrote about Banbury's comment about being "almost elated" at three rapes were quickly to publish his subsequent statement.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/ban1bury022410.html

For S. Sudan Post, UN Mulled Hilde Johnson and Khare, Menkerios over Kumalo

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/unmis2menkerios022210.html

UNITED NATIONS, February 22 -- How did the UN settle on Haile Menkerios as its top envoy to South Sudan? Inner City Press has been told, by an extremely well placed source, that the UN put forward other names: UNICEF's Hilde Johnson, Indian diplomat Atul Khare who served in Timor L'este, as well as "a Tanzanian." That Ms. Johnson's hat was in the ring implies she already knew she would not get the top post at UNICEF, for which the U.S. has nominated Anthony Lake.

Also suggested to the UN for the Sudan post was former South African ambassador to the UN Dumisani Kumalo. Sudan let it be known that it would only accept an African.

And so, the source said, Ban Ki-moon decided on Menkerios. "He is from Eritrea, but he was given the job as South African." Some say that means he cannot differ with Thabo Mbeki, former South African president and now Sudan intermediary. It also shows that the UN has very few people who understand anything about Africa, said the source.

Meanwhile, now that Ibrahim Gambari is installed in the joint African Union - UN Mission in Darfur, finally the Enough Project chimes in with questions, in a column by Colum Lynch, the UN blogger at Foreign Policy. But when Inner City Press asked the Enough Project for any comment on Gambari, after he was offered but had been been confirmed for the job, the Project had no comment. On November 30, 2009 we asked

This is a request for Enough Project's position on the UN giving Ibrahim Gambari the UNAMID SRSG post, as we've exclusively reported earlier today

http://www.innercitypress.com/darfur1nigeria113009.html

please email EP's position, on Mr. Gambari and how he was reportedly selected, as soon as you can for inclusion.

The response the next day:

Subj: Re: Press Q re Darfur appointment of Gambari, past deadline
From: eread [at] enoughproject.org
To: Inner City Press
Sent: 12/1/2009 12:32:55 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
Hi Matt,

Thanks for your query. I'm sorry that most of my policy team is travelling or on vacation. We won't be able to provide anyone for an interview.

Now, the EP's co-founder belatedly chimes in of Gambari, "it's still to be seen whether he will be able to have any impact or whether he will simply be another placeholder in a long line of people who have had almost no impact on the situation in Sudan."

But, one observer snarked, waiting two and a half months to comment undermines an NGO's possible impact on the situation in Sudan...

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unmis2menkerios022210.html

At UN, Leaked Memo Shows Low Morale and Commuting in Afghan Mission Amid Arrivals of de Mistura and from Dubai

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
www.innercitypress.com/unleak1afgh022210.html

UNITED NATIONS, February 22, updated -- A UN memo leaked to Inner City Press about the UN's embattled mission in Afghanistan UNAMA paints a picture of low morale and a closed down recruitment system as relocated staff prepare to return from Dubai, to Afghan locations from which they'll have to commute.

The memo, sent out by UNAMA chief of staff Peter Schmitz on February 22 and nearly immediately forwarded to Inner City Press, concerns relocation and safety issues in the continuing aftermath of the "Bakhtar Guest House tragedy... in which the UN was directly targeted for the first time."

It announces that by the end of February, 30 additional housing units will be become available. They will, however, be where "the commute takes a lot of time" and exposes staff "to additional risks."

The memo acknowledges that "in the second half of 2009, virtually no new staff joined the mission. Partly, we have ourselves to blame." Now, the UN in Afghanistan and Iraq (UNAMI) have been "given the special authority to issue mission specific one year contracts."

The memo acknowledges that since the UNAMA budget has twice doubled, it is "important that we do not lose credibility in the eyes of the ACABQ [Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions] and Fifth [Budget] Committee."

The testing time is now. Kai Eide, the UN's top envoy who quit in the wake of allegations he covered up Hamid Karzai's electoral fraud, will leave on March 6, when his successor Staffan de Mistura, who even the New York Times described as a faceless bureaucrat, will arrive. According to the memo, "we will be able to discontinue the relocation arrangement in Dubai by 8 March 2010 and have all staff return from there to Kabul."

The memo concludes with some cheerleading to tell de Mistura what works and what doesn't. Given the UN's lack of whistleblower protections, and di Mistura's insider connections, will such candid recommendations be made or implemented? We'll see. Below is the memo.

After publishing the article above, Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Martin Nesirky about the memo at the February 22 noon briefing:

Inner City Press: on Afghanistan, a memo has emerged from the Chief of Staff of UNAMA, Mr. [Peter] Schmitz, saying among other things, that virtually no new staff have joined the mission in the second half of 2009, and that new units are being, that the relocation from Dubai will take place by 8 March. Can you, one, can you confirm that the move to Dubai will be finished by 8 March? And two, how can it be, what does it mean if the budget is doubled that no new staff have been hired? Galaxy is closed, which used to be the way that they recruited staff. If Galaxy is closed, what’s it been replaced by and what are the plans to actually spend the money that’s been allocated to UNAMA?

Spokesperson Nesirky: Okay. A lot of questions there, and I can’t really go into detail on each of them. What I can say is the Secretary-General has said very clearly that he is concerned about the slow pace of recruitment for positions in UNAMA. There were some fairly stark reasons why that was the case, and he is certainly keen that people should be able to take up posts as soon as possible and should be able to apply for position as soon as possible. On the details, the various technical parts -- I’ll have to come back to you on that.

While still waiting for the "technical" answers, the memo has been syndicated by the WaPo FP, with credit, here. The memo is below.

Kabul, 22 February 2010

Dear Colleagues,

Since 15 December 2009, when we sent the last circular on the security and relocation issues, there have been a number of developments that should improve the situation of the Mission in the weeks and months to come.

Secure Accommodation and Office Space

As you know, the need to provide secure accommodation that meets the higher standards established after the Bakhtar Guest House tragedy, has been a major bottleneck for UNAMA. The good news is that by the end of this month, 30 additional housing units will be come available in UNOCA. Moreover, a further 50 units will be completed by the end of April. As a result, we will be able to discontinue the relocation arrangement in Dubai by 8 March 2010 and have all staff return from there to Kabul.

With 80 units available by the end of April, we should also be able to accommodate the new staff coming on board over the next few months.

It is understood that UNOCA is not an ideal location for those staff who have their offices or frequent meetings in the center of the city. The commute takes a lot of time and exposes them to additional risks even though the use of armoured vehicles has now been mandatory for some time. Therefore, we continue to look for additional accommodation and office space inside the city and we have identified some promising options. Once the negotiations on these options are completed, we will inform staff who wish to be closer to the city.

Recruitment

At the beginning of the year with the 2010 budget coming into effect, UNAMA had a vacancy rate of 44%. The situation had reached a point where the SRSG felt obliged to alert the Security Council that if the staffing back log were to continue, UNAMA would not be able to implement key elements of its mandate.

UNAMA is not the only mission suffering from this situation. We all know that the more stringent recruitment procedures required by the new contractual arrangements, in particular the introduction of a review by the newly established Field Central Review Boards (FCRB), created delays to a degree that in the second half of 2009, virtually no new staff joined the Mission. Partly, we have ourselves to blame because we started too late with the implementation of the new procedures. As a result, numerous recruitment cases were returned to the Mission by the FCRB for further clarifications.

The Department of Field Support and the Office for Human Resources Management have realized that UNAMA (and UNAMI) had reached a choking point. Therefore, we and UNAMI have been given the special authority to issue mission specific one-year contracts to staff who have been interviewed by the Mission and recommended to be placed on the roster concerned for selection.

Moreover, the Field Personnel Division (FPD) of DFS sent a team led by Masaki Sato to assist UNAMA in addressing the back log of cases pending endorsement by the FCRB. As of mid-February, exercising its new authority, UNAMA has issued 53 mission specific contracts. The selected staff should be arriving over the next two months, providing a desperately needed respite. Nevertheless, there are still numerous vacancies yet to be filled. Stephani Scheer, the Chief of Mission Support, together with the team from New York and the Section Chiefs have prioritized the vacancies and established interview panels that will pursue the necessary recruitment steps.

A key element in this context is the issuance of mission specific vacancy announcements. Since the Galaxy system is closed, and since many of those who applied previously never intended to come to Afghanistan, FPD has established lists of candidates who indeed are willing to join UNAMA. If we cannot find any suitable candidates on these lists or if we know of eminently suitable candidates who are not currently in Galaxy, mission specific vacancy announcements can be issued.

We will continue to get help from FPD. However, the brunt of the time-consuming interview work will have to be borne by us. While it is understood that the steps involved in recruiting staff seem arduous and take time away from our daily work, we must approach this task with a sense of urgency. If we don’t prioritize recruitment now we will not be able to get out of this slump. Moreover, UNAMA’s budget virtually doubled in two consecutive years, 2009 and 2010. This not only shows that Afghanistan is still high on the international agenda, it also places a lot of responsibility on us. It is important that we do not lose credibility in the eyes of the ACABQ and the Fifth Committee which placed a lot of trust in our ability to utilize the additional resources in an effective and efficient manner.

Field Issues

From my regular visits to UNAMA’s field offices, I know that our colleagues in the field have particular hardships to endure. They live in remote locations and their offices and living accommodations are more often not at the standard we would like them to enjoy. Moreover, with the new MOSS and MORSS requirements, many field locations need to be upgraded to a higher category. Where premises cannot be upgraded, new locations have to be found. The CMS has established a priority engineering plan to address these issues. She is also making every effort to improve internet and Lotus connectivity, crucial tools of communication, particularly in remote office locations

Reimbursement of Additional Security Cost

The new security requirements, in particular the need for internal guards (Gurkhas), have increased the cost for office and accommodation security exponentially. The Security Management Team (SMT) has before it a proposal to increase the amount reimbursable to staff for security upgrades. The SMT’s decision is expected shortly. Staff should not suffer financially because of the additional security requirements. The CMS is devising a policy for the various housing situations to ensure that nobody will incur financial losses.

In this context it is important, that those staff members who were the primary lease holders for one of the many guest houses that had to be vacated following the Bakhtar guest house tragedy, approach their landlords to recover any rent they may have paid in advance. The Legal Office will provide assistance, if necessary. In the event that landlords decline to return rent paid in advance, they should make this known to the CMS. A separate circular will be issued in this regard providing more details.

We should, however, keep in mind that efforts to homogenize the salaries and entitlements of all entities in the UN System have not yet come to pass. UNAMA staff will have lesser entitlements than the staff of the agencies, funds and programmes. Hence, while we are trying to interpret our rules and regulations with the maximum benefit for staff in mind, there are things that we cannot not do within the current regulatory framework.

Staff Morale

Following the Bakhtar guest house incident in which the UN was directly targeted for the first time, we all felt somewhat depressed. Moreover, the rather tumultuous unfolding of the elections last year led to vehement and often unfair criticism of the Mission and UNDP ELECT which, no doubt, left some scars on our self-esteem. How we perceive our work and how our work is perceived by others clearly has an effect on our morale.

Two weeks ago, I convened a meeting with all Section Chiefs to address these issues. They raised many of the problems mentioned above relating to secure accommodation and staffing. They also put forward a number of ideas and proposals that we will follow up upon in the near future.

A key to staff morale is also the relationship between staff and their supervisors. Particularly in the remote locations in the field with little opportunity for other than office related activities, inter-personal relations can become strained. Such situations should be addressed in an open and transparent spirit in discussions with the supervisor. No purpose is served if conflicts are left to fester and then turn into formal complaints to the Conduct and Discipline Unit. I would appeal to all managers and supervisors to actively engage with their staff and to nip interpersonal conflicts in the bud.

New Leadership

Mr. Staffan de Mistura has been appointed as the new Special representative of the Secretary-General in Afghanistan. He will have in-briefings in New York during the first week of March and is expected to arrive in Kabul in the course of the second week. Kai Eide will leave on 6 March. A new Deputy Special Representative for Pillar I is expected in early April.

For quite some time, UNAMA has been suffering from the fact that one or the other position of the leadership troika was vacant. With the full complement of senior leaders in place, we should be able to make UNAMA’s structures work in the way that they were designed to.

Invariably, a new SRSG will make changes and adjustments. Change can be a challenge, but it should also be considered as an opportunity. We should all strive to help the new SRSG to settle in and take on his heavy responsibilities. Please be frank in pointing out to him what you believe works and what doesn’t. There is always room for improvement.

There are many challenges ahead, but with an open and collegial approach we can master them.

Cheers!

Peter Schmitz
Chief of Staff
UNAMA
Kabul

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unleak1afgh022210.html