UN
Won't Answer
on Late
Whistleblowers'
Report or What
Fed to Scribes
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 11,
updated -- How
corrupt is the
UN? That's
what some
asked
when yet
another
whistleblower
about
corruption
faced then
proved
retaliation,
only to have
the UN
Secretariat
appeal and
delay any
justice. Inner
City Press
asked, in May
2013, and was
told on May 21
that Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon had
asked Canadian
judge Louise
Otis to write
a report on
the UN's
whistleblower
protection by
the
end of 2013.
On
February 10,
2014 -- that
is, forty days
after that
deadline --
Inner
City Press asked
Ban's
spokesperson
for the status
of the report.
The
spokesperson
said he would
look into and
and revert:
Inner
City Press:
There’s the
new US law
that requires
the Secretary
of
State to
certify that
all the UN’s
Secretariat
and agencies
have
protections in
place. So, I
wanted to know
if you have
any comment
on the law?
But also, I
remember that
Louise Otis,
this Canadian
judge, was
going to do a
report to the
Secretary-General
on
whistleblower
protections
throughout the
system and
that it was
going
to be done by
the end of the
year, last
year. So, is
the report
finished? Can
we learn a
little bit
about it? And
does the UN
think
that their
budget could
be impacted by
this new law
requiring
whistleblower
protections to
be certified?
Spokesperson:
Well, I think
that my
colleague
Farhan Haq has
addressed this
matter
last week. I’d
be happy to
share with you
what he had
available at
that time,
with regard to
that specific
law. With
regard to the
report you
mentioned, I’d
need to check.
I just don’t
know the
answer to that
at this point.
Okay. Right.
Any further
questions?
Last question.
More
than 24 hours
later, there
had been no
answer at all.
Meanwhile
Ban
himself,
though not
listed on his
schedule, had
a friendly
lunch
with friendly
correspondents
sure, it
seemed, not to
ask him about
retaliation
against
whistleblowers
or corruption
or anything
like
that. In fact,
that very
morning the
president of
the group, the
United
Nations
Correspondents
Association
now known as
the UN's
Censorship
Alliance,
had
name-dropped
Ban in a
press
conference,
that she'd
gone on a trip
with him.
Wowdza.
On
the afternoon
of February
11, more than
24 hours after
asking the
whistleblower
protection
report that
was due forty
days prior,
Inner
City Press
e-mailed Ban's
top two
spokespeople
asking again
for the
answer, and
for a tape
or transcript
of Ban's
luncheon with
tape
recorders,
and on behalf
of the Free
UN Coalition
for Access
for an
explanation
why it the
information or
quotes had
not been
simultaneously
provided to
all
correspondents:
This
is to request
again answers
to the
questions I
asked at
yesterday's
noon briefing
about UN
whistleblower
protections,
and to
formally
request a tape
or transcript
of what the
Secretary
General said
today
this lunch: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BgOCAllCUAAwTxU.jpg
Since
the photo
shows tape
recorders,
this is a
request to be
informed if
any embargo
was placed on
what the
Secretary
General said.
If not,
this is a
request
including on
behalf of the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access for an
explanation,
why this was
not provided
to all
correspondents,
and for the
tape (or
transcript)
forthwith.
While
at least some
response was
provided, it
did not
address this
last --
nor did it
explain the
status of
Justice Otis'
supposed
report.
Instead it was
an update fact
sheet in which
the UN brags
about its
protections.
We'll publish
it - but the
other answers
have not been
given.
Update:
and later, the
Office of the
Spokesperson
sent out Ban's
"opening remarks"
to the scribes
/ censors --
no Q&A, no
tape, no
explanation.
But we link to
it, here.
From:
UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Tue, Feb
11, 2014
at 4:10 PM
Subject: Fact
sheet on
whistle-blowers
-- as
requested
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
In
response to
your
questions, we
have been
sharing the
following
facts
on our
whistle-blower
protection
policies:
United
Nations
Secretariat's
Protection
against
Retaliation
policy as
administered
by the UN
Ethics Office
· The
United Nations
Secretariat's
Protection
against
Retaliation
policy went
into effect in
January 2006,
the same time
that the UN
established an
independent UN
Ethics Office.
· The
policy was
developed in
consultation
with external
stakeholders
such as the
Government
Accountability
Project, and
incorporated
existing
global best
practices for
the protection
of
whistleblowers
from
retaliation.
· The
current
policy:
·
defines what
constitutes
whistle-blowing
and
retaliation;
·
identifies who
is eligible
for
protection;
·
encourages
staff to speak
up and
identifies
responsible
offices to
receive
reports of
misconduct;
·
provides a
clear process
for the
receipt and
review of
retaliation
complaints;
·
requires an
independent
investigation
of retaliation
complaints
where a prima
facie case of
retaliation
has been
determined;
·
makes
available
interim
protection
measures
pending the
completion of
a retaliation
investigation
in order
protect the
interests of
the
whistleblower;
· sets
forth a clear
legal standard
for making a
final
determination
as to whether
retaliation
has been
established;
and
·
identifies
remedies
available to a
whistleblower
who has
experienced
retaliation.
· The
Ethics Office
engages in
proactive
outreach
activities to
ensure staff
members
understand the
protection
against
retaliation
policy.
· The
United Nations
remains
committed to
ensuring that
its
policy
reflects best
practices. As
such, in order
to draw on
lessons
learned since
it went in
effect, in
2013, the UN
engaged an
international
jurist to
conduct an
independent
external
review of the
policy and its
implementation.
The results of
that review
are
currently
under review
with a view to
identifying
ways to
further
strengthen the
UN’s
commitment to
protect
whistleblowers.
But
as the
transcript
shows, what
Inner City
Press asked
for was the
status of the
report on
whistleblower
protection
which back in
May
the same
office told
Inner City
Press would be
done by the
end of
2013, forty
days ago:
Subject:
Re:
Your question
at the noon
briefing
From: UN
Spokesperson -
Do
Not Reply [at]
un.org
Date: Tue, May
21, 2013 at
12:27 PM
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
The
UN Secretariat
has engaged
Justice Louise
Otis of Canada
to conduct
an independent
review of the
Organization's
protection
against
retaliation
policy for the
purpose of
issuing
recommendations
to the
Secretary-General
to enhance
policy
effectiveness.
Justice Otis
is an
expert in
international
administrative
law, and
formally
served on
the Redesign
Panel on the
United Nations
Administration
of Justice
System.
Justice
Otis'
review is
currently
underway, and
her final
report is
expected
to be
delivered to
the
Secretary-General
later in the
year.
So
where is it?
And the
transcript or
tape, and
explanation?
Watch this
site.
, 
