As UN
PGA Lykketoft
Speaks on
Denmark, ICP
on Use of UN
Platform
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 29 --
Since Mogens
Lykketoft took
over as UN
President of
the General
Assembly,
Inner City
Press has
asked him
about Denmark:
Danish former
PM Helle
Thorning
Schmidt using
his office if
not him to
campaign to
head UNHCR,
and funds from
Denmark and
others. Now,
Inner City
Press has
asked
Lykketoft's
office about
his comments
about Denmark,
so far without
answer.
On the
morning of
January 29,
Inner City
Press asked
Lykketoft's
two
spokespeople:
“This is a
request for
quick comment
on what PGA
Lykketoft has
been quoted as
saying about
Denmark (see below).
Among other
things, can
you explain
the use of
(UN)
background,
and how the
PGA intends to
use his
platform at
the UN with
regard to
Denmark's
reputation.”
But
there has been
no answer.
Inner City
Press' sources
have provided
this loose
summary:
“A tired and
sad Lykketoft
explains that
his choice of
words in his
private
birthday party
speech were
not for public
consumption.
He did not
plan the leak.
He understands
that people in
Denmark have
attacked his
choice of
words. He
spoke with
humor and did
*not* make any
implied
allegations of
wrongdoing. He
did not
imagine that
some of his
guests would
forward his
speech to the
press.
“But he is
very sad about
the state of
Denmark, and
he is sad that
the former
government
could not
prevent the
liberals and
Løkke getting
into power. He
stresses that
is not happy
at all of what
is said abroad
about Denmark
for the
moment. This
is much more
serious. This
has damaged
Denmark's
reputation.We
have a common
obligation to
minimize the
damages. He
will do it
from his
platform in
the UN.”
Inner
City Press'
questions, in
part, about
about this use
of the UN
platform.
We'll have
more on this.
Two weeks
after UN
President of
the General
Assembly
Mogens
Lykketoft said
that in the
wake of the
indictment of
his
predecessor
John Ashe he
would be more
transparent,
on November 17
Inner City
Press asked
Lykketoft's
spokesperson
for basic
disclosures:
of Lykketoft's
daily
schedule, and
of what
gratuities he
receives,
including free
tickets to
events others
are paying
for, sometimes
substantially
paying for. Video here, and embedded below.
Lykketoft's
spokesperson
said he was
not disclosing
his daily
schedule due
to concerns
raised by his
security
detail. But
these are from
the UN
Department of
Safety and
Security, the
same DSS which
provides
security to
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon and
his Deputy Jan
Eliasson, for
both of whom a
daily
scheduled is
published, in
advance.
On
gratuities
including free
tickets,
Lykketoft's
spokesperson
said it was
the type of
disclosure
that Lykketoft
had said he
would make --
then he added
that in some
even most of
these cases
Lykketoft
would be
attending in
his official
capacity and
therefore not
expected to
pay.
That's
what makes it
a gratuity
that should be
disclosed.
Let's
take an
example. As
Inner City
Press has
raised, the UN
Correspondents
Association is
soliciting
$6,000 or more
for tickets to
its “ball” on
Wall Street,
including
sitting at the
“VIP” table.
This seems
like selling
access to Ban
Ki-moon -- a
sample
Permanent
Representative
approached
Inner City
Press and
called UNCA's
solicitation
“disgusting”
-- and one
wonders what
Lykketoft
things about
it. More
pertinently,
is he
participating
in it? Either
taking a
comped ticket,
or worse,
sitting at the
very VIP table
access to
which is being
sold?
Here is UNCA's
recent pitch:
"Dear
Ambassador,
The United
Nations
Correspondents
Association is
honored to
invite you to
participate
and contribute
to the 20th
annual UNCA
Awards event
with guest of
honor U.N.
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
and H.S.H.
Prince Albert
II of Monaco,
recipient of
the 2015
Global
Advocate of
the Year Award
for climate
change.
Exclusive
raffle prizes
include
business class
airline
tickets around
the world with
hotel
accommodations
and a grand
prize FIAT
500X car. As
your esteemed
presence will
ensure the
success of
this event, we
are pleased to
send you the
below
opportunities
to attend the
gala dinner:
Mission Table
Special Price
/ $6000
(half-table) 5
seats at VIP
table at the
gala event
Special
Ambassador
Contribution /
$2,000 -1 VIP
ticket for
Ambassador
with premium
seating to
dinner + 1
complimentary
VIP ticket for
spouse or
guest -Special
acknowledgement
of the
Ambassador and
the Mission in
the UNCA
Awards Journal
of the evening
-Additional
tickets for UN
Diplomats of
the Mission
can be
purchased at
the special
price of $750
each
Giampaolo
Pioli, UNCA
President
Please make
all checks
payable to
'UNCA Awards
Committee'
Contributions
to the UNCA
Awards
Committee are
tax
deductible.
The UNCA
Awards
Committee is a
501-c(3)"
What -
to sell photo
ops with Ban
Ki-moon to
businessness /
brothel owners
indicted for
corruption and
out on $50
million bail,
the same money
used to make
contributions
and then get
UNCA
"journalism"
awards?
These
UNCA prices,
though
elevated, are
less than what
UNCA took from
Ng Lap Seng's
vehicles.
Having
been told by
the UN Office
of the
Spokesperson
to ask the
PGA's office
where Ashe's
and Sam
Kutesa's
documents are,
Inner City
Press asked
the PGA
Office's
spokesperson -
who said they
don't have
them. Round
and round,
UNreformed.
Inner
City Press
will, of
course, be
covering the
UN General
Assembly
session on
November 20
about
migration and
refugees, and
the Third
Committee,
etc. But these
are very basic
disclosures
that are being
requested -
the
information
should be
disclosed.
Back on
November 4,
without one
mentioning the
name of John
Ashe, much
less his
fellow
indictees Ng
Lap Seng,
Frank Lorenzo
and Sheri Yan,
on November 3
both UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon and
President of
the General
Assembly
Mogens
Lykketoft gave
speeches about
post-indictment
reform.
After
the two
speeches,
Inner City
Press asked
Lykketoft
about his
proposal still
allow
financial
flows from
"host
organization[s]"
like Ng Lap
Seng's Sun
Kian Ip Group
and if
Lykketoft
would
establish a
Freedom of
Information
procedure so
that the Press
and public
could
requested
documents.
Lykketoft
replied, on
this, "we have
no access
whatsoever to
documents from
earlier PGA
offices." Video here.
Then
when Inner
City Press
asked UN
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric,
"Does the
Secretariat
have any of
Mr. Kutesa or
Ashe’s
documents?"
Dujarric
replied, "I’m
not aware that
we do, because
those are the
documents held
by the
presidents
themselves."
This is
a major
problem - how
can this be?
On November 4,
Inner City
Press asked
again, video
here, UN transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: I
wanted to ask
about these
documents as
well, because
it seems, it
was pretty
extraordinary
yesterday that
Mr. Lykketoft
said he has no
records of
Ashe or Kutesa
and what you
said
here. So
I wanted to
ask you a very
specific
question, for
example, in
the charge
document by
the FBI
[Federal
Bureau of
Investigation]
there is
extensive
emailing
between Ng Lap
Seng and his
affiliates and
the PGA.
There's also
reference to
the Chief of
Staff and
people that
are actually
UN staff
members.
And I'm… I've
looked at this
thing called
archives.un.org,
which
instructs
staff to,
like, retain
records,
record-retention
policy.
So I wanted
you to know or
to say maybe
later today,
would emails
from these
outside
parties to
people working
in Mr. Ashe's
office, such
as the Chief
of Staff, have
been retained?
Spokesman:
I think, the
office the
President of
the General
Assembly is
run by the
President of
the General
Assembly.
So I would
encourage you
to aim your
questions in
that
direction.
Inner City
Press:
We asked
yesterday and
he said he has
nothing…
Spokesman:
I can't… I
can't speak to
the details of
how either Mr.
Ashe or others
have run their
offices.
Inner City
Press:
But do you see
the problem on
this?
Spokesman:
I'm not
arguing with
you about the
line of
questioning.
I just… that's
as far as I
can go.
Lykketoft on
November 3
published some
"transparency"
material on
his Office's
website which,
upon Inner
City Press
review,
appears
largely
derived from a
previous PGA
Handbook by
Switzerland
and "its" PGA
Deiss. That
docuemnt
states:
... "the
Department for
General
Assembly and
Conference
Management
(DGACM)
Executive
Office is
responsible
for all
financial,
personnel, and
general
administrative
matters
concerning
DGACM,
including the
Office of the
PGA.. In
executing
his/her
duties, the
PGA is
supported by
the Office of
the President
of the General
Assembly
(Office of the
PGA, or OPGA).
The team
supporting the
PGA is also
called “the
Cabinet of the
PGA.” Although
the Office of
the PGA is
independent in
the execution
of its
mandate, for
administrative
purposes it is
attached to
the Department
for General
Assembly and
Conference
Management
(DGACM)."
So
doesn't DGACM
have these
documents?
Here's a UN
"Frequently
Asked
Questions"
Inner City
Press has
found:
"records, like
all assets,
are the
property of
the
Organisation...You
need to list
the most
important
groups of
records and
documents
required to
fulfill your
function. You
should be
familiar with
how these key
records are
protected, who
has access to
them and how
long they need
to be kept.
What are you
and your team
members
specific
responsibilities?"
What,
indeed. We
will have more
on this. Watch
this site.
From the PGA's
Office's
transcript:
Inner City
Press: thanks
for doing the
stakeout.
I see in your
information
note under
official
travel, it
says that
other funding
sources can be
used including
host
organisation.
And since some
of the
allegations
are that, for
example, as
recently as
August 2015,
Mr. Ng Lap
Seng and his
Sun Kian Ip
foundation...
he's since
been
indicted...
travel for UN
staff,
ambassadors
and others to
Macau, how is
this going to
close that
loophole in
which a
business...
in... in... a
business
executive can
offer luxury
hotels,
first-class
tickets to
faraway
places?
And I also
wanted to ask
you... I'm
going to say
this, I guess,
diplomatically.
The Presidents
of the 68th
and 69th
sessions, both
of their
spouses took
compensated
positions with
NGOs that have
since been...
the heads have
since been
indicted,
Global
Sustainability
Foundation and
South-South
News, I mean
the heads of
each.
How would you
address
that?
And, finally,
would you
consider
implementing
some sort of a
freedom of
information
policy in your
office i.e.,
rather than
just putting
things on your
website, if
the press or
public make a
request for a
document,
unless there's
some reason to
withhold it,
to make it
available in a
certain period
of time?
Thanks a
lot.
Sorry for the
long question.
President
Lykketoft:
"I think I'm
not able to go
much further
into the
accusations
raised.
That's not for
me to... to
comment
on. And
I can say that
we have no
access and
thus maybe
also a
procedure that
should be
changed in the
future, but we
have no access
whatsoever to
documents from
earlier PGA
offices.
So I can't
give you any
details about
what was
present there
and... and...
in that
connection, I
think, it's...
it's of
interest what
the
Secretary-General
just said
about the
investigation
he has put
into force
about what is
of information
in connection
with the case
in other parts
of the UN
organisation.
But we have no
access to any
of this now if
you look
backwards.
If you look
forwards, of
course, I
would be
willing to
provide any
kind of access
to information
about
travelling I
do during my
tenure as
President.
Much of what
we have
committed
ourselves to
do has to be
generalized
during the
considerations
in the General
Assembly over
the
revitalisation,
probably in...
in the
shape... in
the form of
resolution.
But what I can
tell you here
is what we
will do, how
we will
proceed with
the openness
of information
during this
coming year."
Dujarric tried
to say that
having records
about the
Trust Fund
account that
Ashe barely
used was
enough. But
where are the
documents? Is
there no UN
document
retention
policy
applicable
here? Dujarric
did not
answer. We'll
have (much)
more on this.
Mogen
Lykketoft,
meanwhile,
couldn't bring
himself to say
Ashe's name,
only referring
to the
President of
the 68th
General
Assembly
session.
Lykketoft, who
allowed his
Office to be
used for
fellow Dane
Helle
Thorning-Schmidt
to campaign
for the top
spot in the
UN's refugee
agency UNHCR,
said he will
be making
reform
proposals. We
will be there
- with
questions for
Lykketoft.
Ban
again
mentioned what
he told Inner
City Press at
his last
stakeout, a
task force
under his chef
of staff
Susana
Malcorra. But
as Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Dujarric, with
all due
respect, Malcorra
accepted one
of Ng's South
South Awards,
for Ban.
We'll have
more on this.
, 
