UNDP
Reports on Clark's Kiwi Concerns, Doss Probe In Limbo, Ryan on Sri
Lanka
By
Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, October 15 -- The no longer so new Administrator of the UN
Development Program, Helen Clark of New Zealand, has still not done a
UN press conference. On Thursday one of her duputies, Jordan Ryan of
the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, was announced as the
guest at the noon briefing, with no topic listed. [Inner City Press
previously covered Ryan's work in
Vietnam, click here.]
Once Ryan arrived on Thursday, the
scope of the briefing was limited to UNDP's work in Tonga and Samoa.
Inner City Press asked if this had anything to do with the interest
of Helen
Clark's native New
Zealand in these two. Why not a briefing
on the Philippines and Indonesia? Mr. Ryan did not directly answer.
He described three big waves.
Since
UNDP never
comes to the UN briefing room anymore, Inner City Press asked Mr.
Ryan a few outstanding UNDP questions. Is it true that UNDP was the
agency charged with relocating the World Food Program in Islamabad to
a common premises in the diplomatic zone, before the recent bombing?
When will UNDP's internal investigation of Alan Doss' written request
that he be shown "leeway" -- that rules be broken -- and a
UNDP job given to his daughter? Ryan said there is an investigation.
But it's been months.
As
the moderator
tried to cut off questions, Inner City Press returned Tonga
and Samoa
-- how much notice was given? half an hour -- then Guinea and Sri
Lanka. Ryan, who has visited Sri Lanka, talked about building
housing. Inner City Press asked about the view of some Tamils that
the rehousing may involve changing the ethnic make up in Northern Sri
Lanka. Video here.
Helen Clark and New Zealand PM and press,
Tonga and 226 briefing not shown
Ryan said
that not what he saw during his visit, but
acknowledged that in some cases in Sri Lanka, people are moved to
places other than where they came from. This could be done in the
name of safety. But it could having intentions and / or effects.
Afterwards,
several other UN correspondents marveled that Helen Clark, the UN
system's third highest officials, has yet to come do a press
conference at the UN. Watch this site.
* * *
At
UNDP, Clark's Talks and Photo-Ops But Dodging on Somalia, Biter,
Consultants' Pay and Royal
By
Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, July 27 -- At the UN Development Program, one hundred days
after former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark took over the top
job, she has yet to hold a press conference for correspondents at UN
headquarters. To mark her stealth one hundred days, she appeared
from
New York on New Zealand television. When asked how much she gets
paid, she answered "I think you can go into the website."
It's
not that there is not real news about UNDP. The organization was targeted
in Somalia by Al Shabaab essentially for taking sides in a
civil war. Conflict extended into UNDP headquarters itself, where
as
exclusively reported
by Inner City Press a staff member complaining
of hiring irregularities and nepotism was maced and taken to the
local police precinct after biting of UN Security Officer on the
arm. In
Panama, UNDP is in damage control mode faced with criticism of
paying consultants there more than the president of the country.
Weeks after asking Clark's UNDP for
responses on its programs including in
Cyprus, but receiving no response, Inner City Press on July 27 asked
the UN system's Associate Spokesperson Farhan Haq questions about
UNDP, from the man bites man incident to Helen
Clark having given a
speech at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington from which the public
was excluded until they
paid at least $200.
UNDP's Helen Clark and blue UN flag, Press Q&A not shown
Inner
City Press: the head of UNDP, Helen Clark, gave a speech in
Washington at the Women’s Foreign Policy Group, and they charged
$250 admission. Is there any kind of rule applicable to UN officials
speaking in a for-pay environment and who reviews, obviously it was a
fund-raiser, but what comment do you have on that?
Associate
Spokesperson Haq: I don’t. I would suggest that you talk to UNDP
for any comment on this. It’s their event and I don’t have any
of the details of it.
Inner
City Press: Is there any UN system rule, to your knowledge?
Associate
Spokesperson Haq: Well, UN officials do not receive payment for the
speeches that they give. But I don’t know about what kind of event
this is. Whether this was an outside group that was charging or
whether UNDP was. For that you really have to get the details from
UNDP.
Despite
UNDP still refusing to answer long-pending questions including about
its programs in Cyprus, Inner City Press sent a few questions to two
of the agency's spokespeople, including to Administrator Clark's
personal spokesperson Christan LoNigro:
Please
comment including on compliance will all applicant UN and UNDP rules
and principles on Helen Clark speaking recently in DC at a
fundraising for which $200 or $250 entrance was charged: how are the
beneficiaries of such UNDP fundraising chosen? Who reviews the
beneficiaries? Which similar invitations has Ms. Clark, or Mr. Dervis
in 2008 and 2009, declined? On what basis?
Please
state when Ms. Clark will finally hold a press conference Q&A in
Room 226, and why this has not yet been done.
Please
provide all available UNDP information on the biting incident I asked
about at noon: Farhan says UNDP tells him the biter was a job SEEKER,
and that the recruitment was transparent. Please name the underlying
job, the job seeker, and what happened.
Please
comment on this from Panama, UNDP criticized for paying consultant(s)
more than that country's president makes
http://www.critica.com.pa/archivo/07152009/nacional.html
Please
state on what basis some but not all UN correspondents who cover UNDP
were invited to the embargoed briefing on UNDP's report on Human
Security and the Middle East / Arab world.
Please
comment on / respond to Al
Shabaab's criticism and expulsion of UNDP
(but not WFP, for example) -- how many UNDP staff have left
Somalia?
What has UNDP done, if anything, in the face of criticism that it
lacks balance in Somalia? How much money has UNDP spent on security
personnel in Somalia in 2008 and 2009 and name the donors. And again,
the Cyprus. Thanks in advance.
Some
six hours later, some but not all responses arrived, from the "Press
Office to the Administrator" Helen Clark, Christina LoNigro:
Subj:
RE: Stephane- UNDP questions
From:
[Ms. LoNigro at] undp.org
To:
Inner City Press
Sent:
7/27/2009 6:22:24 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
UNDP
Administrator Helen Clark spoke at the Women’s Foreign Policy
Group’s first event in its “Women in Power” series in
Washington DC on July 24 in her official capacity. UN officials often
speak at events that share the goals and ideals of the UN. Miss
Clark received no compensation for speaking at this event and
obtained clearance from UNDP’s Ethics Office prior to accepting the
invitation. Miss Clark spoke about development issues and achievement
of the MDGs. You can find her full remarks here.
On
Panama, UNDP values its relationship with the Government of Panama,
and everyone involved is committed to ironing out any issues. On
Friday 17th July 2009 , UNDP Panama met with Minister Vallarino, the
National Comptroller, Carlos Vallarino and the Vice-minister for
Economy, Frank de Lima to clear up any misunderstandings. The new
government expressed its desire to continue working with UNDP.
There
was an unfortunate and isolated incident involving an employee of
UNDP on 23rd June 2009. UN Security and the New York Police
Department responded, and it is now being handled by the authorities
of the host government.
UNDP
continuously assesses the security situation on the ground in Somalia
and acts accordingly, taking into consideration the safety of our
staff and the effective delivery of our programmes. For the safety
and security of our staff we are not able to comment on their numbers
and location. We can say that UNDP programmes and operations
continue uninterrupted in Somalia.
On
Cyprus, Stephane will be sending you something soon.
This
last has been said for months. But what, as simply one example, about
the question of when Ms. Clark will finally take questions from the
Press? Watch this site.
Footnote:
UNDP's side site to "respon[d] to inaccurate press reports,"
long dormant, is back,
proclaiming that "UNDP, through its
office in Geneva, has indeed been in discussions with Ms. Segolene
Royal, as the President of the Regional Council of Poitou-Charentes,
within the context of cooperation between regional and local
communities in the developed countries and those in the developing
world, in particular as regards issues of climate change."
Who
knew? And what does UNDP have to say about Ms. Royal's reported involvement
in trying to de-fund a music festival due to one artist, Orelsan's,
lyrics?
Update
of July 27-28, 2 a.m. -- After weeks' long delay, suddenly these
answers about UNDP's funding of media in Cyprus arrived:
Q
- Is it possible for you to tell me who received the money and how
this money was spent?
A
- As indicated in the description of the project on the internet,
funds were provided to Radio May to produce and broadcast
informational programs across the island.
Q
I understand the radio station (was?) established just to support the
Annan Plan. Is it true?
A-
No.
Q
- Did the recipients of the funds report back on how they spent the
money? Did they submit receipts, etc?
A
- Yes.
While
there's more to be said about these UNDP (and USAID) programs, for
now we'll simply run in full what UNDP sent.
* * *
, 
