By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 16 --
Nearly seven
months after
the Review
Panel on Peace
Operations
began its
work, and
after
scandals
emerged about
the cover
up of sexual
abuse in
Central
African
Republic,
Haiti
and
elsewhere, the
Panel's Jose
Ramos-Horta
and Ameerah
Haq took
questions on
it, with the
report still
not released.
Afterward,
Code Blue
offered a
critique.
Inner City
Press asked
about
accountability.
Specifically,
was the Panel
proposing that
UN Peacekeepers
face the
judicial
system in the
countries they
serve
in1? Periscope
video, for
now, here.
Ms. Haq said
no, the Panel
is only
proposing that
civilian UN
staff face the
judicial
system in the
countries in
which they are
accused of
sexual exploitation
or abuse
(SEA).
Haq said, "In
the case of
uniformed
personnel, it
rests with
their country
of origin…they
are not UN
staff, and so
therefore the
UN rules do
not apply. The
agreement we
have with the
TCCs is that
they will go
through their
judicial and
prosecutorial
process in
their country
and the UN
will be
informed.. This
process must
be done
quickly, and
we must have
their
reports."
For
civilians,
Ramos Horta
answered Inner
City Press,
"If there are
credible
allegations,
the mission
must
facilitate,
immediately,
due process to
take place in
that
country…it
cannot
challenge the
host country…
You commit a
barbarity, you
have no
protection
whatsoever,
you are
subject to the
laws of the
country where
you operate."
Code Blue
praised this
response,
calling it a /
the memorable
moment, but
noted what was
not said, that
the UN
overuses
immunity, and
maintains it
as its default
position:
"When
the High-Level
Panel briefed
media today
about their
soon-to-be-released
report, a
memorable
moment
occurred. The
Chair of the
Panel, former
President and
Nobel Peace
laureate José
Ramos-Horta,
departed from
his formal
text to state,
unequivocally,
that, in his
view, all
non-military
personnel
serving with
the UN
anywhere in
the world
should know
that the UN
has zero
tolerance for
sexual
exploitation
and abuse, and
immunity will
never apply in
those cases,
not even for a
moment."
Code Blue did
not on June 16
say, but Inner
City Press did
ask (and Ramos
Horta did
reply), the
UN's immunity
is also misused
with regard to
its bringing
of cholera in
Haiti.
Horta regarding
cholera
answered Inner
City Press
that "the
instance of
cholera traced
back to
Nepalese
peacekeepers,
it could have
happened in
any other
mission. My
preferred
action would
be for the
international
community to
sit down and
discuss, what
can we do to
assist those
people who are
affected? It
has been done
before,
without
waiting for
clarification.
"In
my country
[Timor Leste],
a Brazilian
military ran
over a child.
The
Brazilians…the
ambassador
went to the
family,
apologized and
offered
compensation.
The family
accepted, and
they were very
touched that
the ambassador
took time…this
is how we
expect people
working under
the UN flag to
behave."
We'll
have more on
this.
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
Office
released a
three-page
"Information
Note" about
it. Inner City
Press and the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access
tweeted
photos of it,
here.
The Note,
under the
heading
"Addressing
Abuse and
Enhancing
Accountability,"
says that
"immunity must
not mean
impunity.
Immunity was
never intended
and does not
apply to
provide
immunity [sic]
from
prosecution to
UN personnel
alleged to
have committed
sexual
exploitation
and abuse. The
immunity
privileges are
functional
only, i.e.,
related to the
exercise of
his/her
professional
duty as a UN
employee, not
for private
acts."
Is this
directed at
the courts
which receive
arguments for
UN impunity,
as for killing
8000 people
and counting
in Haiti by
bringing
cholera?
The
Information
Note goes on,
"Bar troops
from countries
listed in the
Secretary
General's
annual reports
on children
and armed
conflict and
on conflict
related sexual
violence,
until
de-listed."
But the
Secretary
General choose
to disregard
his own
Special
Adviser's
advice and not
list Israel or
Hamas, and did
not list the
French
"peacekeepers"
alleged to
have engaged
in child
sexual abuse
in the Central
African
Republic.
There was a
press
conference on
the report
long scheduled
for 1:30 pm on
June 16; at
the last
minute the
time was
changed. The
meeting at
which the
report was
unveiled was
closed.
This UN cannot
reform itself.
On June 12,
Inner City
Press asked UN
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
the mounting
scandals
around Herve
Ladsous' UN
Peacekeeping,
and Dujarric
said that the
Panel would
respond. From
the transcript
, 
