By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN
UN GATE, Sept 24 – After UN President of the General Assembly John Ashe was indicted for taking bribes from Chinese government businessman Ng Lap Seng, and died before trial, the UN's lone reform was to say that future PGAs would disclose how their office and travel and staff members were funded.
And now, even that insufficient reform is not being complied with. And the Press that asks about ongoing UN corruption is banned.
On September 16 Inner City Press wrote to new PGA Abdulla Shahid's spokesperson Monica Grayley, "state when you will put on the PGA website the financial and staffing information committed to after the indictment of then PGA John Ashe."
It asked for confirmation of receipt, and a copy of the list of speakers for the UNGA High Level Week beginning September 21.
More than a week later, neither was provided, nor any response on what Shahid, Maldives' foreign minister, will do to ensure access to "his" UNGA by the Press which asks these questions.
In fact, on September 24 on the website on the words, "Ethics and Transparency," linked to nothing. No answers from Grayley, but this "written briefing" - "The President of the General Assembly, Mr. Abdulla Shahid, will attend the Global Citizen Live on the Great Lawn of Central Park in New York, 25 September. The 24-hour event will gather artists and leaders from around the world and is part of the Global Citizen’s 2021 global campaign, a Recovery Plan for the World. Global Citizen Live will feature performances from several cities such as Lagos, London, Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Seoul, and Sydney. Mr. Shahid will speak about his Five Rays of Hope." No ray of transparency.
Each day Inner City Press has emailed its questions to Grayley, including on Nigeria's treatment of Igboho and Kanu, and the assassination plot against the Dominican Republic president it is covering at SDNY court. Nothing.
There is a pending application to the UN Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit, acknowledged (unlike PGA Shahid's Grayley) but not acted on.
On September 17, with the "Team" section of PGA Shahid's website still empty, Inner City Press wrote to two other staffers in the PGA's office, Carl Mercer Lead, Communications, Advocacy & Speechwriting and Ahmed Salman Zaki, Executive Assistant to the PGA. Watch this site.
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