On
Corrupt DPKO,
Ladsous
Refuses to
Answer, No
Update on
Whistleblower
Review
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 10 --
Yesterday a report
on UN
Peacekeeping
and
corruption was
released,
but what will
the follow-up
be?
Today
in front of
the UN
Security
Council Inner
City Press
asked UN
Peacekeeping
boss Herve
Ladsous, what
about the
report? He
refused to
answer. (This
pattern has
been noted
even in the
UK, here.)
So
at the day's
noon briefing
Inner City
Press asked
Secretary
General
Ban Ki-moon's
associate
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
both for
Ladsous'
response, if
any, to the
report, and
for an update
on the review
(of
criticism) of
UN
whistleblower
protections
Ban assigned
to Canadian
judge Louise
Otis back in
May. Video
here, from
Minute 9:04.
Haq
had a prepared
statement,
that the study
is being taken
seriously, to
reinforce
integrity.
When
the head of UN
Peacekeeping
refuses
questions
about mass
rape by his
partners --
click here --
and incorrect
answers
claiming UN
Peacekeeping
after bringing
cholera to
Haiti now
screens its
peacekeepers
(it does not),
this
"reinforcing
integrity"
phrase is less
than clear.
Haq
cut Inner City
Press off from
asking a
follow up
about Judge
Otis,
video
here at
Minute 10:56.
This stands in
contrast to
how daily
press
briefings are
done
elsewhere, but
seems to be a
thing between
the UN and its
Alliance.
When
allowed, Inner
City Press
asked for an
update on the
report
assigned
to Judge Otis
on
whistleblower
protections in
May, five
months ago.
Haq had not
update, but
rattled off a
list from the
Ethics Office,
see UN Video
here from
Minute 16:34.
If he had this
"if-asked"
ready, why cut
off the
follow-up?
High
profile
whistleblowers
and their
advocates have
slammed the
lack of
reform at
Ban's UN. A
fact sheet,
and an Under
Secretary
General for
Peacekeeping
who refuses to
answer
questions to
the extend
that his
"farce"
has been
reported by
the UK New
Statesman,
do not
bode well.
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
The
report's
launch at the
ONE UN Hotel
was, the Free
UN Coalition
for Access
found, not
recorded. And
the
press
conference
after that,
publicized in
advance only
to those who
paid money to
the UN
Correspondents
Association,
members of
whose
Executive
Committee
including
first vice
president
Louis
Charbonneau of
Reuters spied
for
the UN by
handing them internal
UNCA anti
Press
documents
three
minutes
after
promising not
to, does
not bode well
either, in
terms of
follow up.
UNreformed? We
think so.
UNreformable?
We'll see.
, 
