Inner City Press: Investigative Reporting from the United Nations

UN Confirms "Extensive" Bed Bugs, Claims Missed Them in Due Diligence, GA Next?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 22 -- As the UN now admits extensive infestation by bed bugs of its "swing space" Albano Building on 46th Street, on Tuesday it gave Inner City Press a new argument. On September 18, a week after exclusively reporting the UN bed bug infestation, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesperson Michele Montas to "please confirm or deny that bed bugs were found in the Albano Building swing space and fumigation done, and please state what was found, what steps are in place if the infestation continues or even spreads east of First Avenue."

By the noon briefing on September 22, still not response has been received. So Inner City Press asked Ms. Montas' colleague Jean-Victor Nkolo, the spokesperson for General Assembly President Ali Treki, if the General Assembly or member states had been informed of the infestation by bed bugs of the building offices of the Department of General Assembly and Conference Management.

Mr. Nkolo said he is no specialist, that Inner City Press should ask "the management." Ms. Montas then handed Inner City Press a five paragraph "If Asked" statement, which quoted the first part of Inner City Press' September 18 question:

IF ASKED ABOUT BED BUGS

please confirm or deny that bed bugs were found in the Albano Building swing space and fumigation done,

Pest control contractors have confirmed an infestation of bed bugs on a number of floors in the Albano Building and staff have been informed.

Bug: UN due diligence not shown

Over the weekend of 19 and 20 September, extermination measures against bed bugs (fumigation) have been applied for the entire Albano Building by a specialized contractor in line with industry best practice. Follow up measure will be taken in two weeks.

Spot checks on... five floors of 380 Madison Avenue last week did not find a single incidence of bed bugs. Workstations, furniture, desks and chairs that were relocated from the Secretariat Building were also checked and no bed bugs were found.

The exterminator advises that the extend of the infestation detected in the Albano Building would take at least six months if not longer to develop. Since the UN moved into the building in mid-July it is most likely that the bed bugs were in the Albano Building before the UN moved in.

This is meant to rebut the idea that the UN's moving contractor introduced bed bugs into Albano, and therefore might have put them in Madison Avenue, Third Avenue and Second Avenue swing spaces. But if the bed bugs were in Albano before the UN moved in -- before the UN leased the property? -- what does it say about the UN's due diligence? And where might the bed bugs spread next, even during the General Assembly meetings the documents for which are prepared in the Albano Building? Watch this site.

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As UN's Bed Bugs Spread, Incoming Diplomats Warned of Itching, No Answers, Talk of Gaddafi's Tent

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 18 -- As diplomats from all over the world descend on the UN General Assembly Hall on First Avenue and 45th Street, in the UN's "swing space" building one block west another form of infestation has for a second time been concerned, as spreading -- bed bugs.

An internal UN directive issued after Inner City Press' first exclusive report on the infestation urges calm, saying that bed bugs' "medical significance is mainly limited to the itching and inflammation from their bites, and in some rare cases, allergic reaction."

Inner City Press exclusively reported the first find of bed bug on the ninth floor of the UN's Albano Building, where during the UN's Capital Master Plan the documents for UN meetings are prepared, on September 11 and 16. Now, the "infestation" has spread to other floors, according to the internal UN directive of September 17:

"Pest control contractors have confirmed an infestation of bed bugs on a number of floors in the Albano Building. On the advice of the specialized contractor and in line with industry best practice extermination measures for the entire Albano Building are being taken over the weekend of 19 and 20 September and follow up measures will be taken two weeks later."

This is the UN's busiest week of the year, worst possible time for a bed bug infestation at the UN. Yet the UN internal directive tries to downplay the dangers and problems posed by bed bugs:

"A common concern with bed bugs is whether they transmit diseases. Although bed bugs can harbor pathogens in their bodies, transmission to humans is highly unlikely. For this reason, they are not considered a serious disease threat. Their medical significance is mainly limited to the itching and inflammation from their bites, and in some rare cases, allergic reaction."

Yet people spend thousands of dollars trying to get bed bugs out of their houses. If bed bugs are brought home from the UN, who will pay? Even on the health issues, the source of the UN's medical advice is not clear.

It is understood that the bed bugs were introduced by the UN's moving contractor, which also works other jobs with beds and furniture. This same company went to the other swing spaces, on Madison, Third and Second Avenues, and also has already come back and forth into UN headquarters carrying boxes.

"Gaddafi's tent sounds pretty good now," one wag said, referring to the Libyan leader's rejected proposal to stay in a tent on the UN's North Lawn or even Central Park.

UN Capital Master Plan, bed bug infestation not shown

The internal UN directive says there may be bugs in other UN premises beyond the 46th Street Albano Building:

" A broadcast email will provide specific guidance to all affected staff in the Albano Building on how to leave their workspace when they finish work before the weekend and regarding their return to work after the weekend. With the assistance of the pest control experts, the Facilities Management Service is checking other buildings for possible infestations and will take other measures as appropriate."

Inner City Press reported the bed bugs on September 11, and published a leaked internal confirmation on September 16. On September 17 there was no UN noon media briefing, only a scripted briefing by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at which no such questions were allowed or answered.

There ostensibly was a mid-day UN media briefing on September 18, but it was scheduled for only 15 minutes. Spokesperson Michele Montas arrived with only nine of the minutes remaining, read out loud a series of press releases and then said that no questions could be asked. She said to Inner City Press, "I will answer you questions later." Video here, from Minute 9:38.

But while Inner City Press submitted a simple question about the bed bugs to Ms Montas and her Associate, no answer has been given, and the response appears to be that no answer will be given. If and when the UN's actual response on and plan to deal with the now confirmed bed bugs is received, we will publish it. For now, watch out, and watch this site.

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At UN, Bed Bug Infestation Confirmed, Spread to General Assembly by Documents Possible, Bug Experts Say

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 16 -- Bed bugs infested the United Nations' so-called "swing space" on 46th Street, where all the documents for the General Assembly are prepared, Inner City Press exclusively reported on September 11. Now on September 16, all UN workers in the UN's Albano Building on 46th Street have been informed by e-mail that

"As you might be aware of the recent case of bed bugs infestation on the 9th floor and the fumigation that took place over the weekend. PES has made an arrangement with the exterminator to come in today starting at 6:30pm with a dog to go through the entire building and make sure that there are no other cases. Please inform your staff who will be here after 6:30pm. I will follow up with PES and ask for a report of what if anything they found."

This confirms, in writing, that the UN has suffered "bed bug infestation." Since there are no, or at least few, beds in the UN, it is understood that the bed bugs were introduced by the moving company which the UN contracted to move office equipment and belongings from the Secretariat building to the swing space, between 1st and 2nd Avenue, so that the Secretariat was be gut rehabilitated under the UN's Capital Master Plan.

The difficulty, bug experts tell Inner City Press, is that full extermination of bed bugs is difficult and expensive to accomplish and ascertain.

UN's Ban and map of Capital Master Plan, bed bug infestation not shown

It is not unforeseeable that bed bugs will be carried back from the swing space into the Headquarters building, particularly given the volume of documents that will be processed in the Albano Building for use at next week's meetings in the General Assembly hall and basement conference room.

So while Venezuela's Hugo Chavez famously said at the General Assembly podium, giving a speech after George W. Bush, that the place smelled like sulfur, it may have a different smell next week. Watch -- and smell? -- this site.

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At UN, Bed Bugs But No Medical Service in the Swing Space, Skanska's Closed Bid Openings

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 11 -- With the UN's human resources office moving out of the Headquarters and to Madison Avenue, stories flow in to Inner City Press about a total lack of security on Madison, about a staff member stuck for an hour in an elevator in the Albano Building swing space on 46th Street, and in a new low, bed bugs in the swing space.

They were introduced by the moving trucks used to relocate office equipment there, and now fumigation has been called for. The UN is bugged, as one wag put it, in at least two ways.

The question of the week is who handles emergencies at the UN and its swing space? On September 10, Inner City Press asked

Question: On the Medical Service, it’s been reported that now, whereas people in the past, if people were injured in the building they’d call the Medical Service. Now everyone is being told that they should only call 911 if they’re injured either in this building or in the swing spaces. I wanted to know if you could confirm that and also the Fire Department has apparently said that they haven’t been informed of any change in procedures, such that they can with ambulances and other things access both this building and the swing spaces. What is the status of that?

Deputy Spokesperson: The change in procedure, to call 911 first in an emergency, is only a change for the UN Secretariat building. The procedure to call 911 first has always been the case for UN workplaces other than the Secretariat building.

The reason for the current change is the ongoing move of staff out of the Secretariat, including the imminent move of UN medical services to a Capital Master Plan renovation swing space location where they’re no longer co-located with the majority of UN staff. So that is the reason for that. It is obvious that an expectation for medical staff to respond on foot to emergencies scattered across the various swing space buildings is untenable, and would only be a waste of precious time. The reason for the updated procedure was included recently in an internal staff announcement. Further, any emergency procedure should be valid for all times and circumstances. The UN Fire and Safety Unit is manned 24 hours a day, and after calling 911, it is the appropriate party to know of an emergency; they are responsible to ensure site access for 911 responders. If it is appropriate for the location and circumstances of the incident, the Fire and Safety Unit will also activate a medical services response, for which we’re equipped and ready. And so, that is the reason given by the Medical Service on that.

Question: On the same question, given the shrinking of the Medical division’s functions, does the Secretariat anticipate the budget continuing to be as reported, $38 million over every two years, or is the budget going to shrink if they’re no longer responsible for medical emergencies in the Secretariat building?

Deputy Spokesperson: Budget issues, as you know, are up to the Member States, so I can’t answer on that.

On the budget, the Secretary General is responsible for making the budget proposals. And on the evening of September 10, an ambulance was belatedly called for a person on the ground just inside the UN's fence on First Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Street.

UN is emptied out en route to swing space, bed bugs not shown

A question posed on September 10 to the UN's Associate Spokesperson about the incident was not given any response, by close of business on September 11, when the S-G did not even issue a statement about 9/11/01, while his Secretariat is implicitly accused by his former Under Secretary General Robert Fowler of harboring Al Qaeda sympathizers, click here for that.

And to go full circle about Skanska, while it's now said that they open bids for sub-contracts on a delegated basis from the UN, Skanska claims that its bid openings are closed to the press and public. But watch out for the bugs...

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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

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

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