By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
series
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 11 –
Amid
continuing
human rights
abuses in
Darfur, where
the UN's Herve
Ladsous
mis-manages
the UNAMID
mission, and
in Southern
Kordofan and
Blue Nile
states, the UN
on February 5
moved to give
more U.S.
dollars to the
Bank of
Khartoum, from
its own staff
members'
salaries.
Inner City
Press previously
exclusively
exposed this
outrage,
and a UN
"reconsideration"
ensured. On
February 6,
Inner City
Press reported
this one, and
on February 9
asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric --
who didn't
answer then,
or since. Video here.
On February 10, Dujarric told Inner City Press he was "harvesting information" on the issue.
On February 10, Dujarric told Inner City Press he was "harvesting information" on the issue.
On February 12, Inner City Press asked Dujarric again:
Inner City Press: do you have anything on the strike?
Spokesman: No.
Inner City Press: I ask because, on 14 February, there's the threat that 7,000 workers…
Spokesman: No, my understanding is that discussions are being had. Obviously, this also involves, from what I understand, a review of the banking system in Sudan, and we do hope that the issue gets resolved.
Now Inner City Press can exclusively report a UN memo that salaries may be paid in local currency or dollars. See here.
Inner City Press: do you have anything on the strike?
Spokesman: No.
Inner City Press: I ask because, on 14 February, there's the threat that 7,000 workers…
Spokesman: No, my understanding is that discussions are being had. Obviously, this also involves, from what I understand, a review of the banking system in Sudan, and we do hope that the issue gets resolved.
Now Inner City Press can exclusively report a UN memo that salaries may be paid in local currency or dollars. See here.
The
UN Staff
Federation in
Sudan issued a
strike threat;
Inner City
Press is putting
their letter
online here.
Sudan
UN Staff
Federation
Strike Threat
for Salaries
Paid to Bank
of Khartoum in
Dollars by
Matthew
Russell Lee
From
an Inner City
Press source:
"All
UN Operations
in Sudan
including
Peacekeeping
Support will
stop on
Sunday February 14th. A decision on sit-in protest was taken by UN staff in Sudan starting Sunday 14th. They will report to office but No work will be undertaken. This arrangment includes 2 days on sit-in protest without work and a normal day of work following. This will continue until the Salaries
issue permenantley resolved... we're talking about the second biggest UN operation in the world with almost 7,000 staff members, and including support to a very sensitive peacekeeping operation in Darfur which more than 20,000 soldiers and high scale Air movement operation."
Sunday February 14th. A decision on sit-in protest was taken by UN staff in Sudan starting Sunday 14th. They will report to office but No work will be undertaken. This arrangment includes 2 days on sit-in protest without work and a normal day of work following. This will continue until the Salaries
issue permenantley resolved... we're talking about the second biggest UN operation in the world with almost 7,000 staff members, and including support to a very sensitive peacekeeping operation in Darfur which more than 20,000 soldiers and high scale Air movement operation."
Inner
City Press:
Question:
I have two
more, but I
guess I’ll do
one first and
then
see. I
wanted to ask
you about…
there’s a
situation in
the UN system
in Sudan where
the
headquarters
here has
decided to pay
the UN staff’s
salary to the
bank of
Khartoum in
dollars, and
they, in turn,
get paid in
local
currency.
So they’ve
raised a lot
of stink
saying that
what they get
is about half
what the UN
pays in
dollars to the
Bank of
Khartoum.
They’ve
alleged
corruption.
They’ve also
threatened to
strike.
I wanted to know, what… by what logic is the UN giving… if they have dollars to pay, why don’t they pay their staff in dollars? And why do they let the Bank of Khartoum take half of the money that’s meant for staff…?
Spokesman: I’m not aware of the situation. I can…
Inner City Press: Are you going to check that out? Because…
Spokesman Dujarric: Maggie.
I wanted to know, what… by what logic is the UN giving… if they have dollars to pay, why don’t they pay their staff in dollars? And why do they let the Bank of Khartoum take half of the money that’s meant for staff…?
Spokesman: I’m not aware of the situation. I can…
Inner City Press: Are you going to check that out? Because…
Spokesman Dujarric: Maggie.
That
would be, Voice of
America, which
has written to
Dujarric in
the past.
This is a
#FAIL with, it
seems, a
strike coming.
A
source
exclusively
told (and
showed) Inner
City Press,
"UN
published the
long
awaited
salary scale
in as a result
of the local
staff salary
survey. The
very big
surprise that
the Salary
scale was
issued in US
Dollar with a
note
written
at the end of
the sheet that
'Salaries are
payable in
local currency
converted at
the prevailing
United Nations
rate of
exchange
during the
month of
payment.'
"This
means that
Bank of
Khartoum will
get the staff
Salaries in US
dollars at
'Current rate'
which is
usually 50% of
the actual
market rate.
Currently UN
rate is
6.446.while
market rate is
SDG 12.00...
Now,
Staff
Federation is
meeting and
the UN may
face the
biggest staff
strike in its
history."
So the UN
under Ban
Ki-moon (and
Peacekeeping
under Herve
Ladsous) stand
ready to
subsidize the
Bank of
Khartoum.
Ban Ki-moon,
as Inner City
Press has
reported in
detail,
essentially
broke the
Staff Union or
federation at
UN
Headquarters
in New York.
Ladsous
refuses to
answer Press
questions
(having more
recently linked
rapes to
"R&R")
and Ban's
Spokesman
threw Inner
City Press out of
the UN Press
Briefing Room
in conjunction
with the UN
Corruption
Association
which took
money from
indicted Ng
Lap Seng and
gave him a
photo op with
Ban, seats
with whom UNCA
sells for
$6,000.
This
is today's UN.
The Next SG
process, and
the
transparency
being sought
by the Free UN
Coalition for
Access and
others, is all
the more
important so
that the UN
doesn't
further
decline.
Previously on
this Sudan
issue, Inner
City Press
exclusively
published a letter from the
UN Federal
Credit Union
claiming the
transfer was
related to UN
sanctions,
and an opinion
from the US
Office of
Financial
Assets Control
which says
that is not
the case.
Inner City
Press
questions to
the UN and its
agencies were
by then
pending for
days.
On December
30, the day it
was belatedly
received,
Inner City
Press
published a
response from
the UN and the
UN Development
Program,
below.
Since then,
Inner City
Press has
obtained a
series of
e-mails from
UN
whistleblowers
to UNDP about
the transfer
to the Bank of
Khartoum, as
well as UNDP's
responses.
On November
28, Sudan
whistleblowers
wrote to
UNDP's hotline
that under an
arrangement
with Bank of
Khartoum (BoK)
would become
the recipient
of all UN
local staff
salaries in US
dollars while
it would be
paying their
salaries in
local currency
using the UN
exchange rate
around 5.99
SDG.
The
bank of
Khartoum will
be benefiting
from the
difference
between the UN
exchange rate
and The
Central Bank
of Sudan rate
for commercial
importers of
8.47 SDG (BoK
USD selling
rate for
businessmen).
The net profit
per each US
dollar
channeled to
Bank of
Khartoum is
approximately
2.47 SDG.
There were
additional
charges in the
whistleblowers'
communications
to UNDP,
including
about how Bank
of Khartoum
was chosen
(this is not
addressed in
the UN's and
UNDP's
response to
Inner City
Press, below.)
UNDP's
response to
the
whistleblowers
was to ask for
identifying
information
about the
whistleblowers,
and then to
blandly state
that it is not
uncommon in
areas such as
Sudan, to make
similar
arrangements
with Banks to
pay the salary
of local
staff."
But what about
the obvious
exchange rate
loss? It is
reminiscent of
another UN
scam Inner
City Press exclusively
uncovered,
the
overpayment of
Myanmar by
inflated
foreign
exchange rate
in the wake of
Cyclone
Nargis.
And what about
the losses to
UN system
staff set
forth in their
complaint to
Al Za'tari,
which Inner
City Press
exclusively
published here?
On
December 30,
Inner City
Press wrote to
UN
spokespeople
again:
"This
is a request
that Deputy SG
Eliasson or
someone else
from the
Secretariat
hold a press
availability
on Sudan's
decision to
expel Yvonne
Helle (which I
asked about at
the December
24 noon
briefing) and
Ali
Al-Za'tari.. A
media
availability
by the
Secretariat,
ideally the
DSG but
another if
necessary,
later this
afternoon is
being
requested,
including on
behalf of the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access. Either
way, am
awaiting
Secretariat
response on
why UN
national staff
members' US
dollar
accounts in
UNFCU were
transferred to
the Bank of
Khartoum, and
why the UN
Secretariat
said nothing
publicly when
the Country
Director of
UNFPA was
expelled from
Sudan in
April."
This last
question,
about the UN's
silence on the
UNFPA ouster
in April, has
yet to be
answered. But
on UNFCU, the
UN Office of
the
Spokesperson
sent this,
which we
publish in
full:
"There
has been a
restriction on
the cashing of
foreign checks
by Sudanese
national
staff.
At the same
time, the Bank
of Khartoum
has put on
hold all
foreign check
cashing by all
staff in
Sudan.
Since this decision was taken in November 2014, UNDP has been working with UNFCU to find an acceptable solution.
"UNDP would like to further clarify that the issue is unrelated to the requested departure by the Sudan government of the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Progamme (UNDP) and the UNDP Country Director. UNDP is coordinating with the UN and with the Government of Sudan to address the situation. UNDP remains strongly committed to the human development, peace and security of all the citizens of Sudan."
Since this decision was taken in November 2014, UNDP has been working with UNFCU to find an acceptable solution.
"UNDP would like to further clarify that the issue is unrelated to the requested departure by the Sudan government of the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Progamme (UNDP) and the UNDP Country Director. UNDP is coordinating with the UN and with the Government of Sudan to address the situation. UNDP remains strongly committed to the human development, peace and security of all the citizens of Sudan."
Again, see UNFCU's letter,
here, and
OFAC's
reply to UN
staff, here.
We'll have
more on this.
In the first
document Inner
City Press
exclusively
published, here,
UNFCU's
President and
CEO William
Predmore told
national staff
in Sudan that
"We
understand the
concerns of
our members
after
necessary
account
restrictions
were implosed,
and we regret
there was not
an opportunity
to deliver
communications
more swiftly
to the
individuals
impacted... As
you may be
aware, UNFCU
is subject to
U.S.
Regulations
(including
those
promulgated by
the Office of
Foreign Assets
Controls
(OFAC)). In
order to
ensure
compliance
with those
regulations,
checking
account
services and
debit card
services were
terminated for
local staff.”
(Many were stranded with AMT cards that didn't work, while their dollars were transferred to the Bank of Khartoum.)
But contrary to what UNFCU's Predmore told staff in writing, the US OFAC in the second document Inner City Press is exclusively publishing today, here, told UN staff that sanctions law and regulation does NOT require what the UN has done, citing 31 CFR 538.531. Click here to view in PDF.
(Many were stranded with AMT cards that didn't work, while their dollars were transferred to the Bank of Khartoum.)
But contrary to what UNFCU's Predmore told staff in writing, the US OFAC in the second document Inner City Press is exclusively publishing today, here, told UN staff that sanctions law and regulation does NOT require what the UN has done, citing 31 CFR 538.531. Click here to view in PDF.
Last week
Inner City
Press exclusively
reported
on the UN
Federal Credit
Union abruptly
telling UN
national staff
in Sudan that
their accounts
were being
frozen and the
dollars in
them
transferred to
the Bank of
Khartoum.
Inner City
Press has asked the UN, including UNDP,
OCHA and UNFPA,
to explain
this.
On December 27
Inner City
Press
exclusively
published a
complaint
filed with Ali
Al-Za'tari
about the
change, here.
Inner City
Press notes
that the
decision to
give the UN
national
staff's
dollars to the
Bank of
Khartoum flies
in the face,
in fact, of
the
sanctions.
The complaint
to Al-Za'tari
states that
“UNFCU
closed
checking and
savings
accounts of
national staff
without prior
notification
and
consultation
and
unilaterally
transferred
all funds of
staff members'
accounts to
local saving
accounts to be
paid in SDG by
Bank of
Khartoum...
Based on the
long years of
established
provision of
the UNFCU
service,
majority of
national staff
have made long
term financial
arrangements
taking into
account UNFCU
deposits
facilities
which provided
solutions to
many of their
problems such
as medical
treatments and
education to
them and their
families.”
Tellingly,
Predmore's
letter to
staff also
says that the
switch was
made pursuant
to UNDP's
rules. What
rules?
Now the UN
Security
Council is set
to meet
on December 30
about Sudan's
order to Ali
Al-Za'tari and
Yvonne Helle
to leave; the
Council will
say they are
in support of
UN staff. What
will they do
about UN staff
members'
dollars having
been given to
the Sudanese
authorities?
In essence,
UNDP and its
Resident
Coordinator
Ali Al-Za'tari
gave Khartoum
the U.S.
dollars of UN
national
staff, without
notice. Even
that wasn't
enough to keep
him in the
country. But
it is
reminiscent of
another UN
scam Inner
City Press exclusively
uncovered,
the
overpayment of
Myanmar by
inflated
foreign
exchange rate
in the wake of
Cyclone
Nargis.
That was covered
and credited
– will this
be? Or does
the scam
here extend
to covering up
the complicity
of UN
officials
like not only
Herve
Ladsous
but even, yes,
Ali
Al-Za'tari,
who remained
silent when
UNFPA's
country
director was
thrown out of
Sudan in
April, and as
Inner City
Press asked
the UN on
December 24,
gave in
quickly to the
ouster of
Yvonne Helle?
Watch this
site.
