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By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, 1st docs, II

UNITED NATIONS GATE, January 22 – At the UN with Antonio Guterres 25 months into his term as Secretary General, there's talk of reform but little transparency. Now Guterres has quietly changed his failed proposal to move UN jobs out of New York, Uganda and Geneva - now proposing the jobs go to, where else, Shenzhen in China, while Guterres covers up for convicted UN briber China Energy Fund Committee. Guterres also proposing to move jobs to Montreal in Canada, a tip of his cap to Francophonie, and again to Nairobi from Uganda. Inner City Press which has reported exclusively on Guterres' bogus reforms from the beginning, and has for its troubled been roughed up by his Security and banned from entering the UN now for 202 days and counting, will have more on each of these proposals. We will put in written questions to Guterres and his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who has broken his on camera promise to answer written questions for two weeks and counting. For now, here's about Shenzhen - in connection with which, consider Guterres omission of his paid board membership on Gulbenkian Foundation which tried to sell its Partex Oil company to CEFC even after the indictment of its Patrick Ho for UN bribery: "The proposed Global Shared Service Centre in Shenzhen will consist of the Office of the Chief, as well as the Finance Section, headed by a P-5 Section Chief, and the Client Support Unit, headed by a P-4 Unit Chief, who would report to the Chief of the Global Shared Service Centre in Shenzhen. The service centre will also manage a local client support desk staffed by three General Service (Local Level) in Bangkok to provide local client support services. The local client support desk positions will be funded by general temporary assistance for a period of up to two years after implementation. 61. The proposed “Chief of Global Shared Service Centre in Shenzhen” at the D-1 level will report to the Director, Global Shared Services and would be fully accountable for the service quality and operational performance of the Global Shared Service Centre in Shenzhen, including the implementation of the performance management framework at section and individual staff levels. He or she would be responsible for the following: • Implementing the business plan of the Global Shared Service Centre in Shenzhen, whose primary objective is to efficiently and effectively provide administrative transactional services in the areas of financial transactional services; • Planning, managing and overseeing the activities of all administrative and operational components of the service centre; leading and managing the operations of the office of 195 staff (173 posts + 22 GTA positions); • Ensuring effective service delivery and achieving the operational targets and key performance indicators; • Developing and implementing quality control mechanisms in place to improve the quality and timeliness of services;  18 [A/73/706] • Cultivating a culture of client orientation and service delivery by ensuring responsiveness of service centre staff to client queries, systematically evaluating client satisfaction and making adjustments as necessary; • Leading the implementation of change management initiatives focused on process improvements, increased automation and optimization of systems and tools; • Leading the implementation of a communications strategy that provides information to all service centre’s stakeholders through open and frequent communication channels; • Leading the implementation of future service expansions in this service centre location, including expansion of client base, implementation of new services, recruitment for new service sections or units, and upgrade of office facilities and ICT infrastructure as necessary; and • Liaising with the host country as necessary and appropriate on all matters pertaining to the host country agreement. 62. The proposed P-5 post would be section chief of the Finance Section with a number of 164 staff (148 posts + 16 GTA), responsible for leading and overseeing the operations of the section, managing staff performance and resources, and coordinating activities and reports related to budget and staffing. The Finance Section consists of the Accounts Payable Unit (140 staff) and the Special Global Operations Unit (23 staff), which will initially include processes related to bank reconciliation and calculation of travel and shipping lump-sum payments. 63. The seven proposed posts at the P-4 level include the following: • One post would be unit chief of the Client Support Unit (19 staff in the centre + 3 staff in the local client support desk in Bangkok), responsible for the management and operations of the unit to ensure standardized and efficient client support. • One post would be Administrative Officer in the Office of the Chief, responsible for the overall coordination of human resources management, budget preparation and financial management (including funding and cost recovery) for the service centre. • Four posts would be Finance Officers in the Accounts Payable Unit of the Finance Section, responsible for overseeing service delivery and assist the section chief in managing staff performance in the unit. • One post would be Finance Officer in the Special Global Operations Unit, responsible for overseeing service delivery and assist the section chief in managing staff performance in the unit. 64. The ten proposed posts at the P-3 level would include the following: • One Human Resources Officer, a Finance Officer and an Information Systems Officer located in the Office of the Chief, responsible for assisting in the coordination of human resources management, budget preparation, financial management and information technology support for the service centre. • Six Finance Officers assisting the P-4 Finance Officer in overseeing service delivery in the Accounts Payable Unit and the Special Global Operations Unit of the Finance Section. • One Administrative Officer assisting the Chief of the Client Support Unit in overseeing the daily operations of the unit. 65. The proposed P-2 post would be Associate Finance Officer in the Accounts Payable Unit of the Finance Section to assist in ensuring the delivery of transactional services. 66. The proposed fifteen General Service (Principal Level) posts would be responsible for assisting the professional officers in the supervision of larger teams of General Service (Local Level) staff in the 19 [A/73/706] Finance Section (13 PL) and the Client Support Unit (2 PL), as well as carrying out more complex transactions. The 138 General Service (Local level) posts would be responsible for carrying out administrative transactional services in the Finance Section (122 OL), as well as providing client support services in the Client Support Unit (13 OL) and administrative support in the Office of the Chief (3 OL)." On 1 July 2018 there was a claim that the peacekeeping budgets tied to the supposed reforms had been "approved," with no open meeting of the Budget Committee and with Inner City Press which covers it still banned from entering the building on the weekends or evenings when the Committee had consultations, having been ousted June 22 by Guterres' gun-toting guards who refused to give their names. Video here, story here, new petition here. So Inner City Press on July 3 went to cover the Fifth Committee meeting, of which it had been officially informed by UN spokespeople. But once there, it was physically ousted by rogue UN Security Lieutenant Ronald E. Dobbins and another, right in front of ASG Christian Saunders. On July 5, Inner City Press was banned from entering the UN, even as the UN bragged of approvals. But even UN meetings coverage says what the GA approved: "Under the draft’s section IV titled “Global service delivery model for the United Nations Secretariat”, the Assembly endorsed the conclusions and recommendations in ACABQ’s report (document A/72/7/Add.50), requesting that the Secretary-General submit a new proposal for the model no later than the first resumed part of its seventy-third session — which would take fully into account paragraph 5 of the ACABQ’s report, as well as comments, observations and recommendations of the Joint Inspection Unit — and to both consult and consider Member States and relevant stakeholders." So they ousted and are banning the Press for this - disgusting.
Fox News story here, GAP blogs I and II. On July 23, with Inner City Press banned by the now vacationing Guterres for a 20th day from the UN, it asked Guterres' spokesmen in writing: "Confirm or deny what USG Khare told journalists after a closed-door meeting with the Prime Minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, that “there is no decision yet” following the July 5 resolution by the UN’s 5th Committee which rejected the proposal. “No decision has been taken yet, and all contracts of local and international staff were extended for one year until June 2019.” Has this extension been done elsewhere in the UN system? Where? Under what authority?" Of the five questions Inner City Press, this was the only one responded to so far during the briefing's time, by Farhan Haq: "On your fourth question, we confirm the accuracy of the quote and are seeking further information." On July 24, the Observer in Uganda cited Inner City Press as “the ‘nosy’ media that covers the workings of the UN" - for 22 days from a bus stop outside the UN gate, due to censorship decisions by Guterres and his Alison Smale. Now on July 25, with Inner City Press still banned from the UN and the noon briefing after 22 days, and counting, this: "Regarding your questions yesterday related to comments by Mr. Khare, we have the following: On the decision of the 5th Committee on the GSDM proposal: In July, the 5th Committee reviewed the Secretary-General's Global Service Delivery Model proposal, and requested a new proposal be submitted no later than the first resumed part of its 73rd session (March 2019). No final decision has been taken on the matter. On the extension of national staff contracts: The budget for the RSCE is approved until the end of June 2019, allowing for the extension of these contracts until 30 June 2019."

  Guterres' proposed Global Service Delivery Model (GSDM) may, despite Guterres' murky attempts to over-ride his advisory team's recommendations, be an exception, as it would eliminate jobs in New York, jobs held by Americans. But the UN's Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions slammed the proposal, as Inner City Press exclusively asked about on June 14, see below. In the UN Budget Committee at the beginning of the week members criticized Guterres' request to vote on the moving-target plan by the end of the Committee's session on Friday June 22. On June 21 Inner City Press asked Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq if Guterres expected a vote by June 22, and to explain why Guterres wants to move more jobs to Budapest given Prince Zeid's critique of just enacted Hungarian laws. Haq said the placement of UN jobs has nothing to do with human rights - clearly - and referred Inner City Press to the spokesman for the President of the General Assembly, who said the session is being extended to Sunday, June 24. But since Inner City Press has been evicted and restricted, by Guterres' spokespeople and Global Communicator Alison Smale, it cannot enter the UN to cover this big money budget session which it, alone about the UN press corps, is following. In fact, the session were held Saturday and Sunday, after Inner City Press was  ousted on Friday, June 22, video here, story here. On June 29, under the same UNexplained threat of "Gooters' Goons," Inner City Press came to cover the budget end game. Diplomats said that the US is conditioning softening its threatened budget cuts on getting reforms. Fine - but a reform that fires Americans in New York, to move jobs to Mexico City? Has their boss heard of this? Near midnight between Friday and Saturday Inner City Press asked the Chair of the UN Budget Committee Tommo Monthe of Cameroon if it would get done tonight. He said maybe. Guterres has gone beyond his own natural disinterest to actively cover up Cameroon's Biya's killings in order to get the chairman's help. But when the chips are down, Guterres is mostly about  censoring and attacking the Press that covers it and him. At the cusp of June 30 and July 1, with Inner City Press barred from the UN while Guterres virtue signals with taxpayers' money in Bangladesh, UN sycophants gushed that a $6.7 billion peacekeeping budget was approved. But that can only legitimately be done in an open session on UNTV, and there is no indication of that. Guterres' leaving town during this, and barring his lone critic, is disgusting, and those who "report" without mentioning either. All there is a document with modest reductions in peacekeeping missions. The mission in Haiti MINUJUSTAH goes does from Guterres' proposal of $124 million to $121 million; MINURSO in Western Sahara goes down from $53.9 million to $52.3 million. UNAMID in Darfur, which is being blocked in its movements to Jebal Marra, takes a hit. But no Fifth Committee plenary on UNTV, no answer to written questions, Guterres in Bangladesh claiming he will "continue" to pressure Aung San Suu Kyi's Myanmar while Sheikh Hasina continues to speak of putting the Rohingya on a far away island... well, we'll have more on this. On June 25 Guterres spokesman refused to explain, and the PGA's spokesman while confirming the sessions took place referred questions on media access to the Secretariat - which, it seems, is a corrupt censor. On June 18, Inner City Press asked when or if the criticized Guterres proposal would be considered by the UN's Fifth (Budget) Committee. Summary by UN: "The Spokesperson was asked for updates related to the General Assembly’s consideration of the Secretary-General’s Global Service Delivery Model (GSDM) report. The Spokesperson later said that an advance copy of the relevant report by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) had been released last week. As of now, no date had been announced for this agenda item to be introduced in the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee." Then Inner City Press was helpfully informed that it would be considered on June 19. At that meeting, Egypt for the G77 said it was all being rushed, as did Switzerland (which would lose jobs) and Uganda (natch). The Joint Inspection Unit panned the proposal, too. It would be absurd to consider it before the slated June 22 end of the Committee session. But this is the UN. Strangely, the US Mission to the UN supported the proposal, which would involved its citizens, General Service staff, losing jobs. This an hour before a White House press call about trade with and tariffs on China. Are these policies coherent? From Guterres, on his way to the World Cup, silence on this, and on the US impending withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council. We'll have more on this. The GSDM proposal, which Inner City Press first wrote about in early March, is to move to cheaper location(s) back office functions like human resources, payments and payroll.

Inner City Press reported -- and has published full documents on Patreon, here -- the four cities in Guterres' initial filing with ACABQ. On June 14, Inner City Press asked Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: the Administrative Committee on Advisory and Budgetary Questions [Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions] has put out a report on the Secretary-General's proposal on the global service delivery mechanism, the three cities, and moving… moving several jobs.  They… I guess the word is, reject it.  They're saying that they don't accept three cities.  There should only be two cities, one in Africa.  And they're also saying that the Secretary-General should provide further information to those impacted, including staff.  What… what is the Secretary-General's response to that?  And… and seems to… will slow down the implementation.  So what's he going to do?

Deputy Spokesman:  Regarding that, we're going to continue our dialogue with the Member States, including through the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and we'll follow up with the intention of trying to get the system in place as early as possible next year." We'll have more on this. The initially proposed four cities were Budapest, Kuala Lumpur, Mexico City and Nairobi. The first three were each the product of conflict of interest. Guterres wanted Budapest, those involved say, in order to support or cover up his Budapest move while at UNHCR. But given Victor Orban's statements, why is Antonio "Mister Migration" Guterres tweaking the process to reward Hungary? On Kuala Lumpur, UNDP in that country "lent" John Kidd to mediate or change the outside consultants' recommendations - and include KL. Now Malaysia has said it cannot or will not commit the requisite resources, and Inner City Press is informed - not by Guterres spokespeople which it has repeatedly asked - that Kuala Lumpur is out. And then there were three. Inner City Press asked in each article in this series, What will happen to Entebbe which was set up by DFS for their GFSS Global Field Support Strategy? And now Uganda's Museveni has protested to Guterres, without response. Museveni called the decision "unfair;" his foreign minister Sam Kutesa has threatened to call a vote in the General Assembly, of which he was president (and allegedly accepted bribes from Patrick Ho of China Energy Fund Committee, still in Special Consultative status with UN ECOSOC. On May 7, Inner City Press asked Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric, again, about the GSDM and specifically about Uganda - and it turns out Guterres spoke with Kutesa, though presumably not about the CEFC bribery scandal, on which Guterres has yet to act. From the UN transcript: Inner City Press: I want to ask you again about this global service delivery mechanism.  Seems that… you'd said you were going to give some granular guidance, but I wanted to ask you if it's the case that Kuala Lumpur has dropped out of the four cities and, if so, why, and also if you can confirm the receipt of a letter by the President of Uganda protesting  their non-selection in… despite having this Entebbe situation and the various critiques he's made in it.  There's been a call… at least they've said that Sam Kutesa, which… a name from the past, may call a vote in the General Assembly about the selection of Nairobi over them.  And staff are… are… many people and I've asked here to see the underlying recommendations of how these cities were selected.

Spokesman:  Not aware of Kuala Lumpur.  On Entebbe, the Secretary-General spoke last week with the Foreign Minister of Uganda to explain the situation to him.  A number of functions related to peacekeeping will remain in Entebbe.

Inner City Press:  Could I ask you…

Spokesman:  Go ahead.

Inner City Press: I want to ask you another… since it seem… so, was that called before or after the reported letter from the President?

Spokesman:  It was before.  I'm not… I can't confirm the letter's been received." On May 18, Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Farhan Haq about reports in Uganda, video here, UN transcript here: in Uganda it's reported that the Global Service Delivery Mechanism reform would result in the loss of 290 jobs in the Entebbe centre and 205 of whom are Ugandan nationals, and so this is all over press there.  And I've also seen it described that 58 jobs from Geneva would be moved to Budapest.  Are these the real numbers? And…  and when is the time where the Secretary-General will actually publicly say the impact of this proposed reform?

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, this is still something that's under discussion, so I don't think we can treat anything as final.  As we've made clear, we will continue with the use of Entebbe as a regional base for many of our functions." Many now say, particularly seeing a recent directive of ECLAC (on Patreon here) which is Alicia Barcena's other job, that Mexico City as a late replacement for Brazil was a favor for her. (Guterres, who only returned to New York on May 4 and from whose Lusophone garden party in the UN on May 5 his UN Security sought to ban Inner City Press from covering despite it being in the Media Alert of Alison Smale's DPI, will on May 7 and 8 be in Cuba with ECLAC; we'll have more on this). Impacted staff in Santiago are being told they can move to Mexico City - but G staff in New York cannot. We've put a memo on suspended external recruitment on Patreon, here. Now staff have provided Inner City Press with these critiques and comments, from before KL's drop out, posted and awaiting response from Guterres' Secretariat: "So the basis on which to choose the four locations, potentially leading to significant job losses elsewhere, was made on the basis of the three-page report (A/72/801/Add.1) mentioned above? Or are there other reports and behind-the-scenes decisions that aren't being shared in this rather brief article?

(2): In A/72/801/Add.1, one of the Assessment criteria is language requirements (II. 3. (c) “The specific requirements of different parts of the Secretariat, including language requirements”). However, the results of the assessment indicated that Budapest, Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur and Mexico City were the highest scoring as they were deemed, among other criteria, to have “sufficient language capacity to serve global clients”, IV. 6. (c). Knowing that there are six official languages of the UN: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish with English and French as the working languages, how did the drafters of the Report of the Secretary-General and those who carried out the assessment (whomever they are) appraise that these locations do have “sufficient language capacity” unless it was decided that the official languages of the UN is only English, and incidentally Spanish?

(3): It is striking that the costs (staff, operations, setup) do NOT include the heavy and continuing costs of headquarters staff trying to work with out-stationed staff. The 2016 JIU report identified this as a weakness in past business case analysis and it is repeated here. I see the costs here with my FAO colleagues trying to work with Budapest and they are quite significant in terms of lost staff time." Guterres? On April 18, Inner City Press asked Guterres' spokesman Dujarric again, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: I've asked a couple times about this global service delivery mechanism, which sounds very dry, but would actually move 600 jobs out of New York to Mexico City, Budapest…

Spokesman:  You know, I apologise.  I will have language for you on that.

Inner City Press: Even more than language, I want to add an extra question before… maybe this… maybe the language is already written, but there seems to be a question, not only just about how the cities were selected, particularly Budapest, where, in the past, the Secretary-General, António Guterres, in his former job, already moved jobs to Budapest.  And I'm wondering, does he have any thoughts now that there are protests about Viktor Orbán and the position on migration of moving more jobs to Hungary?

Spokesman:  I will get back to you on all of that.

Inner City Press: And… and has… how was it decided that four cities was the right run…?  There seems to be a question about that.

Spokesman:  I will get back to you. " But he hasn't. On April 13, Inner City Press again asked Guterres' spokesman Dujarric who dodged and then said he'd get "granular guidance" - then hours later left for the weekend having provided no information. From the UN transcript: Inner City Press: I had also asked you sometime before about this… this is I think you will know about, the global supply delivery mechanism or GSDM, and the proposal by the Secretary-General to move jobs out of New York and elsewhere to four cities.  I mean, it's now an official document, the ACABQ [Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions], and I guess I wanted… what I'm hearing from people in the process is that the consultant's recommendation of cities, in fact, were not the ones that the Secretary-General has proposed to a ACABQ, that there were some changes, for example, to include Mexico City, that… that an individual from Kuala Lumpur, from… from Malaysia UNDP was involved, a Mr. John Kidd, and somehow Kuala Lumpur showed up…

Spokesman:  You know, I think there's a process.  The report will go to the Fifth Committee.

Inner City Press:   My question is whether the underlying consultant's report that was paid for with public money will be released, as I understand ACABQ has asked they should get it, but I’m saying since it's the public's money…

Spokesman:  I have no information it to share with you on this at this point.  Yes, go ahead.

Inner City Press:  And you said, I asked you, it’s not just sharing, in your previous answer you had said, “Don't worry.  Staff have a right to move.”  That was my understanding of your answer, when I said the effect of this proposal, just as to the United States…

Spokesman:  I think I said… the thrust of my answer is that there are procedures in place.

Inner City Press:   But my question to you, and maybe you'll answer it or not, is that G staff have no right to move, even if they wanted to move to Mexico City and keep their jobs, they are unable, as G staff, to do so.

Spokesman:  I will try to get some granular guidance.

Inner City Press:  On ECLAC [Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean], as well, because I see an amendment on moving ECLAC to Mexico.  It’s public money.

Spokesman:  I'm not debating the fact that it's public money." Then, no answer. Public money wasted, without accountability. We'll have more on this.

Inner City Press was exclusively told by whistleblowers that Guterres wanted to pick Budapest as he did at UNHCR - among his other nicknames he's become known to some as Antonio "Budapest" Guterres. There's talk of wasted spending to try to get Entebbe on the list. On April 5 after publishing this exclusive, Inner City Press asked Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who six hours later provided no explanation at all. From the UN transcript: Inner City Press: My understanding is, after a review of 45 cities, António Guterres has selected four cities as the winners of 684 UN posts:  Mexico City, Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur, and Budapest, which it had chosen previously.  And I just wanted to know, it seems like it's a big thing that they've just told ACABQ what the four cities are.  What's the logic behind it?  What's the impact on… on… are the people… are people that are employed here, particularly local staff… are they able to move to these new jobs, or are they going to terminated?  Are new jobs going to be found for them?  And how did he select these four out of the 45 cities listed?

Spokesman:  It went through a rigorous process you know, I will have to check, but my understanding is that, obviously, whenever jobs are moved, staff always have the option of moving with the post.  But let me try to get some more detailed language on that." Six hours later, nothing. Inner City Press also asked the spokesman for the President of the General Assembly, who replied "On the Secretary-General’s Global Service Delivery Model (GSDM) report, an advance unedited version of the report has been shared with Member States and is being considered today by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ). The report will then be considered by the Fifth Committee in its second resumed session in May before going to the General Assembly plenary. Fifth Committee decisions are traditionally based on consensus." We'll have more on this. Earlier documents referred to Locations A (Budapest) B (Nairobi) C (Kuala Lumpur) and D (Mexico City) in the report.   The supplementary information containing the locations were distributed to the ACABQ members on April 4, Inner City Press has learned. The other (losing) candidates: "The United Nations Secretariat is currently conducting negotiations with the relevant member states. The names of the locations will be released to the committees through supplementary information. The 45 locations include Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Almaty, Amman, Apia, Bangkok, Beirut, Bonn, Brindisi, Budapest, Cairo, Copenhagen, Dakar,
Dubai, Entebbe, Fukuoka, Geneva, Incheon, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Kathmandu, Kigali, Kingston, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait City, Lusaka, Manama, Mexico City, Montevideo, Nairobi, New Delhi, New York, Niamey, Panama City, Port of Spain, Rabat, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Santiago, Suva, Tashkent, Valencia, Vienna, Washington D.C., Yaoundé." Some are surprised Guterres didn't go with Yaounde, Cameroon, since he took Biya's golden statue. Washington DC never had a chance...  The whistleblowers tell Inner City Press that dozens of jobs would be eliminated in New York, 75% of them held by women, of whom Guterres speaks so much. More than three dozens of those fired would be from the United States, which as was pointed out in September pays a quarter of the bills. What ever the wisdom, more transparency is needed. But to the contrary, Guterres and his Global Communicator Alison Smale continue to restrict the Press that asks, awarding its long time UN work space to a no-show Egyptian state media, Sanaa Youssef of Akhbar al Yom. On February 28, Guterres' UN Security told Inner City Press to stop recording, as Guterres was offering his "very very warm regards" to Sisi. Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric does not answer Inner City Press' written questions; he evicted and still restricts Inner City Press. This is today's UN. And this: after Inner City Press asked at noon on March 2 about Guterres' "reform" and his spokesman Stephane Dujarric promised to look into it and provide an answer, five hours later... nothing. Some reform. From the UN's March 2 transcript: Inner City Press:  I've been hearing a lot talk about this “global service delivery model” and some people it seems if… unless I have it wrong, that there's going to be an outsourcing or offshoring of human resources and payroll jobs, and from what I've heard they're mostly general service jobs, basically a straight elimination of some 90 posts.  But what I wanted to know is people don't know where it's going.  One, can the general service staff, if they choose to, follow the jobs?  And is it true that Brazil is one of the candidates?  There's just a lot of… it's supposedly by March 15th they have to present…Spokesman:  Let me… I will try to get an update for you." Five hours later, nothing. Even on the environment, the UN's last refuge as it fails under Antonio Guterres on conflict prevention and anti-corruption, the UN is in decay. Guterres' deputy Amina J. Mohammed has refused Press questions since November on her role in signing 4000 certificates to export from Nigeria and Cameroon endangered rosewood already in China. Guterres, Mohammed and Alison Smale's only response has been to censor and continue to restrict the Press which asks, despite 5000 signature petition, UNanswered...

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