|
In UNDP Secrecy Plan, Even Funders
Must Gives Reasons to See Audits, Board Must Be Notified, Resuming
Sept. 19
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
September 12 -- The culture of
secrecy and cover-up in the UN, at least in the UN Development Program,
was on
display on Friday night. The UNDP Executive Board meeting went into
overtime,
without translators, due to objections to even the watered-down
proposal to let
member states see audits of UNDP country programs while withholding
them from
the public. A proposal was made by UNDP's Board President to add a
requirement
that any requester of an audit must state the "reason / purpose of the
request," and also that UNDP notify not only the "concerned
country" but also the wider Executive Board before providing any
documents.
This
falls far short of most Freedom of Information laws, which provide
for individuals to gain access to documents whether or not they fund
they
underlying programs. Here, roadblocks are being erected to funders
seeing
audits of what they have funded. Only at the UN...
UNDP's Ad Melkert, who said "you ain't seen nothing
yet." No, we haven't.
UNDP's
Administrator Kemal Dervis, who has contributed to this culture of
secrecy by for example refusing to answer even factual questions
was not in the Board meeting to the end. Nor was his Associate Ad
Melkert, who had promised transparency and reform. Akiko Yuge was in
the
house, as a ten minute recess was called to consider the enhanced
secrecy
amendments. The ten minutes too were
extended. "Thomas of Switzerland," as the Board president called him,
was called to the front to translate.
The Board president bragged that he had a very fun
schedule for the
weekend -- "maybe you don't" -- and so he wanted a vote on his
language of more secret audits.
The
draft he circulated also differed from what he'd read out loud, this
time
allowing the Executive Board as well as the concerned government to
"view
and comment on the report" prior to it being given to any funding
member
state.
Update of 8:25
p.m. -- "Ten minutes" has gone over an hour. Rationales for secrecy are
offered to Inner City Press: disclosure can lead to suspension of
programs as in North Korea; even if a country commits to not share an
audit with the press, there is no recourse for violating the
commitment. But if a program is funded by a public body like the UN,
how can how the money's spend legitimately be kept confidential?
Update of 8:40
p.m. -- The president finally re-gavels the meeting to order, only to
announce that no concensus was reached. China speaks, to say this
will have an impact on for example the UNICEF board, which meets next
week. China "can't make position at this stage."
Do other
delegations which to take the floor? India speaks, supporting the
Chinese position, requesting more time. Pakistan says the same
(Kashmir notwithstanding). Russia "also would like to express its
regret... and hope that in the meantime no negative precedent."
The
president says, we are not to wait until the next meeting in
January. An African delegate says that the issue has been focused
on UNDP, not UNICEF.
Update of 9 p.m. -- the
president suspends the session until next Friday. Even the most basic
and constrained transparency can't fly at UNDP...
Watch this site, and this (UN) debate.
* * *
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 -
|
