By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 6 -- As the UN on Wednesday promoted a “Rule of Law Indicators” implementation guide, questions about the UN's own compliance with the rule of law arose.
Given recent confirmation that the UN peacekeepers brought cholera into Haiti, and this week's court decision finding liability for Dutch troops in Srebrenica, with the UN still claiming immunity, Inner City Press asked, how can the UN preach to countries about the rule of law?
Dmitry Titov of UN Peacekeeping called it a “big legal question,” on which he'd defer to Ivan Simonovic, Assistant Secretary-General of the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights.
Simonovic said that the purpose of immunity is so that diplomats are not “harassed.” He referred to the film “The Whistleblower” -- but said “however this does not mean that there should be more privileges and immunities abandoned because they serve certain purposes for the UN.” Video here, from Minute 30:26.
Yes: they give the UN impunity. Liability to Haitians for cholera is not “harassment,” it would be accountability. Earlier on Wednesday Inner City Press asked the head of UN Women Michelle Bachelet about charges that Egyptian UN peacekeepers in South Kordofan in Sudan were involved in sexual abuse of women in Kadugli. Bachelet said UN Women, with three offices in Sudan, checked into it “on the ground” but did not find evidence.
But how much did the UN, or UN Women, speak with SPLM-North, whose AL-Hilu has taken to writing letters directly to the Egyptians, bypassing the UN which has given no answers, with questions about the Egyptian peacekeepers' involvement with government militias? Rule of law indeed.
Footnote: later on July 6 Inner City Press witnessed a workplace injury at the construction site in the UN between the Security Council and briefing room, in the garage. A stretcher was brought from far away within the UN complex, to replace FDNY ambulances which are generally not even allowed into the UN. “There were no safety officers there,” another witness later complained to Inner City Press. Could the construction worker, if necessary, sue the UN for negligence? Or is there no rule of law at the UN?
