By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
30, updated
-- When
Nigeria's
Ambassador to
the UN Joy
Ogwu came to
the Security
Council
stakeout late
on April 30
after a month
as Council
president, she
paraphrased
Shakespeare.
All the world
is a stage, or
the Council is
at the center
of the play.
She certainly
did her best
during the
month, in
terms of
accessibility:
she did nine
question and
answer
stakeouts.
Including one
by foreign
minister Aminu
Wali on April
28,
Nigeria did
ten, on topics
ranging from
Western
Sahara, to Syria
and the Central
African
Republic,
Darfur,
South
Sudan and
genocide.
On Western Sahara,
to take that
example, Ogwu
to her credit
came out and said
that she had
pushed the
African Union
position, that
there should
be a human
rights monitoring
mechanism in
the MINURSO
mission.
But the
MINURSO
resolution is
written by a
"Group of
Friends on
Western
Sahara" that
does not
include any
African Union
members, and
no mechanism
was included.
On April 30
Inner City
Press asked Ogwu
about something
France's
Ambassador Gerard
Araud, who once held a
mere three
question and
answer stakeouts
in a month
as president,
had
said: that
"The UN has
never been a
place for
'real'
negotiation.
It legitimizes
or implements
agreements
reached
elsewhere."
Ogwu said she
disagreed,
saying that the
elected
members of the
Security Council
have sought
and obtained a
global
mandate. It is
good, then,
that it is
Araud set to
leave the
Council, in
July, and not
Nigeria.
In the run-up
to Nigeria's
end of presidency
reception,
multiple
sources
describe angry
communications
from the old
UN Correspondents
Association
led by Pamela
Falk of CBS
demanding to
know why they
weren't at
least initially
invited. When
it was
mentioned that
Inner City
Press was
actually at
the stakeout
during the month,
from within
the UNCA Executive
Committee came
an e-mail
described as
absurd, from a
person whose
first name
begins with
"M," on which
we may have
more.
The
new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
is not just
about free
food, and 4:30
pm cocktail
receptions as
UNCA held
on April 30 as
Iraq's
Ambassador
spoke at the
stakeout -
along with Nigeria's
Joy Ogwu. Good
month.
And good
end of
presidency
reception,
complete with
a short and
heartfelt
speech by Joy
Ogwu, again
citing Shakespeare.
Talk turned to
Burundi - off
the record -
and to the
departure of
the Under
Secretary
General for
Public
Information
(DPI), widely
known but on
which FUNCA
out of respect
has sought
comment.
Meanwhile on
the fourth floor
bulletin board
which DPI
agreed to
after FUNCA
advocacy, the
FUNCA
flier
about Araud
telling a
correspondent
"you are not a
journalist,
you are an
agent" had
been torn
down. This is
the UN.
Back on April
2 when Ogwu assumed
the
UN Security
Council
presidency
Inner City
Press asked
her about
Ukraine being
a footnote in
the month's
Program of
Work, and
about the
predicted fast
approval of a
new mandate
for the
MINURSO
mission in
Western
Sahara. Video
here, from
Minute 21:21
In the
Program of
Work the
"consultations"
on Western
Sahara are set
for April 17
and adoption
of the
resolution on
April 23.
Inner City
Press asked if
this means it
is in the
hands of the
"Group of
Friends,"
which does not
include any
African
member.
Ogwu
replied, "we
expect to be
fully
involved."
Given that the
African Union
position on
Western
Sahara, will
that mean that
a human rights
monitoring
mechanism for
MINURSO, as
exists in
other
peacekeeping
missions, will
be seriously
considered?
Will the US,
which proposed
such a
mechanism last
year, push
forward again?
Secretary of
State John
Kerry is
visiting both
Morocco and
Algeria early
in April.
We'll see.
On
Ukraine, Inner
City Press
asked if the
expect report
of UN human
rights deputy
Ivan Simonovic
will trigger a
meeting or
consultation
of the
Security
Council. Ogwu
replied, with
due regard for
strategic
planning, that
bridge will be
crossed when
reached.
As the
second
question --
why there is a
claim of
tradition of
UNCA, often
the UN's
Censorship
Alliance trying
to get others
thrown
out of the UN
and blocking
access to
documents on
the Internet,
automatically
getting the
first question
is and will be
addressed
elsewhere --
the new Free
UN Coalition
for Access encouraged
Ambassador
Ogwu to hold
question and
answer
stakeouts,
even brief
ones, after
closed door
consultations,
as Luxembourg
did (14) in
March.
Ogwu
noted the
invitation.
With agenda
items on the
Middle East,
Central
African
Republic,
Darfur, South
Sudan and it
seems North
Korea, in
Arria formula
style, such
stakeout
should be
useful. Watch
this site.
, 
