As PGA
Lykketoft Says
He'd Prefer
Dane For
UNHCR, Cites
All's Role on
Refugees
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 21
-- When new
President of
the UN General
Assembly
Mogens
Lykketoft
spoke to the
press on
September 15
at the UNGA
stakeout
position,
Inner City
Press tried
repeatedly to
ask him how
the General
Assembly under
his leadership
will select a
new head of
the UN Office
of the High
Commissioner
for Refugees,
from among
candidates
that include
fellow Dane
Helle
Thorning-Schmidt.
UN
video here,
and see below.
Lykketoft
replied that
his preference
for a fellow
Dane was
"obvious."
Given that
UNHCR has
criticized
Denmark's
restrictions
on and
treatment of
refugees,
including
under the
tenure of
Thorning-Schmidt,
to say nothing
of UN Charter
Article 100,
it is by no
means obvious.
Now, with most
but not all of
his "team"
selected, at
least eight of
26 are Danish
(that is, over
30%), with
some
nationalities
and even job
descriptions
not listed.
One question,
that will be
asked, is who
should make
the decision
whether the
transmission
for the UNHCR
post of a
single name by
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon is
sufficient,
given the call
for
transparency?
On
September 20
with no
embargo
Lykketoft's
office issued
-- apparently
without irony
- a press
release that
all nations
must take in
refugees.
Including
Denmark? Here
is the press
release:
"Press Release
ALL NATIONS
MUST
CONTRIBUTE TO
SOLVING
REFUGEE
CRISIS, URGES
PRESIDENT OF
UN GENERAL
ASSEMBLY ON
INTERNATIONAL
DAY OF PEACE
UNITED
NATIONS, New
York, 21
September 2015
– All
countries must
contribute to
solving the
global refugee
crisis,
whether they
have the
luxury of
distance or
face the
challenges of
proximity. The
international
community has
an unequivocal
obligation
towards the
women, men and
children
seeking refuge
from conflict
and violence,
the President
of the UN
General
Assembly said
today, the
International
Day of Peace.
At his first
press
conference
since taking
office as the
President of
the 70th
session of the
United Nations
General
Assembly last
Tuesday, H.E.
Mogens
Lykketoft
called on the
Member States
of the United
Nations to
urgently live
up to their
international
obligations
and to take
courageous
decisions to
address the
needs of
refugees
around the
world.
“The world has
not seen a
global
humanitarian
crisis of this
magnitude
since the
Second World
War and with
winter
approaching in
the northern
hemisphere, it
is only going
to get worse,”
he warned.
“The tragic
stories and
heart-breaking
images we are
seeing in the
media are only
the tip of the
iceberg – the
manifestation
of much bigger
issues which
only
multilateral
cooperation
and global
leadership can
solve. This is
a global
crisis. And it
requires a
global
solution.
"Rich
countries
should either
welcome more
refugees or
give more
funds to
supporting
them, and
preferably
both. Saying
no to both is
not an
option," he
added.
The General
Assembly has
declared 21
September as
the
International
Day of Peace
-- a day
devoted to
strengthening
the ideals of
peace, both
within and
among all
nations and
peoples. The
theme of this
year’s
commemoration
is
“Partnerships
for Peace –
Dignity for
All”.
Mr Lykketoft
has spent his
first week in
office
discussing the
global refuge
crisis with a
number of
concerned
Member States
and intends to
shortly
convene a
meeting of the
General
Assembly on
this issue,
building on a
high-level
meeting being
organised by
the UN
Secretary-General
on 30
September.
“The majority
of people
fleeing war
and violence
are refugees
and have the
right to seek
asylum without
any form of
discrimination.
It is not a
crime to seek
refuge and
asylum. The
future of
millions of
women, men and
children are
at stake. We
need to ensure
that our
responses are
tangible,
focused and
that we work
towards
lasting,
sustainable
solutions.”
Mr. Lykketoft
said he
intended to
discuss the
issue with
Pope Francis
during his
visit to the
UN on Friday.
He will also
bring it to
the direct
attention of
the more than
160 Heads of
State and
Government who
will be
attending the
General
Debate.
“The situation
of refugees
and migrants
crossing into
Europe from
the Middle
East and
Africa is of
serious
concern to me.
I have already
stressed the
individual and
collective
responsibility
of European
states to
respond
responsibly
and humanely.
I also
encourage
other
countries to
demonstrate
their sense of
humanity and
participate in
voluntary
resettlement
programmes,”
Mr. Lykketoft
noted on the
refugee crisis
in the
Mediterranean
basin.
“We need to
ensure that
countries
affected by
the arrival of
refugees,
particularly
Syria’s
neighbouring
countries,
receive the
support and
assistance
necessary to
address the
needs of these
vulnerable
populations.
We also need
to ensure that
UN and relief
agencies
working
closely with
refugees in
the region
have the
needed funding
to fully and
promptly
carryout their
support to
those in need.
'The United
Nations was
created 70
years ago with
the
fundamental
purpose of
promoting
peace,
protecting
vulnerable
populations
and ensuring
their human
rights. If we
continue to
idle and
hesitate, we
will fail
those we are
entrusted to
protect,' he
said."
One
question is,
what will be
Lykkotoft's
relation
during his
tenure with Denmark?
Another
question: is
it the role of
the press to
inquire into
and cover
officials like
Lykketoft, or
to praise and
"toast" them
before seeing
what they do
at the UN? The
UN Censorship
Alliance
promote such a
"toast" to
those who pay
it money;
later, Team
Lykketoft,
under the
rubric
President's
Blog (though
in the third
person) said
that the press
corp had
warmly
welcomed him.
That is an
incomplete
assessment.
And his praise
was for... a war
criminal's
landlord.
Ah, the UN.
(As an
aside, the UN
Censorship
Alliance
didn't hold
any similar
toasting event
with
Lykketoft's
predecessor
from Uganda.
Just for
internal
consistency in
sycophantry,
one must ask
why.)
As
Inner City
Press noted
on
September 15
about that
first stakeout,
after some
behind the
scenes
lobbying, the
first question
to Lykketoft,
even at the
UNGA stakeout,
was set aside
for the UN
Correspondents
Association,
an
organization
which not all
reporters at
the UN choose
to join, and
which the UN
has worked
with to try to
get the investigative
pressthrown
out of the UN
(making it the
UN's
Censorship
Alliance.)
On
September 18,
UNCA announced
to those who
pay it money
that they will
have Lykketoft
himself inside
the clubhouse
the UN gives
them, as the
UN's
Censorship
Alliance.
This
comes after
more lobbying
of Team
Lykketoft by
UNCA's
"leader" - who
previously rented
one of his
apartments to
Sri Lanka's
Palitha Kohona
then granted
Kohona a "UN"
screening of
his
government's genocide
denial film
"Lies Agreed
To" without
approval from
UNCA Executive
Committee
members
including
Inner City
Press at that
time, before
Inner City
Press quit
UNCA and
co-founded,
with another
disgusted UNCA
board member
who had
earlier left
the group, the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access, FUNCA.
Before
quitting UNCA,
Inner City
Press
specifically
complained of
UNCA's
sycophantry
with those
whom
journalists
are supposed
to cover,
including
UNCA's Pioli
handing a gift
to a
spokesperson -
right in the
UN Briefing
Room. What do
event this
week portend?
We'll have
more on this.
Back on
September 15,
after UNCA had
demanded a set
aside question
for which
there is no
tradition and
Inner City
Press had then
managed to ask
its UNHCR
question,
Lykketoft
replied, “I
discuss that
with the
Secretary
General. Don't
ask for my
preference,
because that's
obvious, where
I come from.
There will be
a proposal by
the Secretary
General to the
General
Assembly. How
that will
evolve, I'm
not sure.
We'll discuss
it in the near
future.”
Inner City
Press: On
refugees, the
notice put out
by the
Secretary-General
for
nominations
for… to
replace… to
succeed Mr.
[Antonio]
Guterres, top
UNHCR, said to
apply by 14
September.
Can you say
how many
people have
applied?
Can you
confirm Filippo
Grandi is an
applicant?
Given now that
the GA has
asked for
greater
transparency
in the
selection of
the SG, what's
the process
here? Is
there going to
be a panel to
interview
people?
How does it
work?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
The process is
being guided
by direct… by…
excuse me… by
direct… by…
excuse me, by
a directive
from the
General
Assembly.
I can make
that
public.
We will not be
releasing a
short list or
any other
details.
Inner City
Press:
Is there a
panel to
interview
people?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
There's always
a panel.
Inner City
Press:
Who's on the
panel?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
I have no
other details
to share with
you.
Three months
earlier on
June 15, after
Lykketoft was
elected (by
acclamation,
without
opposition) as
the next
President of
the UN General
Assembly,
Inner City
Press asked
him how he
would run the
upcoming
process to
select the
next Secretary
General.
Lykkotoft
replied that
he had heard
from the heads
of all five UN
regional
groups a
desire for a
more open
process, with
multiple
candidates
making
presentations.
One wonders if
Lykketoft
believes the
position is
reserved for
the Eastern
European Group
(he was the
candidate of
the Western
European and
Other Group,
and got the
post by
regional
rotation), but
there was not
yet time to
ask.
Inner
City Press
also asked
Lykketoft for
his view on
the scandal of
the UN's cover
up of sexual
abuse of
children in
the Central
African
Republic by
French
“peacekeepers,”
and then
retaliation
against fellow
Scandinavian
Anders Kompass
of Sweden.
Lykketoft said
he is aware of
the case but
thought it
better not to
comment for
now. He said
the same in
response to
most other
questions, for
example on
Palestine. (Periscope
video here).
Footnote: The
first question
was set aside
for UNCA,
become the UN's
Censorship
Alliance,
which used it
to say that
SDGs is the
most boring
name. Takes
one to know
one. If
Lykketoft can
run a more
transparent
process to
select the
next SG, he
will have done
well. Inner
City Press and
the new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
will stay on
this. Watch
this site. Follow @innercitypressFollow @FUNCA_info
, 
