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With UN Report on Algiers
Bombing Late, UNDP Out of Jordan, Reports Say, N. Korean Kudos
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
October 6 -- As the UN released a
report on human rights in North Korea quoting all UN agencies except
the UN
Development Program, sources told Inner City Press that UNDP is
curtailing
operations in Jordan, without coordinating with the other UN agencies
there,
and that specific UNDP staff members have been identified for
accountability
for the bombing of UN premises in Algeria in December. That report is
already
some weeks late, but UN Security sources tell Inner City Press is will
be
released this week.
In the
Algeria case, UNDP's Mark de Bernis demonstrably did not effectively
forward or
act on the warnings from other staff member. Now, while UNDP may claim
be to
proactive in Jordan, it does so again without coordinating with other
parts of
the UN System. UNDP's attempts to control so-called "One UN Systemwide
Coherence" are called into question by its lurching actions on security. In fact, Somalia sources say that threats in
that country are directed more at UNDP than other UN agencies, due to
UNDP's
perceived side-taking in conflicts.
UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Report on the "Situation of Human
Rights
in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" which was released this
week
contains statements from and about six separate UN agencies, from the
World
Food Program to UNICEF, but nothing from UNDP. In fact, UNDP is the
unnamed
elephant in the room of Ban Ki-moon's report, having pulled out of the
country
in response to charges of among other things not tracking money it gave
the Kim
Jong-il regime.
Ban's
report states that he "is further encouraged by the positive
developments
under the six-party talks aimed at the denuclearization of the Korean
peninsula." Given the renewed enrichment action in North Korea, the
statement seems ludicrous.
UNDP's Dervis talks down to Ban Ki-moon,
safety reports not shown
To be fair the report, while issued this week, is
dated August 26. The above-quoted still seems strange to many,
particularly
since the report says on its first page, "The present report was
submitted
after the deadline so as to include the most recent developments."
On the
other hand, Ban's spokesperson on October 2 did not initially announce
a
pull-out from Pakistan. So Inner
City Press asked, at that day's noon briefing
Inner City Press: Forgive me if
missed it, but did you say anything about raising the security level
and
pulling out family members of UN staffers from Pakistan?
Spokesperson: I didn’t say
anything, but we have, as
standard UN procedures, regular security assessments, and they take
place at
every duty place around the world. Due
to recent attacks in Pakistan, we determined it was appropriate to take
the
precautionary measure to raise security levels in the country, in
Pakistan, so
that family members of staff could temporarily be relocated to other
sites. I’m talking about dependents,
family members. All essential staff will
remain on duty and all UN work will proceed as normal.
Inner City Press: The whole
country, not just Islamabad?
Spokesperson: No, it
covers some specific regions.
Why did the
UN leave it for a question in order for this move to come out? On October 7, there will be no UN noon
briefing, in deference apparently to a Ban Ki-moon press conference at
11 a.m.,
called the "first of his regular monthly press briefings."
Will Press questions be allowed?
Footnote:
Attempts to reach UNDP on Monday about events in Jordan were not
successful.
Numerous past questions have remained unanswered, including the fees
UNDP has
collected for processing topping-off salary payments to President
Saakashvili
of Georgia, and for the Peacebuilding Commission. On
these and other questions, UNDP's spokesman
on September 18 told Inner City Press, "as for the other questions,
I'll
let you know when I have answers for you." In the nearly three weeks
since, nothing. System-wide coherence, indeed.
Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on
UN, bailout, MDGs.
* * *
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
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