UNDP Not Covered By Weak UN Post-Employment Restrictions, Dervis and Mizsei and Aid to the Scapegoated

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN

UNITED NATIONS, December 22 -- The day after Kemal Dervis ended 14 months of not taking any questions from the UN Headquarters press corps in Room 226, at the same podium appeared Dervis' predecessor, Mark Malloch Brown. After the now-Deputy Secretary General spoke and left, without taking questions, a new policy was announced, on post-employment restrictions. The spokesman made a point of saying that these only apply in the Secretariat, and not yet to the UN's funds, agencies and programs -- such as the UN Development Program. As with the disclosure of audits, UNDP does not live up to even the low, but admittedly improving, standard of the UN Secretariat.

            Later on Friday, a UN official gave some rationale for dropping the prohibitions on senior officials, including UNDP's former Administrator, giving rise to a drier, stand-alone story, click here to view.

MMB: No questions

            Here is a quote about which it was not possible to ask either Mark Malloch Brown on Friday, or Dervis the day before, from the book on which UNDP spend over half a million dollars, "UNDP: A Better Way?" --

...in 2005, UNDP was, undoubtedly, a more legitimate organization in the eyes of many developing nations and of most major donors... Malloch Brown's last official words as Administrator were these:

'I'm very, very glad that Kemal Dervis comes to succeed me... [A]fter dinner as I was just leaving, Kemal got into a real debate with Hafiz Pasha and Kalman Mizsei [the regional bureau chiefs].'

            This is the Kalman Mizsei under whom, to be diplomatic, the UNDP-Russia fraud took place. There is more about Kalman Mizsei, but focusing just on this fraud, compare Dervis statements Thursday about UNDP being transparent to the following:

"Potential fraud has been detected at the Russian Federation country office and reported to it for further investigation. The Office of Audit and Performance Review performed an investigation and released its report on 6 December 2005." (A/61/5/Add.1).

            From the phrase "released its report," one might think that the released report would be available to the public. But no - the report is not available, not even to member states which gave the (later stolen) money to UNDP.

            And it now appears that the missing money, we will report in coming days, was used for the vivid lifestyle of UNDP's Kalman Mizsei. But from what UNDP has told Inner City Press:

Subject: UNDP responses

From: cassandra.waldon [at] undp.org
To: Inner City Press
Sent: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 7:00 PM

   Dear Matthew, On UNDP’s Russia office... Three former UNDP staff members, all locally employed Russian nationals, were implicated in the fraud. All three resigned from the Country Office before the investigation was launched.  When the extent of the fraud became evident, Mr. Vassilev was summoned to headquarters. He was removed from his post in August 2005 and subjected to disciplinary proceedings stemming from shortcomings in management performance and oversight. Mr. Vassilev is no longer employed by UNDP.

            One of the UNDP maligned (or scapegoated)  Russians was Tatiana Gorlatch (corrected spelling, from whom we'd love to hear). And now Inner City Press learns that Mr. Vassilev was a fall guy. We will be hearing more -- from, we hope, and about, we guarantee -- about Mr. Vassilev...

  Again, because a number of Inner City Press' UNDP sources go out of their way to express commitment to serving the poor, and while it should be unnecessary, Inner City Press is compelled to conclude this installment in a necessarily-ongoing series by saluting the stated goals of UNDP and many of its staff. As they used to say on TV game shows, keep those cards, letters and emails coming, and phone calls too, we apologize for any phone tag, but please continue trying, and keep the information flowing.

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

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UNDP's Dervis Backtracks on Transparency, Promises Accounting of Funds, Denies Role in Uganda Abuse

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN- 18th in a series- 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th

UNITED NATIONS, December 21 -- Of Kemal Dervis it can fairly be said, he knows how to run out the clock. After 14 months of not holding any press conferences in UN Headquarters, after six months of requests culminating in a public description of UNDP's Communications Office as so dysfunctional one can hear the tumbleweed blowing down First Avenue, on Thursday Mr. Dervis appeared.

            We're told he asked that the session be at most a half-an-hour, more than half of which he'd use up with opening remarks. He was told no less then forty-five minutes would do. These he proceeded to eat up with long-winded answers to very general questions. Journalists were not allowed follow-up questions. Thus Mr. Dervis got away with saying that while he is considering releasing audits to member states -- very frightening, apparently -- it is only concern with staff members' privacy that holds him back. Likewise on his apparent commitment to now release records of the UNDP Administrator's discretionary budget: on closer listen, this will only take place if UNDP's lawyers don't get in the way.

            In the sample country of Uganda, UNDP loudly suspended its funding of programs in Karamoja after clamor and reporting that they had veered off into violent disarmament and the killing of civilians. Mr. Dervis on Thursday repeated that UNDP had only funded community development. Inner City Press, holding the project document which reference to disarmament, asked what steps are being taken to make less likely that UNDP participation in regional plan involving disarmament don't spiral off into violent disarmament.

            Kemal Dervis replied that "I checked on it... there has never been UNDP or UN funding of UPDF disarmament activities... We want to be transparent at the country level. We were never involved in involuntary disarmament... We welcome any type of questions of this sort." Video here, from Minute 15:57.

            Well, no. By being involved in purportedly "voluntary" disarmament, UNDP praised and encouraged the mass collection of guns by the UPDF, which burned down villages -- and worse -- to get the guns. And UNDP did not welcome questions -- first, its then-Communications Officer Bill Orme berated the questioner, then tried to plant the story of UNDP pulling its funding with then-AP reporter Nick Wadhams. More recently, UNDP has issued a press release attacking the continued questions, and has gone so far as to call other publication and urge them not to cite the questioner as a source. This could be defined as a "welcoming" of press questions only in, say,  Turkmenistan.

 In a rare but appreciated burst of in-house fresh air, the UN's News Service treated the Karamoja issue with respect, reporting that

            On the question of making audits of UNDP available to member states, Kemal Dervis on Thursday actually backtracked from what his "chief operating officer" Ad Melkert said last week. Now Mr. Dervis says that it's not so simple as releasing the audits to requesting member states, as the UN Secretariat does. UNDP wants, Dervis says, to protect its staff. Video here, from Minute 19:10. And so, he says, there is consideration of establishing some "intermediate body" to look at audits and decide what to make available. Paid by whom? Accountable to whom?

GA President She says transparency, he says not so fast

            The president of the General Assembly, in response to UNDP audit questions from Inner City Press on Thursday, said "I agree with you, the matter must be transparent." Video here, from Minute 21:10. Afterwards her staff explained that a change to bring UNDP's policies in line at least with the UN Secretariat would be made in the first instance by UNDP's Executive Board, or barring that, could be made by the General Assembly. Here's hoping.

            While Dervis attempted to backtrack from his statement that detailed information about the UNDP Administrator's discretionary funds for the past ten years will be provided, Inner City Press asked to received whatever is released, and was told yes. Mr. Dervis also said, in response to Inner City Press' necessarily shouted question, that he will return for a press conference in three or four months. We'll see.

   The dictator of Turkmenistan died the night before the Kemal Dervis press conference; as previously noted, UNDP praised Turkmanbashi right until the end - click here for analysis for earlier this Fall, and here for the UNDP sub-site.

  What we can say is that while in late November, Kemal Dervis told Inner City Press he saw no reason to answer questions outside the General Assembly, a month later at least a few questions were asked. There will be more.

At the UN, Jeffrey Sachs Answers the $75,000 Question But Not on UNDP, Still Laudable Goals for 2025

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN - 17th in a series 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th

UNITED NATIONS, December 20 -- Two faces of development aid were on display Wednesday at the UN, and both on  the same person. Jeffrey Sachs took questions from journalists, urging them to "keep your eye on" aid "commitments and gaps" to ensure funding for such initiative and medicated bed-nets against malaria, and a Green Revolution in Africa project of the Rockefeller and Gates Foundations. Smaller-scale, he acknowledged having previously been paid $75,000 a year by the UN Development Program, but stated that he has quite recently decided not to accept such funds in 2007 "so that there will be no confusion." Some who welcomed the announcement expressed hope that UNDP might someday become equally as adverse to confusion.

            During the now three weeks of Inner City Press' daily series on the UN Development Program, sources in UNDP have described a process in which the entire staff of the UN Millennium Project, which Mr. Sachs has led since 2002, was merged into UNDP, in seeming violation of applicable recruiting and hiring rules. UNDP has stated in writing that it will not respond to questions about these employment practices, nor will it release audits, neither to the media nor to countries which fund UNDP. Regarding Mr. Sachs, several UNDP sources suggested that inquiry be made into compensation beyond the previously announced One Dollar a Year service to the Secretary General.

            On December 6, UNDP finally wrote to Inner City Press, as is relevant to this story, that

Subject: RE: Additional Qs re UNDP

From: cassandra.waldon [at] undp.org
To: Inner City Press
Sent: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 6:27 PM

   Dear Matthew...we have decided to merge the work of the Millennium Project into UNDP. To this end, UNDP has set up a new sub-unit in our poverty group, which will consist of some 20 positions. To complete the integration by the end of the year, UNDP management is using an expedited competitive recruiting process for five lead positions. These five positions have been advertised and are in the process of being filled. Five other positions do not require a competitive process under UNDP recruitment procedures and will be filled with people currently working for the Millennium Project. All other positions will be recruited according to standard UNDP recruitment procedures, and this process is on-going.

For the record, Jeffrey Sachs will continue to be involved with the UN's effort on the Millennium Development Goals. As of 1 January, he will serve as Special Adviser to UNDP on the Millennium Development Goals. His salary will continue to be $75,000 per year.

            Outside spokeswoman Erin Trowbridge had previously confirmed in response to Inner City Press' questions that Mr. Sachs was being paid $75,000; UNDP stated that this would continue in 2007.

            Wednesday Inner City Press asked Mr. Sachs for his view on whether UNDP should, like the UN Secretary, make full copies of its audits available to any member state which asks, rather than only providing summaries of audits, and then only to the 36 nations on UNDP's Executive Committee, as is currently the case at UNDP. Inner City Press had on Monday asked the same question to the prime minister of Spain, who said, yes, that should happen, "of course."

            "I don't have any considered view or any expertise on this," Mr. Sachs responded on Wednesday, declining to comment further on audits.

            Inner City Press then asked Mr. Sachs to comment on the complaints of UNDP staff that the Millennium Project personnel are being brought into UNDP in violation of staff rules -- "making a mockery," one impacted UNDP staffer called it.

            "I am not aware of any of that process," Mr. Sachs said.

            Given Sachs' declining to comment on UNDP's policy on disclosure of audits and on lower-level and / or longer-time UNDP staff's distress at favoritism shown to Sachs' entourage, Inner City Press asked about the $75,000 payments, based on UNDP's begrudging disclosure of them.

            "That was during the Millennium Project. It is not the case going forward," Mr. Sachs said. Video here, from Minute 12:20.

            Inner City Press wanted to ask about UNDP's statement, two weeks ago, that these payments would be made in 2007 as well, but the moderator turned to another reporter, promising to allow further questions from Inner City Press later.

            Mr. Sachs went on to speak of bed-nets and projects in Malawi, to praise Hillary Benn of the UK and a fertilizer conference in Nigeria. A reporter from a salmon-colored daily opined that UNDP's Administrator Kemal Dervis has been missing in action for 14 months, and that UNDP's communications office is barely function, other than to strike back at reporters in attempts at brand control; he referred to the sound of tumbleweed blowing down First Avenue. Mr. Sachs responded that Mr. Dervis has been busy with the high level panel on coherence, after which the level of emailing has "scaled up."

            Once allowed another question, Inner City Press asked about UNDP's email of December 6. "Was that not true at the time?"

            "That's not true," Mr. Sachs said. "I will take in one dollar in salary, honorary."

            Inner City Press asked Mr. Sachs to explain accepting the payments in previous years, after acknowledging that it's not a huge amount of money.

            "To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure," Mr. Sachs said. "I took a modest salary, it's not modest for most of the world [but] modest in the context of round the clock work for four years, sir." Mr. Sachs paused. "I did not do this job for the money, I can assure you," he said. Video here, from Minute 43:56.  This final line, but neither the correct figures or quotes, appear in the UN's official write-up of the briefing, click here to view. Then again, the write-up on UN's "unofficial" News Service did not mention any figure, or the issues, at all, click here to view. (The UN's reflexive is sometimes Orwellian defensiveness and revisionism is not, we're clear, the fault of Professor Sachs.)

            After the press conference was over and the cameras were turned off, Mr. Sachs repeated to Inner City Press, "I did not do this job for the money, I've had much more lucrative offers."

            Inner City Press asked when the decision was made to not accept the money in 2007.

            Very recently, was the answer. Presumably after UNDP's December 6 email. Why, then, didn't UNDP send Inner City Press an update, in which case the $75,000 question would not have come up at Mr. Sachs' press conference, and MDG questions could have been asked, such as the one Inner City Press posed afterwards:

            If in Chad the percentage of people with access to improved water systems rose from 19% to 42%, while that is in a sense cutting the problem in half, is 42% acceptable? Mr. Sachs pointed out at the Goal is to cut in half those without access to clean water. Can a metric be designed to not provide "false positives" of acceptable levels of being confined to unclear water? We'll see.

            Mr. Sachs said, "I know you mean well, but be careful."

            News analysis: While a right-tilting but sunny journalist afterwards quipped that he'd say the same to Mr. Sachs, Inner City Press wants to distinguish between legitimate journalistic inquiry into UNDP, and the wider UN's system of Dollar-A-Year promoters, and any attack on the goals Mr. Sachs promotes: the eradication of extreme poverty by 2025. There are lacks of transparency, and the wasting of bottled-up talents from below due to favoritism and a star-system at the top -- but eradication of extreme poverty is the goal, to be advanced in 2007 and beyond.  Mr. Sachs' defenses of Africa against stereotypes are also heartfelt and much needed, and should and surely will continue.

            A wider development scandal, as pointed out by Mr. Pink, is the World Food Program's function of dumping surplus U.S. commodities and thereby undermining Africa's own agricultural markets, and then swooping in as the hero to solve a problem WFP itself has helped create. With Josette Shearan Shiner slated to take the WFP reigns at year's end, that too will be a focus.

UNDP Will Be Called to Greater Transparency, Says President of Spain, on UNDP's Board, and Flaws of UNOPS

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN, 15th in a series  Intro, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th

UNITED NATIONS, December 18 -- The failure of the UN Development Program to provide copies of its audits, even to the 36 countries which serve on its Executive Board, was raised on Monday to Spanish president Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Spain had just announced a major fund with UNDP, in a photo-op with UNDP Administrator at which no questions were allowed. Inner City Press asked about transparency, and bringing UNDP at least in line with the rest of the UN system in terms of providing full copies of audits. Video here, from minute 11:57. Spain in 2007 is on UNDP's Executive Board.

            "In the management of public funds, transparency must be a constant demand," Spanish president Zapatero said. "Of course the government of Spain, as an active contributor to UN programs, always wants maximum transparency... That is fundamental."

            Therefore it would appear that at the upcoming UNDP Executive Board meetings beginning January 19, 2007, Spain will be looking for a change in UNDP policies -- or demanding such changes, if they have not by then been formally proposed by the Dervis - Melkert regime at UNDP.

Messrs. Zapatero and Ban Ki-Moon, Dec. 18, 2006

  Ad Melkert on December 15 answered Inner City Press' questions by stating that he is now aiming for more transparency - click here for Inner City Press' story, here for a UN mis-summary, and here for a slightly more accurate UN News write-up, including:

"Responding to a reporter's questions on the lack of availability and detail of UNDP audits and the reported difficulty in getting media requests answered by the agency, Mr. Melkert said any report that he had told staff not to talk to the press was 'absolutely totally ludicrous.' But he added he would like the agency's transparency level to reach wider UN standards. 'Talking about transparency, the best criterion for me is my own transparency - I'd like to bring our procedures in line with the UN procedures, I think that should be normal, so I'm looking into that at this moment,' he said."

             Kemal Dervis appears for a press conference on December 21 and well might be expected to commit himself on this issue, even in his opening statement so that questions can be asked on other, also-pressing matters.

            UNDP manages the UN Office of Project Services, UNOPS. Beyond the previously reported controversy regarding UNOPS' (and UNDP's) provision of funds to support one side of the debate about Cyprus, and the subsequent demand for testimony from UNDP's representative, there are other UNOPS issues. Inner City Press has obtained an April 2006 memo concerning UNOPS relocation to Copenhagen. Previously, senior UN officials have ridiculed this move, purportedly to save funds, to Inner City Press. "Copenhagen sure has a low cost of living," one said sarcastically.  The Staff Council has other concerns, including:

"Inadequate oversight of the MCC, which at that time was chaired by the current Deputy Secretary-General, to ensure financial disclipline and respond to management failures as evidenced in the audit reports [of 2004, A/59/5/Add.10, Supp. No. 5J, etc.]....The executive board has been generally vague on any specific measures to address structural and systemic problems of UNOPS. There was no follow-up on the Staff Council's request to the OIOS on management and waste of financial resources...UNOPS staff are not considered as internal candidates at UNDP and other agencies in New York. Affected General-Service staff holding a G-4 visa and unsuccessful in seeking employment within 30 days after the end of their contract, will be required to relocate to their home country."

            This provision of U.S. immigration law, that G-4 visa holders have to leave the U.S. thirty days after losing their job, is a major factor in the fear of retaliation among staff and employees of the UN in New York. A change in immigration law, or significant strengthening of whistleblower protections are needed. UNDP's position will be inquired into (particularly after UNDP answers the many long-pending questions, including one concerning UNDP's activities in Somalia, and others for 2006 Trust Fund Agreements for contributions from SPAIN, China, Norway, France, the UK, Russia and the United States, and information about Africa, which should be provided forthwith, including in keep with the December 18 statement of the president of Spain, major UNDP contributor. Developing...

Other Inner City Press reports are available in the ProQuest service and some are archived on www.InnerCityPress.com --

At the UN, Indigenous Rights Get Deferred, As U.S. Abstains, Deftly or Deceptively

At the UN, Threat and Possible Statement on Fiji Spotlights Selection and Payment of UN Peacekeepers

At the UN, China and Islamic Dev't Bank Oppose Soros and World Bank On How to Fight Poverty

At the UN, Misdirection on Somalia and Myanmar, No Answers from UNDP's Kemal Dervis

UNDP Dodges Questions of Disarmament Abuse in Uganda and of Loss of Togo AIDS Grant, Dhaka Snafu

At the UN, The Swan Song of Jan Egeland and the Third Committee Loop, Somalia Echoes Congo

UN Silent As Protesters Tear Gassed in Ivory Coast, As UNMOVIC Plods On and War Spreads in Somalia

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At the UN, Cluster Bombs Unremembered, Uighurs Disappeared and Jay-Z Returns with Water -- for Life

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At the UN, Council Works Overtime To Cancel Its Trip About Darfur, While DC Muses on John Bolton

UN Panel's "Coherence" Plan Urges More Power to UNDP, Despite Its Silence on Human Rights

On Water, UNDP Talks Human Rights, While Enabling Violations in Africa and Asia, With Shell and Coca-Cola

Will UN's Revolving Door Keep Human Rights Lost, Like Bush's Call and WFP Confirmation Questions?

On Somalia, We Are All Ill-Informed, Says the UN, Same on Uganda, Lurching Toward UNDP Power Grab

On WFP, Annan and Ban Ki-Moon Hear and See No Evil, While Resume of Josette Sheeran Shiner Is Edited

Would Moon Followers Trail Josette Sheeran Shiner into WFP, As to U.S. State Dep't?

At the UN, Positions Are Up For the Grabbing, Sun's Silence on Censorship, Advisor Grabs for Gun

In WFP Race, Josette Sheeran Shiner Praises Mega Corporations from Cornfield While State Spins

At the UN, Housing Subsidy Spin, Puntland Mysteries of UNDP and the Panama Solution

In Campaign to Head UN WFP, A Race to Precedents' Depths, A Murky Lame Duck Appointment

At the UN, Gbagbo and his Gbaggage, Toxic Waste and Congolese Sanctions

WFP Brochure-Gate? John Bolton Has Not Seen Brochure of "Official" U.S. Candidate to Head World Food Program

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"Official" U.S. Candidate to Head WFP Circulates Brochure With Pulitzer Claim, UN Staff Rules Ignored

Senegal's President Claims Peace in Casamance and Habre Trial to Come, A Tale of Two Lamines

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At the UN, the Unrepentant Blogger Pronk, a Wink on 14 North Korean Days and Silence on Somalia

At the UN, Literacy Losses in Chad, Blogless Pronk and Toothless Iran Resolution, How Our World Turns

Sudan Pans Pronk While Praising Natsios, UN Silent on Haiti and WFP, Ivorian Fingers Crossed

UN Shy on North Korea, Effusive on Bird Flu and Torture, UNDP Cyprus Runaround, Pronk is Summoned Home

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At the UN, Annan's Africa Advisor Welcome Chinese Investment, Dodges Zimbabwe, Nods to Darfur

At the UN, Richard Goldstone Presses Enforcement on Joseph Kony, Reflecting Back on Karadzic

UN Defers on Anti-Terror Safeguards to Member States, Even in Pakistan and Somalia

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At the UN, As Next S-G is Chosen, Annan Claims Power to Make 5-Year Appointments, Quiet Filing and Ivory Coast Concessions

Chaos in UN's Somalia Policy, Working With Islamists Under Sanctions While Meeting with Private Military Contractors

U.S. Candidate for UN's World Food Program May Get Lame Duck Appointment, Despite Korean Issues

At the UN, U.S. Versus Axis of Airport, While Serge Brammertz Measures Non-Lebanese Teeth

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In Some New Orleans, Questions Echo from the South Bronx and South Lebanon

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US's Frazer Accuses Al-Bashir of Sabotage, Arab League of Stinginess, Chavez of Buying Leaders - Click here for video file by Inner City Press.

Third Day of UN General Debate Gets Surreal, Canapes and Killings, Questions on Iran and Montenegro and Still Somalia

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At the UN, Financial Disclosure Are Withheld While Freedom of Information Is Promised, Of Hollywood and Dictators' Gift Shops

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UN's Guehenno Says Congo Warlord Just Needs Training, and Kazana Probe Continues

With Congo Elections Approaching, UN Issues Hasty Self-Exoneration as Annan Is Distracted

In DR Congo, UN Applauds Entry into Army of Child-Soldier Commander Along with Kidnapper

Spinning the Congo, UN Admits Hostage Deal with Warlord That Put Him in Congolese Army

At the UN, Dow Chemical's Invited In, While Teaming Up With Microsoft is Defended

Kofi Annan Questioned about Congolese Colonel Who Kidnapped Seven UN Soldiers

UN Silent As Congolese Kidnapper of UN Peacekeepers Is Made An Army Colonel: News Analysis

UN's Guehenno Speaks of "Political Overstretch" Undermining Peacekeeping in Lower Profile Zones

In Gaza Power Station, the Role of Enron and the U.S. Government's OPIC Revealed by UN Sources

UN's Corporate Partnerships Will Be Reviewed, While New Teaming Up with Microsoft, and UNDP Continues

BTC Briefing, Like Pipeline, Skirts Troublespots, Azeri Revelations

Conflicts of Interest in UNHCR Program with SocGen and Pictet Reveal Reform Rifts

UN Grapples with Somalia, While UNDP Funds Mugabe's Human Rights Unit, Without Explanation

UN Gives Mugabe Time with His Friendly Mediator, Refugees Abandoned

At the UN, Friday Night's Alright for Fighting; Annan Meets Mugabe

UN Acknowledges Abuse in Uganda, But What Did Donors Know and When? Kazakh Questions

In Uganda, UNDP to Make Belated Announcement of Program Halt, But Questions Remain (and see The New Vision, offsite).

Disarmament Abuse in Uganda Leads UN Agency to Suspend Its Work and Spending

Disarmament Abuse in Uganda Blamed on UNDP, Still Silent on Finance

Alleged Abuse in Disarmament in Uganda Known by UNDP, But Dollar Figures Still Not Given: What Did UN Know and When?

Strong Arm on Small Arms: Rift Within UN About Uganda's Involuntary Disarmament of Karamojong Villages

UN's Selective Vision on Somalia and Wishful Thinking on Uighurs

UN Habitat Predicts The World Is a Ghetto, But Will Finance Be Addressed at Vancouver World Urban Forum?

UN's Annan Concerned About Use of Terror's T-Word to Repress, Wants Freedom of Information

UN  Waffles on Human Rights in Central Asia and China; ICC on Kony and a Hero from Algiers

UN & US, Transparency for Finance But Not Foreign Affairs: Somalia, Sovereignty and Senator Tom Coburn

Human Rights Forgotten in UN's War of Words, Bolton versus Mark Malloch Brown: News Analysis

In Praise of Migration, UN Misses the Net and Bangalore While Going Soft on Financial Exclusion

UN Sees Somalia Through a Glass, Darkly, While Chomsky Speaks on Corporations and Everything But Congo

Corporate Spin on AIDS, Holbrooke's Kudos to Montenegro and its Independence

The Silence of the Congo and Naomi Watts; Between Bolivia and the World Bank

Human Rights Council Has Its Own Hanging Chads; Cocky U.S. State Department Spins from SUVs

Child Labor and Cargill and Nestle; Iran, Darfur and WHO's on First with Bird Flu

Press Freedom? Editor Arrested by Congo-Brazzaville, As It Presides Over Security Council

The Place of the Cost-Cut UN in Europe's Torn-Up Heart;
Deafness to Consumers, Even by the Greens

Background Checks at the UN, But Not the Global Compact; Teaching Statistics from Turkmenbashi's Single Book

Ripped Off Worse in the Big Apple, by Citigroup and Chase: High Cost Mortgages Spread in Outer Boroughs in 2005, Study Finds

Burundi: Chaos at Camp for Congolese Refugees, Silence from UNHCR, While Reform's Debated by Forty Until 4 AM

The Chadian Mirage: Beyond French Bombs, Is Exxon In the Cast? Asylum and the Uzbeks, Shadows of Stories to Come

Through the UN's One-Way Mirror, Sustainable Development To Be Discussed by Corporations, Even Nuclear Areva

Racial Disparities Grew Worse in 2005 at Citigroup, HSBC and Other Large Banks

Mine Your Own Business: Explosive Remnants of War and the Great Powers, Amid the Paparazzi

Human Rights Are Lost in the Mail: DR Congo Got the Letter, But the Process is Still Murky

Iraq's Oil to be Metered by Shell, While Basrah Project Remains Less than Clear

Kofi, Kony, Kagame and Coltan: This Moment in the Congo and Kampala

As Operation Swarmer Begins, UN's Qazi Denies It's Civil War and Has No Answers if Iraq's Oil is Being Metered

Cash Crop: In Nepal, Bhutanese Refugees Prohibited from Income Generation Even in their Camps

The Shorted and Shorting in Humanitarian Aid: From Davos to Darfur, the Numbers Don't Add Up

UN Reform: Transparency Later, Not Now -- At Least Not for AXA - WFP Insurance Contract

In the Sudanese Crisis, Oil Revenue Goes Missing, UN Says

Empty Words on Money Laundering and Narcotics, from the UN and Georgia

What is the Sound of Eleven Uzbeks Disappearing? A Lack of Seats in Tashkent, a Turf War at UN

Kosovo: Of Collective Punishment and Electricity; Lights Out on Privatization of Ferronikeli Mines

Abkhazia: Cleansing and (Money) Laundering, Says Georgia

Post-Tsunami Human Rights Abuses, including by UNDP in the Maldives

Citigroup Dissembles at United Nations Environmental Conference

Other Inner City Press reports are available in the ProQuest service and some are archived on www.InnerCityPress.com --

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