As
UN
Switches from
Glass to
Plastic Water
Bottles &
Cups, No
Public
Info
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 16 --
During the
UN's $2
billion
renovation and
attendant
relocations,
not only was a
decision made,
at least
initially, to
eliminate all
seats for the
press and
public in the
interim
General
Assembly Hall
-- the UN also
shifted to
plastic water
bottles and
plastic cups
for the
meeting rooms
in apparent
disregard
of the
environmental
consequences.
Here's a photo
of the UN's
new stock of
plastic water
bottles for
meetings:
Yesterday
Inner
City Press reported
that after
more than two
months of
protest
by the Free
UN Coalition
for Access
of the loss of
press and
public
seats in the
GA Hall, the
Department of
General
Assembly and
Conference
Management told it that
media seats
will now be
provided.
"We
heard your
question," a
DGACM official
said on the
morning of
August 15. So
at the day's
noon briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
more
questions:
Inner
City
Press:
yesterday, I tried to
ask a number
of times,
video of the
stakeouts
done by Ms.
[Valerie] Amos
and Mr.
[Babacar] Gaye
didn’t
go online
until at least
after 8 p.m.,
so they
couldn’t be
used for
stories.
I’m aware that
things happen
and there’s a
need for
patience, but
maybe if we
could get a
readout on
this stress
test. Are
these videos
going to be
ready when the
general debate
time comes
around, so
there’s not an
eight-hour
delay? And the
other question
is actually
more positive,
I heard this
morning from
DGACM
[Department
for General
Assembly and
Conference
Management],
not DPI,
that there
will now be
arrangements
for some media
seats to be
provided in
the [General
Assembly]
during that
week. And I
wanted
you to confirm
it in a more
formal way,
and also to
make sure that
those seats
are not only
for media
traveling with
the Heads of
State,
but some will
be for
resident
correspondents
here, whether
on a
lottery basis
or how ever.
Deputy
Spokesperson
Del Buey:
Well, I’ll
have to check
on that,
Matthew.
Twenty
three hours
later, there
is no answer,
either from
Del Buey's
Office
of the
Spokesperson
for the
Secretary
General, or
from the
Department
of Public
Information
offices and
the official,
Stephane
Dujarric, to
whom the @FUNCA_info
questions
have been
directed.
Nor did DPI
answer why
they took down
three Free
UN Coalition
for Access
informational
flyers that
were on the
bulletin
board,
installed
after FUNCA
pointed out
the right to
free speech
and more than
a one-party
system. Public
Information
indeed. On
August 15, the
media was
penned in a
stakeout area
without a work
table, and was
banned again
from entering
the so-called
Turkish Lounge,
which FUNCA
has protested
for more than
two months.
We'll have
more on this.
Meanwhile,
DGACM
whistleblowers
have
complained to
Inner City
Press of a
change
in UN meetings
"set up" which
they say is
intended to
reduce the UN
work force and
jobs. Until
now, water has
been served
in glass
pitchers.
Now,
the shift is
made to
plastic
bottles, and
plastic cups.
Inner City
Press is today
publishing
a photograph
of a four-deep
stack of the
UN's water
bottles, here.
It's similar
to the
decision in
the UN
Cafeteria to
use plastic
and aluminum
for plates and
forks and
spoons.
The
difference is
that the
cafeteria is
run by Aramark
(said to be
preparing to
charge big
money to to
the sponsors
of a "UN Day"
event in the
Delegates'
Dining Room on
October 23).
Meetings
set-up,
and the
decision to
switch to
plastic, is a
UN decision.
Greening the
Blue? Hardly.
Watch this
site.
, 
