|
UN Amid Backsliding Heads to
Poznan, WMO in Chaos, UN Safety Saga Goes Without Update
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
December 4 -- The coming year
"will be the year of climate change," the UN's self-described
"resident America" Robert Orr told the Press on Wednesday. While he
seemed to mean the year of combating global warming, other heard it as
a
prediction that the climate would more dramatically change in the next
twelve
months. Given the diminished expectations for the upcoming Poznan
conference,
in light of the financial crisis and various European Union nations'
backsliding on their previous positions, the environment seems to be
taking a
backseat, at least for now.
The UN and
its Secretary General Ban Ki-moon however, Orr and his colleague Janos
Pasztor
insisted, are taking a leading role in rallying the world to get
serious. They
passed out a pamphlet on recycled paper entitled "Acting on Climate
Change: The UN System Delivering as One." Throughout the pamphlet, the
word of the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is extolled in
terms of
climate prediction and capacity building. But when Inner City Press
asked them
to comment on the Joint
Inspection Unit's damning audit of the WMO, which
criticizes the Organization for its lack of coordination, Pasztor said
that's
not the Secretariat's or even the the Chief Executive Board's problem.
Coordination between UN agencies does not involve improving the agencies' internal coordination. Video
here,
from Minute 17:29.
So despite
the buzzword about "delivering as one" and "systemwide
coherence," the UN system is still a patchwork of fiefdoms with no one,
least of all Ban, actually in charge. Ban and his malaria envoy Ray
Chambers
have still declined to comment on the leakage into for profit sales of
UN
system medicine distributed by UNICEF in Sierra Leone, for example,
perhaps on
the theory that UNICEF is its own fiefdom with its own "resident
American," Ann Veneman.
Some are
predicting that with the new Administration
taking power in Washington, both of these these two Americans may be
impacted:
one to be replaced, the other to be recruited. Based on party
affiliation,
which is which should be quite clear.
UN's Ban and Orr in St. Louis, next stop
Poznan, WMO audit and Algiers follow-though not shown
Inner City
Press asked Orr one question as a representative of the Executive
Office of the
Secretary General. Next week will be the one-year anniversary of the
deadly
attack on the UN in Algiers. Six months
ago, David Veness said he was resigning but he still remains in his
post. There was this panel for
accountability. Has anyone
been held accountable? Where does it stand on Mr. Veness' resignation,
announce
six month ago? Is there any update?" Video here
from Minute 27.
"I was
smiling when you mentioned the EOSG," Orr said, "guessing what it was
going to be. I guessed wrong. I won't tell you what I guessed, but I
guessed
wrong. Honestly, I am not part of that discussion. I can pass your
interested
along and maybe you'll get an answer."
Maybe. What
could Orr have been thinking of -- the scandal
at the Office of Internal
Oversight Services? Ban's delay
in Administration of Justice?
On that, Wednesday
afternoon saw another
resignation from the UN's Joint Appeals Board -- click here for the
four
paragraph letter, which was sent to Ban Ki-moon and then the other
JAB members.
The chickens are coming home to roost. And the German Mission,
apparently at
the behest of the head of the Department of Management, is asking for a
ceasefire. To come full circule, how about emissions reductions,
cutting down
on hot air?
Click here for Inner
City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics
Click here for Inner City
Press Nov. 7 debate on the war in Congo
Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on
UN, bailout, MDGs
and this October 17 debate, on
Security Council and Obama and the UN.
* * *
These
reports are
usually also available through Google
News and on Lexis-Nexis.
Click
here
for a Reuters
AlertNet piece by this correspondent
about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click
here
for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali
National
Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an
undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
Feedback: Editorial
[at] innercitypress.com
UN Office: S-453A, UN, NY 10017
USA
Tel: 212-963-1439
Reporter's mobile (and
weekends):
718-716-3540
Other,
earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available
in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright
2006-08 Inner City Press, Inc. To request
reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com -
|
