UNSG Guterres Protected a Hezb Head of ESCWA now as Lame Duck Names a New One

UNSG Guterres Protected a Hezb Head of ESCWA now as Lame Duck Names a New One by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack UN GATE, April 20 – How corrupt is today's UN under Antonio Guterres?  When Guterres announced as his last head of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia in Beirut one Rola Dashti, he said she was Kuwaiti.    Actually, she is half Lebanese. And at ESCWA, she has given contract after contract to her contacts and cronies, down to the furniture. (This is her mismanagement and retaliation Inner City Press has already exclusively reported).   Then, we must reported more - or, showed more: Rola Dashti with the head of Hezbollah.   Now Guterres thanks Dashti, and names another one: Rania A. Al-Mashat of Egypt. She was a tourism minister; Inner City Press' long time work space was given to an already-then retired Egyptian state media propagandist, Sanaa Youssef of Akhbar al Yom. Guterres is intent on filling a many posts as possible while a lame duck, given raises, and trying to ensure impunity. This as Guterres  His spokesperson Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming have refused to answer Press questions.  This is the UN of Guterres, who has thrown out and still bans Inner City Press which asks and exposes. Now this: An audible sigh of relief, and a resounding cry of “good riddance”, echoed across ESCWA at the long-overdue ignominious demise of Rola Dashti, the Executive Secretary. For years, through these pages, various media outlets, and direct appeals to the Secretary-General’s office, we have consistently decried her corruption, blatant disregard for UN rules, her corrosive favoritism, and the pervasive culture of impunity she cultivated.  Under her leadership, ESCWA became a cautionary tale: a place where competent professionals were sidelined, while sycophants rose through opaque promotions and crony-driven hires. Dashti lost multiple lawsuits brought by staff, costing the organization tens of thousands of precious dollars. She shielded sexual predators and enabled corrupt managers, all while fostering an environment in which vassalage was rewarded and dissent punished.  The brave few who dared question her methods were summarily stripped of responsibilities or cast aside entirely. Her vindictive leadership style – impatient, imperious, and highfalutin – stifled debate, crushed morale, and eroded the very foundation of ESCWA’s mission. Her cockamamie pet projects, often justified with specious rationale, exposed a superficial understanding of the region we serve and an alarming paradox between her personal agenda and UN values.  In her final act, as part of the UN80 reform efforts, Dashti submitted a reckless proposal to downsize ESCWA, abolishing posts without transparent criteria or logic. The plan is emblematic of her legacy: vindictive, opaque, and entirely self-serving. With her now gone, we call on New York to reject this iniquitous proposal outright. At a minimum, it must be thoroughly investigated, and any restructuring must be grounded in fairness, clear justification, and transparency.    Sincerely,  Active ESCWA staff who wish to remain anonymous Note: Transparency is unlikely under Guterres, who bans Press. *** Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron. Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com Press Room 500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA Mail: Box 130222 NY NY 10013 Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540 Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.  Copyright 2006-2025 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com