On Scandal, UN Pays for PGA Protection; Union Speaks, UNCA Pay Then Prize
By
Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive follow-up
UNITED
NATIONS, October 9 -- Some in the UN still purport to be surprised by the indictment of 2013-14 President of the General Assembly John Ashe on charges of soliciting bribes from Macao businessmen including the Sun Kian Ip Group's Ng Lap Seng.
But what is surprising is that it took this long for the laxness not only of Ashe but of the President of the General Assembly office's structure and UN's easy penetration by business interests to lead to this. This includes dozens of Ambassadors flown to Macau in August 2015, and senior UN officials' interactions with NGOs beyond the two belatedly named by Ban Ki-moon on October 8. Inner City Press has asked, why not South South Awards? What of Secretariat staff adding Macao Real Estate Co to A/66/748*?
Now that document, and three others, have been circulated to UN staff from the a UN Staff Union account, along with this:
“We learned today that the Administration requested OIOS to launch an audit on the interaction between the UN and the Global Sustainability Foundation and the Sun Kian Ip Group. According to the news article below, the Secretary-General '.is committed to ensuring that funds received from such private entities were handled properly according to relevant UN rules and regulations.'
Of course it is great news that an audit will take place; however, we beg to differ on what the object of the audit/investigation should be.
“Once the funds enter the UN, there are many checks and balances to ensure that they are 'handled properly according to relevant UN rules and regulations,' so it is doubtful that the audit requested by the Administration will find anything wrong. The questions the Administration and we, staff members, should be asking ourselves are: how did the UN got into a situation where questionable funds are used to finance the travel of staff members, events at our premises with the presence of our highest authorities, even conferences where participants and panellists were staff members and Member States' representatives? How is it possible that there are so many restrictions imposed upon non-governmental actors in terms of participation in UN official meetings but funds from those entities seem to flow freely throughout the organization, no questions asked?
“Please find attached a brochure of the 'High-level Multi-stakeholders Strategy Forum, Scaling-up Global Support for South-South and Triangular Cooperation in the Context of the Post-2015 Development Agenda,' which took place in Macau on 25-26 August 2015. From that brochure we learn that the former President of the General Assembly and the Deputy Permanent Representative are the co-chairmen of the Sun Kian IP Group Foundation, the same foundation that pledged USD 1,500,000.00 to the UN as per document also attached below (A/CONF.208/2015/2, page 22) which, according to what we hear, were used to finance the Macau conference in question - including travel of participants . Among the final recommendations of the meeting (attached) is the establishment of a dedicated entity in Macau in the format that was initially proposed by the former President of the General Assembly in document A/66/748.
“Looking back at the last few years one can see how this Administration has been trying to reinvent the UN to make it look like a private corporation, treating its employees as replaceable goods, sitting us collectively without any respect or consideration for the minimum of privacy needed to carry out our duties (while most private corporations now realize that a flexible working space is not effective) and accepting pledges/funds from very, very questionable sources. It is our hope that the Secretary-General and his collaborators think well on how they brought us to this very sad point and, most importantly, how we get out of here.”
Earlier, among the five documents provided by the UN Spokesman to purportedly show that there ARE UN audits of PGA office functions or trust funds is one (A/68/628) acknowledging what must be acknowledged: that while Dujarric says the UN Secretariat has no connection to (or power to audit) over PGAs' trips, the UN Secretariat pays for “close protection detail” for the PGA on those trips.
Another, A/69/5 (Vol. 1), has a single line:
"Trust Fund in Support of the Office of the President of the General Assembly 53 483 365 171"
That's it, for “president.” Compared to the details in the US affidavit against Ashe, it is laughable. As are the connections, South South and otherwise, with the UN Correspondents Association with which the UN partners. Simply as two examples, South South News gave money to UNCA; an UNCA president worked for South South Awards - this is the same UNCA whose president rented one of his apartments to Palitha Kohona then unilaterally granted his request, as Sri Lanka's Ambassador, to screen his government's war crimes denial film in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, here.
Now we can add: after South South gave money to UNCA, suddenly it was given an UNCA journalism award, such as UNCA will be doling out again in December, depending on the progress of investigation of the corruption scandal. Watch this site.
Inner City Press on October 8 asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, about who changed A/66/748 (no answer), why no answers from UNDP South South, and what the UN's and Ban's links with the South South Awards are and have been. On the last, Dujarric blurred it with South South News. On UNDP, he said he would “share” what he read out - but two hours later neither that, nor what he called audits of PGA accounts were provided.
As on October 7, Inner City Press asked about Ashe's chief of staff now working in current PGA Lykketoft's office. Dujarric said to Ask Lykketoft. We'll see.
Inner City Press asked point-blank for Dujarric to confirm or deny what it reported on October 6, that the UN had slated the Assistant Secretary General for Partnerships position for Ashe. He would neither confirm nor deny, saying like SG trips, it only happens when it happens. But how much is NOT happening?
OIOS, looking into only two NGOs, does not have jurisdiction over UNDP. Ban's report on the cover up of peacekeepers' rapes in Central African Republic was due in September, then postponed to November. Such inquiries can serve as cover ups. But the questions will continue: watch this site.
As Ban head to Peru, here was the UN's October 8 statement:
"In light of the recent accusations announced by US federal authorities, the Secretary-General is requesting that the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) launch an audit of the interaction between the United Nations and the Global Sustainability Foundation and the Sun Kian Ip Group, and the use of any funds received from these entities.
"The Secretary-General is concerned about the serious nature of the allegations, which go to the heart of the work of the United Nations and its Member States. The Secretary-General reaffirms that there will be no tolerance for any corruption at the United Nations or in the name of the United Nations. He is committed to ensuring that funds received from such private entities were handled properly according to relevant UN rules and regulations."
Inner City Press on October 6 asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric about Sun Kian Ip and why the UN had sent out a press released by South-South ("NGO 1" in the indictment) as it were a UN entity. Transcript here, video here.
On October 7, Inner City Press asked Dujarric about "UN Official 1" in the indictment, and millions that Sun Kian Ip gave the UN. Video here. Then Inner City Press asked about hold-over staff with PGA Lykketoft:
Inner City Press: Yesterday the current PGA [President of the General Assembly] did a press conference that you referred to, I don't know if it's the UN system's response or you just heard he was going to respond. What I wanted to ask is that there are a number of people that are actually named in the indictment as having traveled with John Ashe to Macau that work in the current PGA's office. If you actually look at the teams, they overlap quite a lot, which is not to cast aspersion on all of them, but to say, if people are referred to in the indictment, what is… he presented it as there's a total lack of continuity. He's brand new here. He knew nothing about it. What steps are being taken at the UN to actually read the document and see who still works in the UN?
Spokesman: Well, I think, as far as the PGA's office goes, I would encourage you to ask his Spokesman, which… who's down the line.
Inner City Press: Okay. My point, I guess the overall question I wanted to ask is, it seems clear that at least some Secretariat money goes to that office. Some salary lines are funded by the Secretariat, and some salary lines are funded by countries, seconded staff. I mean, I've asked him to name which but, given that Secretariat funds go there, has the PGA's office… is it subject to OIOS or board of auditors auditing, and if not, why not?
Spokesman: I think… I can't answer you that question in detail, but I think that is a question for the PGA. The PGA's elected by the Member States. He is responsible to the General Assembly. As far as authority of investigation, I will check.
Correspondent: But if you pay the staff…
Spokesman: I understand.
While nine hours later and counties there was no answer on that - nor written answers from the referenced “South South” UN office - here are a few of the holdover staff, including Ashe's chief of staff, named in the indictment as traveling to Macao, now still in Lykketoft's office:
Ashe's Chef de Cabinet Ambassador Paulette Bethel
Lykketoft's Special Adviser, Coordination and Engagement H.E. Paulette A. Bethel
There are others but this one should be answered first, since she is named in the indictment as traveling to Macau. We'll have more on this.
Inner City Press' continued digging finds that Sun Kian Ip Group and Ng Lap Seng in March 2015 promised $5 million a year for three years to the UN: “Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations and President of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen, UN Secretary General’s Envoy and Director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation Mr. Yiping Zhou and Chairman of the Sun Kian Ip Group Mr. Ng Lap Seng signed the agreement.” See here.
The question to be pursued is obvious: what was THAT money for? Or this, described on a UN / UNDP website of August 25, 2015:
"Macau, SAR, China: 25 August – A High-level Multi-stakeholders Strategy Forum on South-South cooperation for sustainable development got off to a strong start Tuesday, with more than 200 delegates, from 50+ countries. The two-day Forum began with a opening ceremony featuring distinguished and powerful champions of South-South cooperation... This Strategy Forum is a timely opportunity to 'review, consolidate, and enhance existing instruments and institutional arrangements,' said Ambassador Denis Antoine of Grenada, on behalf of Sam Kutesa of Uganda, President of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly."
Inner City Press is informed that dozens of ambassadors also went to this Macau junket, where the casino owner lobbied that all future meetings of South-South Cooperation be held there. We'll have more on this.
Sources exclusively tell Inner City Press that John Ashe, whom Inner City Press saw about the UN during General Debate week, was offered an Assistant Secretary General post, for Partnerships, and that a previously scheduled Ban trip to Shanghai will now not happen. “They're hoping it blows over,” one well placed source told Inner City Press. But will it?
At the October 6 noon briefing, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed faux surprise at the number of journalists in the room. He gave the first question to Reuters, which asked a generic softball question; he said new President of the General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft will answer at 3 pm (Ban is going out of town, to Peru).
Inner City Press asked Dujarric to confirm or deny that Ashe gave Ban Ki-moon a document about a proposed UN Macau Conference Center. Dujarric said the UN couldn't find it. Long Periscope video here with these questions near the end.
So Inner City Press asked about another document - a press release by the “South South Awards,” which UN DPI next to Dujarric office sent to UN journalists last week. Isn't that a “non-UN” group? What is its relation with the UN?
After Dujarric emphasized the PGA's office does not report to Ban, Inner City Press asked if Ban after seven years sees a need to more transparency, as one example, who pays the people in the PGA's office? We'll have more on this.
— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) October 7, 2015 Photo credit (!) UNDP
During Ashe's tenure, Inner City Press covered his various failures; the example of an indigenous conference is below. But it's been similar with other PGAs, who travel around the world with little press coverage or accountability, often cutting deals.
There are a number of business groups which use the UN -- one of them was even allowed to sponsor the annual event of Herve Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping -- and get awards, like just last week in an ITU event inside the UN. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is aware, or should be aware, of all of this, but won't even disclose who pays for his trips (Inner City Press and the new Free UN Coalition for Accesshave asked).
Apparently Ashe excused his wheeling and dealing by referring to “South South Cooperation.” While a laudable concept, Inner City Press was struck last week when Ban Ki-moon's UN Spokesperson's office sent out to journalists the news of a non-UN “South South” group at which Ashe had previously appeared. It's a murky world.
Update: an African diplomat, by the UN Security Council after publication of the above, told Inner City Press Ashe taking bribes to pitch a UN Conference Center was "not suprrising." Another said, "They're ruining the UN's name." Ruining?
So is UN corruption a surprise? Hardly. Ashe's indictment, however, and where it leads, bear watching.
Ashe Background: On May 23, 2014, hours after
the end of the
Permanent Forum
on Indigenous
Issues, the buzz
at the UN was
why and by whose
decision the finale
of the Forum was
taken over by
the Crimean
Tatar issue.
Many participants
sympathetic to
the Tatars'
plight
nevertheless
opined that it
was a misuse
of the
Permanent Forum.
They said they
had not been
consulted and
asked, Who
decided? The
chair.
When a
constituency
lets their
issues be
taken over in
the heat of
the moment, it
might seem
strategic -
and might turn
out not to be.
The issue of
injustice to
the indigenous
is too serious
to be a
play-thing for
the flavor of
the month, the
Free UN Coalition
for Access
opines.
Nearly
unanimous, however,
was criticism
of UN
President of
the General
Assembly John
Ashe.
Background:
The failure of
UN President
of the General
Assembly John
Ashe to “show
leadership” in
setting up the
World
Conference on
Indigenous
People
scheduled for
September was
strongly
criticized on
May 23.
For
more than a
week, Inner
City Press has
been asking
indigenous
leaderswhat
they expected
from PGA Ashe.
Only that he
implement the
“modalities”
already agreed
to for the
Conference,
was the
answer. One
speaker, Victoria
Tauli-Corpuz,
noted that
Ashe's office
had
tried to blame
a member state
for blocking
things but
this wasn't
true.
But
at 4 pm on May
23 in the
General
Assembly, when
a statement
was read
out for Ashe,
it said that
“no consensus”
had been
reached, even
on Monday's
watered-down
proposal, and
that Ashe
would be
calling for
another
meeting next
week.
There
followed
speeches of
disappointment,
not only from
indigenous
representatives
but also
countries:
beginning with
Mexico and Norway,
through Denmark
and
Guatemala's
Permanent
Representative
Rosenthal,
heavily
indigenous
Bolivia,
Finland,
Australia and
New Zealand.
Nicaragua's
deputy
Permanent
Representative
spoke, then
Sweden.
Kenneth Deer
called for
full and equal
participation.
Panama spoke,
and a representative
of the United
States, with obstructed
view.
Earlier
in
the week Inner
City Press
asked Grand
Chief Edward
John from
Western Canada
about the
proposed oil
sands and tar
sands
pipelines
there. He said
the Harper
government is
expected to
gives its
approval. Then
what?
Footnote:
at
these
indigenous
press
conferences,
the new Free
UN Coalition
for
Access
thanked the
speakers; the
old UN
Correspondents
Association
was generally
not there,
except an
appearance
that triggers
a
response that
Morocco is not
in the African
Union and
therefore
didn't
participate in
its programs.
UNCA
big wigs were
trying a scam
elsewhere, it
emerged. Typical.
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