UN Puts On Hold Proposed Transfer of Alleged Abuser of Staff to Chad Mission from Pension Fund

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, January 17 -- A UN Pension Fund official accused of abusing his subordinates was, earlier this week, on the brink of being sent to the UN's Chad peacekeeping mission. While to many this epitomized the UN's practice of dumping on Africa its personnel problem cases, at the Pension Fund a farewell party was scheduled for Executive Officer Peter Goddard on January 15, and outside of normal recruitment and review channels a replacement was arranged for from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), Sevil Alirzayeva. "These type of swaps are done all the time at the UN," a source told Inner City Press at the time, "particularly by the Department of Field Support," DFS. Inner City Press left a voice mail for Ms. Alirzayeva seeking comment. Sources say Ms. Alirzayeva asked the Pension Fund how to respond and was told, "Don't," apparently in response to Inner City Press' previous detailed coverage of the Fund, which despite its billions of dollars under management often escape media coverage of any kind.

            Having been alerted to and reported on the proposed swap, Inner City Press subsequently asked DPKO about the complaints against Mr. Goddard and "what is the response, what inquiry has been made." On January 16, DPKO confirmed that the UN's "Department of Management has decided to review the matter and until that is completed, DFS has placed Mr. Goddard's appointment on hold."

Chad, where Mr. Goddard is no longer headed, at least not for now

The day after his sparsely-attended farewell party, Mr. Goddard returned to work at the Pension Fund. Sources there tell Inner City Press that no one is happy. Goddard's few supporters feel this is a loss of face, and most others wish that he would just be gone. That, apparently, was the feeling of Pension Fund CEO Bernard Cocheme, who reportedly told his Administrative Officer Dulcie Bull to just get rid of Mr. Goddard. But the swap Ms. Bull arranged was ill-timed, given the complaint filed against Goddard by Pension Fund staffer Mathew George, and was ham-handed, given Ms. Alirzayeva's lack of the required human resources experience.

   Additionally, it now appears that whereas UN Controller Warren Sach is required to review and sign off on Executive Officers throughout the system, the argument is being made that this requirement does not apply to the Pension Fund. Argument is based on a Memorandum of Understanding signed by then-personnel chief Jan Beagle, whose move to Geneva using a post of UNCTAD while she claims to be filling a higher function has angered many members states, who have demanded the post by returned to use by UNCTAD and filled by someone other than Ms. Beagle. In any event, the argument's a strange logic: a financial integrity safeguard that applies to UN department that have little do with money would leave out of its coverage the UN's own Pension Fund with its billions in assets.

            Meanwhile, the previously announced privatization of the Pension Fund's North American equities portfolio was still not proceeded. According to the Controller, the "technical review" of the bids has been completed, but an announcement of the winner is being delayed until market conditions change. "Don't hold your breath," one insider opined, referring also to Mr. Goddard's deployment to Chad. Others say the Department of Management's review is just a whitewash, and that a second farewell party could be scheduled, where at least some of the left over cake from the first could be consumed. Watch this site.

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These reports are also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

  Because a number of Inner City Press' UN sources go out of their way to express commitment to serving the poor, and while it should be unnecessary, Inner City Press is compelled to conclude this installment in a necessarily-ongoing series by saluting the stated goals of the UN agencies and many of their staff. Keep those cards, letters and emails coming, and phone calls too, we apologize for any phone tag, but please continue trying, and keep the information flowing.

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Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

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