Friday, July 17, 2026

UN Rights Commish Volker Burns Bridges in Colombia Placing HRW Cronies There Staff Say



UN Rights Commish Volker Burns Bridges in Colombia Placing HRW Cronies There Staff Say

by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack

UN GATE, July 10 – How corrupt and decrepit has the UN system become under Antonio Guterres, in this case due to Guterres? Today's example is again from the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, to which Guterres appointed his unqualified crony Volker Turk more than two years ago.

 From OHCHR staff - "Dear Matthew Russell Lee, Many thanks for exposing corruption in UN under Antonio Guterres and his cronies like Volker Turk

  OHCHR under Volker Turk is known to be an epicenter of favoritism. In 2025 OHCHR Colombia lost half of our colleagues due to poor planning and waste of resources. Not only no manager was held accountable but two individuals were rewarded, Juliette de Ribero who led the  financial disastrous planning, got a D1 in Geneva and Scott Campbell was promoted to D1 in Bogotá. Both are former Human Rights Watch officials and friend of Volker Turk, Maarit Kohonen Sherif and Peggy Hicks.

With only half of its staff and no field offices left many wondered whether the office needed an expensive D1 (relocated with his full family) or was it more logical to put a representative at P5 level, same as other presences in the region and try to preserve more colleagues employed. Geneva insisted on sending Scott Campbell, already rejected by the Colombian government in 2005 and 2017 and declared PNG in Somalia and Congo-amazing record.

We know that President de la Espriella will review the mandate of OHCHR in Colombia and many fear he will close it down. We are afraid that OHCHR will only care about the future of Scott Campbell and some internationals finding new posts for them and national staff again will suffer the consequences of poor management. In OHCHR leave no one behind is just an empty slogan not applicable to national staff. Geneva only cares about the international staff, who are friends of Volker Turk. No one cares about us and about our families

Amb Waltz, the ball is on your court."

Fat chance.

 So far, nothing from Mike Waltz, previously seen skydiving in France then on a lone Sunday show on CBS, unannounced - self-booked? Now he has blithely signed the UN Charter. July 4, after selfies on the ships in the harbor, how much did he pay in US taxpayers' money for the UN roof? Delays on FOIA. Meanwhile both Big Tony and Amina junketed on April 15 to the IMF which Inner City Press is accredited to cover, and at which it asked questions - but not of Tony, as UNCTAD denied Inner City Press to its "side event." The UN is dying, or being killed off.

There's a new NextSG candidate, Maria Fernanda Espinosa. Two days ago she and her sponsor Antigua and Barbuda were sent a questionnaire about about this. So far, nothing. Watch this site.

Inner City Press re-applied to re-enter the UN on June 19, 2025 - no answer at all from Melissa Fleming, Tel Mekel, Stephane Dujarric for six months, then a denial with no reason at all given. Today's UN is corrupt.

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