New SG
Guterres Hears
from 56
Countries in
100 Minutes,
Shouts Out
Colombia
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 19 --
When
new UN
Secretary
General
Antonio
Guterres came
to take
questions
outside the
General
Assembly hall
on October 13,
he was first
asked about
Syria and
cited his past
as head of the
UN refugee
agency.
Inner
City Press
asked, “And
Yemeni
people?” -
referring most
recently to
the double-tap
airstrike on
the funeral in
Sana'a.
Guterres took
the question,
adding in
South Sudan as
well, and said
he will try to
be an honest
broker. That
would be a
welcome
change, and
one that we
will closely
cover as
censorship
restrictions
are lifted.
On
October 19,
Guterres had a
first
“inter-active”
with the
General
Assembly. This
consisted of
speeches on
behalf of
groups,
followed by
Guterres'
response.
He
cited gender
parity and
regional
balance in
appointments
to top posts,
the
integration of
the three
pillars of the
UN -- peace
and security,
sustainable
development
and human
rights -- and
ended with a
shout-out to
the Colombian
Ambassador and
peace process.
(Inner City Press
questioned UN
envoy Jean
Armault about
Colombia
earlier on
October 19.)
Then there
were 100
minutes for 56
countries, so
(less than)
two minutes
each.
President of
the General
Assembly Peter
Thomson gently
banged his
gavel when
Deputy
Ambassador
Sison of the
host country,
USA, went
over-time. The
UK's Permanent
Representative
Matthew
Rycroft
brought his in
within time,
citing Syria
but not Yemen,
on which UK
plays a role.
Japan hammered
on North Korea
and Security
Council
reform.
Slovakia's
Permanent
Representative,
who had a
candidate who
shot up in the
polls only to
fall just as
fast, spoke of
the number of
babies born
and trees cut
down in two
minutes,
making many
delegates look
up from their
smart phones.
Guterres'
transition
team, beside
and behind
him, listened
and took
notes.
On
October 14,
Guterres
announced this
team:
"Following
his
appointment
yesterday by
the General
Assembly of
the United
Nations as
Secretary-General-designate,
António
Guterres
announced the
composition of
a transition
team that will
help him
prepare for
the assumption
of his duties
on 1 January
2017. Here's
some of the
absurdities
they should
fix, on Haiti
cholera
and media
restrictions.
The members of
the team are:
Transition
Team Chief:
Ms. Kyung-wha
Kang (Republic
of Korea). She
previously
served as
Deputy High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights and
Director
General of
International
Relations at
the Ministry
of Foreign
Affairs and
Trade of the
Republic of
Korea. She is
currently
Deputy
Emergency
Relief
Coordinator
and Assistant
Secretary-General
for
Humanitarian
Affairs.
Senior
Advisor/
Spokesperson:
Ms. Melissa
Fleming (USA).
She has held
leading
international
communications
positions at
the OSCE, with
a focus on
human rights,
conflict
prevention and
reconciliation
and at the
IAEA on
nuclear
non-proliferation,
safety and
security. She
is currently
Head of
Communications
and
Spokesperson
for the High
Commissioner
at UNHCR.
Senior
Adviser: Ms.
Michelle
Gyles-McDonnough
(Jamaica). She
has practiced
privately as a
lawyer, served
as advisor to
the Secretary
General of the
Organization
of American
States and has
deep
development
experience
within UNDP,
including as
UN Resident
Coordinator
for Malaysia,
Singapore and
Brunei
Darussalam.
She’s
currently
Deputy
Assistant
Administrator
and Deputy
Regional
Director
Designate for
Asia and the
Pacific.
Senior
Adviser: Mr.
João Madureira
(Portugal). He
has a
distinguished
career in his
country’s
Diplomatic
Service. He is
currently
Minister
Counsellor in
the Permanent
Mission of
Portugal to
the UN.
Senior
Adviser: Mr.
Radhouane
Nouicer
(Tunisia). He
served at
UNHCR for over
18 years in
the field and
as Director of
the Middle
East and North
Africa Bureau.
He was
Secretary of
State for
Foreign
Affairs in the
Tunisian
Transitional
Government in
2011. He is
currently
Regional
Advisor for
the Yemen
Humanitarian
Crisis.
The Transition
Team will
interact with
UN officials,
Member States
and civil
society to
ensure an
informed and
smooth
transition. "
On October 14
inside the GA
hall, speakers
included
Chile's
Ambassador
Christian
Barros and the
UK's Matthew
Rycroft, who
spoke of the
process by
which Guterres
was selected
(but not,
perhaps
understandably,
about Yemen).
US Ambassador
Samantha Power
joked that she
had set aside
time around
Christmas in
case more
straw polls
were needed.
In the days
and weeks
ahead, Inner
City Press
will be
running its
“New UN”
series, which
today covered
the Office for
the
Coordination
of
Humanitarian
Affairs. The
need for
change at UN
Peacekeeping
and the
Department of
Public
Information is
clear. But how
will the UN
become
anything near
to an honest
broker? We are
hoping for it.
Watch this
site.
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