In UN
Sex Scandal
Inner City
Press' Told
IAEA DG Knew
of Krems-Gate,
Cover Up in
Guterres' UN
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive Must
Credit
UNITED NATIONS,
May 23 – UN
Secretary
General
Antonio
Guterres on
May 14 in
Vienna
told UN
staff that sexual exploitation
and abuse is
not relevant,
only sexual
harassment is.
This statement
was made amid
allegations
of physical
sexual abuse
by UNAIDS'
Luiz Loures,
and the
purchase of
sex by a D1 UN
official
in Somalia.
Are those cases
of harassment?
Inner City
Press asked
the UN to
explain
Guterres' statement,
below - and
then was
informed by
sources in
Vienna that
the #MeTooUN problem
there is wider
than
heretofor
reported. An abrupt
resignation at
the
International
Atomic Energy
Agency in
Vienna, of
Tero
Varjoranta, was
by
some like Reuters
linked
to
Trump's
pull out from
the Iran JCPOA
deal. Varjoranta
was linked to
the JCPOA
- but his
resignation,
multiple
whistleblowers
tell Inner
City Press,
was more tied to
a sexual
harassment
incident witnessed
by many staff. Inner
City Press'
sources,
understandably
afraid of
retaliation
in Guterres'
UN (which
continues to restrict
Inner City
Press) now exclusively
provide Inner
City Press: it was
a retreat held
in October
2017 by one
division
within the
Department of
Safeguards. That
Department was
responsible
for the JCPOA,
and is
responsible
for monitoring
Iran. DDG Varjoranta
was
the most
senior UN
official
advising DG
IAEA on
nuclear issues
globally.
The retreat
involved the
staff member
participants
staying at a
hotel in
Krems, outside
Vienna. At the
retreat, there
was a casual
bar night
where
participants
got together.
DDG Varjoranta
spent
a large part
of the night
with one
junior female
professional
officer - 'openly
kissing her,
putting his
arm around
her, being
massaged by
her.' Numerous
witnesses saw
this and
subsequently
gave witness
testimony in
an internal
investigation.There
was also
another
incident where
he put his
hand on a
female staff
member’s leg.
This behaviour
is clearly
inconsistent
with the
Standards of
Conduct and
the IAEAs code
of conduct.
The matter was
investigated
by the Office
of Internal
Oversight. The
DDG is
required to be
provided a
copy of the
internal
investigation
report, and
was allowed to
provide
written
comment on it,
which he did. [As the
Press moved
in]
the DDG
resigned
without notice
and sent
an email to
Safeguards
staff saying
he was
leaving for
“family
reasons”.
Subsequently,
senior
management
have not
addressed the
real reason
for his sudden
departure with
staff, simply
telling staff
not to spread
rumours. It's
called a cover
up [which
Inner City
Press has
found in many
parts
of Guterres'
UN system, and
suffering
consequences for
exposing and reporting
and
asking about.]
In
the
background,
the IAEA is
planning
“respectful
workplace
training” for
general staff.
Senior
management at
the IAEA act
with impunity.
[A
source affirms
that]
the DG [Amano]
has known
about the DDGs
behaviour
since January
2018, raised
to him by senior
staff. It
seem he knew
further back,
since shortly
after the
Krems retreat.
Given the
status of the
DDG and the
facts proven
by the Office
of internal
Oversight, Mr
Varjoranta
should have
been sacked,
not allowed to
resign with
full UN
benefits,
the ability to
gain other UN
employment,
and no outcome
for the
victims or the
witnesses." But
this is
Guterres' UN
system. Amano
knew; it seems
Guterres
knew (Inner
City Press
asked his
spokesman and
was told,
personal
reasons - the
resignation
email is about
family reasons. Another
has
exclusively
told Inner
City Press
that "at
a senior
management
retreat at the
start of the
year, the Deputy Director
General
was seen to
publicly 'kiss
a female
subordinate
long and hard'
and then was
seen retiring
to the bed
chamber with
the female
person.
Nonetheless,
Amano approved
a contract
extension for
the DDG
subsequently... In
my view the DG
also should
resign for his
cover up -
but he is
laying the
ground for a
fourth term
citing DPRK
denuclearization." Now, as
global media ask
restricted
Inner City
Press for more
information
on the case,
here was
a bit more -
and there is
yet more than
this - from
IAEA whistleblowers,
even as
corporate
wires cover
up: "It’s all
about
‘Kremsgate’ in
late 2017,
where the DDG
Tero
Varjoranta
acted in front
of up to 30
IAEA staff and
touched 2
women.
Senior
management -
including Director
General Amano
- have
known about
this since
about October
2017 and taken
no action. The
DG himself
knew of
this.
There was an
internal
investigation
that supported
the above
facts. There
are numerous
witnesses in
the Department
of Safeguards.
The two
women have
been badly
impacted by
the incidents.
Witnesses are
scared to talk
due to lack of
protection.
The issue fits
well into the
global ‘me
too’ dialogue.
The
perpetrator
resigned
without
sanction, and
returned to
his home
country
Finland. With
all of the
usual UN
benefits and
no
repercussions.
The two
female victims
and the 30 odd
witnesses are
left
traumatized
and with no
faith in the
UN system." For
now,
rightfully so.
"This
issue ONLY
came to light
because the
Office of
Internal
Oversight
received a
whistleblower
complaint. The
IAEA - and in
particular the
Director
General of the
IAEA - knew
about the
misconduct of
the DDG and
did nothing
about it.
Kremsgate was
an open
secret. But
the DG did not
request an
internal
investigation.
He was fully
aware of the
potential
misconduct,
and did
nothing. He
himself should
be held to
account for
this failure
to comply with
UN standards." This
is today's
UN, which
confines Inner
City Press to
minders while
serving
corporate wire
services pan seared corvina
and wine, in
exchange for
no questions
on the UN's
sexual harassment
scandal. On
May 17, Inner
City Press
asked Guerres'
deputy
spokesman, UN
transcript here, Inner
City Press:
Earlier this
year, I asked
a number of
questions
about UNFPA in
India and the
allegations of
sexual
harassment and
abuse against
a Diego
Palacios there
and there's
just been a
large press
conference of
NGOs
(non-governmental
organizations)
in India, both
saying that
the…
asking that
the
Secretary-General
remove
immunity from
Mr. Diego
Palacios and
also tying it
into the
situation at
UNAIDS (Joint
United Nations
Programme
against
HIV/AIDS) with
Michel Sidibé,
but I wanted
to know an
update from
you.
They seem to
say at this
press
conference
that Mr.
Palacios
hasn't really
even been
interviewed,
that there's
not…
that the UN
hasn't acted
in any way on
this detailed
allegation of
sexual
harassment.
Are you aware
of what UNFPA
has done, if
the
Secretary-General
is aware of
and may act on
this request
that immunity
be removed,
particularly
given the
inaction by
the UNFPA?
Deputy
Spokesman:
As far as I'm
aware at this
stage, it
remains in the
hands of the
UN Population
Fund, and
they're the
ones who are
looking into
this, and
we'll leave it
in their
hands.
Inner
City
Press:
Recently,
there was an
abrupt
resignation of
a Deputy
Director
General of
IAEA
(International
Atomic Energy
Agency) in
Geneva, Tero
Varjoranta,
and we've been
hearing
various
reasons for
it, and since
the
Secretary-General
was just in
Vienna, is he
aware of any
quote "#MeToo
issues” at
IAEA, and if
so, what did
he do while
he's there?
Deputy
Spokesman:
I don't really
have any
comment to
share on
this. As
far as I'm
aware, the
International
Atomic Energy
Agency said
that he had
stepped down
for personal
reasons, and
so that is the
information we
have on that."
Really. Guterres'
statement
was made at a staff Town
Hall meeting
for which he
was 45 minutes
late. After he
said it, a
staff member
complained
that her application
to set up a
#MeToo club
had been denied and
would Guterres
help? He did not
say yes. So on
May 15 in New
York, Inner City
Press asked
Guterres'
deputy
spokesman
Farhan Haq, UN
transcript here: Inner
City Press: At
yesterday's
town-hall
meeting in
Vienna, one of
the questions
from the floor
was from a
self-described
victim of
sexual
harassment
within the UN
system, and
she asked
Secretary-General
whether he
supported the
idea of a "me
too" club, I
guess, within
the UN in
Vienna.
He didn't seem
to say
yes. He
seemed to say,
well, if I
understand it
better.
She said, do
you support
it, and they
just moved
on. Can
you say now
does the
Secretary-General
support the
idea?
She was
apparently
rejected by
the UN in
Vienna to set
up this, such
a club.
Does he
support that
idea, and will
he follow up
with the staff
member who
asked him this
explicitly in
the town-hall
meeting?
Deputy
Spokesman:
Well, first,
we are trying
to get input
from all staff
about what
needs to
happen in
order to deal
more
effectively
with sexual
harassment,
including
through a
survey of
staff, and so
we will try to
evaluate what
staff broadly
say and see
what steps
need to be
taken." Oh. Guterres
also on May 14
said his
attempted
reform of the
UN development
system had
"passed
silence," with
but without
assessed
contributions.
On May
15 Inner City
Press also
asked Haq: He
also seemed to
say that, I
don't know if
that the
assessed
contributions,
that the
reform of the
development
system had
passed through
silence
procedure; it
still has not
been voted on,
but he seemed
to say that
it's passed,
but without
the Resident
Coordinator
system being
funded through
assessed
contributions.
What is his
plan, given
that it seems
like that he
thinks that
now it's going
to be approved
by the General
Assembly,
hasn’t passed
through, what
is the plan to
actually fund
these resident
coordinators?
Deputy
Spokesman:
Well, first,
we will see
what the final
results are
once the
Member States
agree on
it. We
hope in the
coming days we
will be able
to provide
some details
about what the
development
reform is
about. " Back
on May 14 in
New York at
the UN noon
briefing Inner
City Press
asked
Guterres' deputy spokesman
Farhan Haq if
Guteres doesn't
think the
Loures cases
is about
sexual abuse,
beyond harassment.
Haq
seemed to say
Guterres uses
these terms
based on the
identify of
the victim, not the
use of force
or economic
pressure.
#MeTooUN?
Days
after first
banning the
Press from his
photo ops with
Al
Sharpton
and new
Political
Affairs chief
Rosemary
DiCarlo, Guterres'
UN then prohibited
Inner City
Press'
livestreaming
of a photo op
with Finland's
foreign
minister even
though UN
Television
shot video
and audio
there. This
has continued
and been reaffirmed
- but not
explained or
justified.
Is Guterres going to
take his absurd
restrictions on and
censorship of the
Press on the road? Or
create a double
standard where the
restrictions apply
only inside UN
headquarters? How long
will he continue his
rote expressions of
support for UNAIDS'
Michel Sidibe, who
threatened staff with
retaliation for
speaking about against
Luiz Loures? And given
the statements, when
will Guterres have to
start recusing
himself? Watch this
site. Last month
Guterres slightly
delayed his trip to
Saudi Arabia, but not
by much. After
accepting a $930
million check from the
Saudi Crown Prince and
in remarks not
mentioning the
civilians deaths
caused by Saudi
bombing of Yemen, now
Guterres has delivered
again, remarks
praising Saudi
Arabia's counter
terrorism work. Some
find it ironic; some
call this trip "Blood
Money II." But duty
called. Before he
left, Guterres who
refused actually
pointed Press
questions with
dismissive wave of the
hand, delivered a 20
minute interview to
Saudi aligned media.
Now there, he is
quoted with more
praise of Saudi, by
the Saudi Press Agency
(to which his UN has
given office space and
full access while evicting
and
restricting the
independent Press).
The UN has yet to send
out a transcript of
Guterres' craven
remarks quoted by the
Saudi Press Agency,
sending so far only a
speech beginning "Your
Excellency, Foreign
Minister al-Jubeir,
Your Excellency,
Ambassador
Al-Mouallimi, I want
to express my deep
gratitude to the
Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia for its
generous support to
the United Nations
Counter-Terrorism
Centre, a support
without which the
Centre, would probably
never have been able
to be born. And I
thank Ambassador Al
Mouallimi for his able
chairmanship of this
Advisory Board... I
recently launched the
United Nations Global
Counter-Terrorism
Compact, which I
signed with the heads
of 36 UN entities, the
INTERPOL and the World
Customs Organization."
INTERPOL, of course,
is used by some
governments to arrest
or travel ban their
opponents. We'll have
more on this. Only a
week before as
Guterres took off on
his trip to China,
Inner City Press which
has pursued the UN
bribery scandals of Ng
Lap Seng and now the
China Energy Fund
Committee asked
Guterres' spokesman
Stephane Dujarric on
April 6 if Guterres
will address any of
these issues during
his five days in the
country. Dujarric was
dismissive, and ended
the briefing. Video here;
UN transcript
here and below.
This cutting off of
public quesitons
happened after
Guterres gave a
private (self)
promotional interview
to China's state media
Xinhua, touting the
trip and China as
"absolutely essential"
on the North Korea
nuclear issue.
Dujarric race off the
podium made it
impossible to ask him
for Guterres' opinion
on if the gifts given
to Kim Jong Un on his
recent train trip to
China violated the
UN's 1718 sanctions.
Then again, the UN's
own World Intellectual
Property Organization
helped on North
Korea's cyanide
patents without
telling the 1718
Committee, and
Guterres has been as
hands-off with WIPO's
Gurry as he has been
with UNAIDS' Michel
Sidibe on the sexual
harassment and
retaliation scandal.
We'll have more on
this.
***
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