In Other Media-eg New Statesman, AJE, FP, Georgia, NYT,  Azerbaijan, CSM Click here to contact us     .

By Matthew Russell Lee & sources, Exclusive

UN GATE, Dec 18 – On December 10th, Inner City Press wrote about the deepening crisis at the security service of UNESCO, generated by the incompetent management of its Head, the French Nicolas Hergot.

This service is under severe strain for months now while the top managers of the agency are complacently closing their eyes in order to protect Hergot. 

The email sent by the STU President to all staff members (here), exposed blatantly the real situation and provoked an electroconvulsive psychodrama in the administration. An emergency meeting has been convened immediately attended by Director of DG’s Cabinet (France), DDG (China), ADG for Admin (UK) and Director HR (Japan). During that meeting, a destabilization plan for the STU has been outlined in order to overpower the President of STU and punish him for revealing openly the crisis. 

As a result, the DG Azoulay usual puppies, Director HR Kazumi Ogawa and ADG for Management Nicholas Jeffreys, instead of addressing the infirmities in the security service, initiated an intimidating pressure over the members of the STU Council.

Quite unfortunately, it worked with some, especially with the three Italian members of the STU Council, who opted to play the game of the administration aiming at destabilizing the STU President.    As usual, counting on the cowardice of some of its staff, the administration applied the divide and rule technique in a hope to shut down the right to speak at UNESCO and kill its unions rights that are enshrined in the United Nations Charter.  The STU destabilization started with the email from Director HR to STU Council members, but not copied to the STU President:  From: Director HRM Sent: jeudi 10 décembre 2020 14:06 To: STU Council  Copy: Jeffreys, Nicholas ; Brunner, Jennifer; Sadigova, Farida Sadigova Subject: STU - Malaise in the Security and Safety Service     Esteemed colleagues of the STU Council, I was shocked to see this message below, which was shared to all UNESCO staff, in the name of a staff association. The statements set out in this message are factually incorrect. We, both HRM and Chief Security, have been in regular contact with Presidents of both staff associations on numerous occasions on both the extraordinary and temporary conditions of travel as well as the reorganization of a shift system.     In my view, as a staff member, I also found it unfortunate to invoke the Director-General publicly in a missive such as this, particularly at this time, during the Executive Board when she is leading the efforts of the Secretariat to engage Member States on the future of the work of the Organization. This detracts rather than supports her during this crucial period.    

With a view to setting the record straight, ADG ADM would like to convene a meeting with the STU Council. We regret the short notice, but feel it is necessary to address this quickly. As such, we would like to invite you to a meeting at 16:00 today. Should it transpire that many of you not are not able to participate this afternoon, I would, as an alternative, propose 15:00 tomorrow, Friday 11 December.     While this matter is certainly unpleasant, I look forward to meeting with you in the spirit of addressing any concerns that you, our representatives, may have, so that we may continue to work together. The Director-General attaches great important to the role of staff associations, and counts on all of us to engage constructive cooperation, as we work together to meet the objectives of this noble Organization. Best, Kazumi Ogawa 

A senior staff member underscored: “Madam Ogawa says she is shocked. Quite amusing statement actually. She better be shocked about the lawlessness in her HR Bureau and all the HR shenanigans happening at UNESCO since her appointment in that position. Fibbing all the time is a perilous exercise, and Madam Ogawa should watch out since even the Japanese ambassador to UNESCO, who is known to be a respected man, will start knitting his brows. Protection of falsifiers of facts at D2 level has a limit”.

Actually, what Ogawa used as an argument to defend Azoulay’s administration is nonsense. To be “in regular contact with Presidents of both staff associations on numerous occasions” does not mean to consult them on a reform of a service according to the existing rules. But not respecting rules and procedures is the trademark of this administration, he added.  The Ogawa nonsensical email was followed by the email of her boss, the famed for his administrative dishonesty and lack of principles, Nicholas Jeffreys (UK).

As usual, Azoulay can count on both to lie as required since this is what they have been doing since their recruitment in order to protect her corrupted administration.    After influencing some STU Council members to betray further their President and publicly reverse his strong statement, Nicholas Jeffreys sent off the following “deploring” email to all staff members of the Agency: 

From: UNESCO Info  Sent: mardi 15 décembre 2020 16:41 To: Liste.UNESCO Subject: UNESCO Administration deplores the statement of the President of the STU  Reply to statement made by the President of the STU on 10th December 2020  UNESCO Administration deplores the statement made by the President of the STU on 10th December 2020, entitled “Malaise in the Security and Safety Service”, which contains factual errors. It notes that this statement was made by the STU President, and not endorsed by the STU Council.  (…) In this respect, UNESCO Administration recalls the Standards of Conduct of the International Civil Service, which state, inter alia, that “in using the broad freedom of expression they enjoy, staff representatives must exercise a sense of responsibility and avoid undue criticism of the organization”. The Administration deplores the attack on an individual staff member, contained in this message. Signed: ADG/ADM. Another misleading message from the British Pinocchio about supposed “factual errors” by the STU President and misinterpretation of facts to protect the administration. 

Luckily for the staff and unfortunately for the administration and its lousy representatives, the President of the other UNESCO Staff association, AIPU/ISAU, wrote himself to the DDG, Director Cabinet, Director HR and ADG Admin.  In his email of yesterday, 17 December, the President of ISAU confirmed that the two associations have never been consulted on the reform of the security service according to the rules, which confirms that the STU President is right in his alerting message about the situation in this service: “(…)

Furthermore, we inform you that ISAU had received a proposal from the head of the security service on February 11, 2020, but no consultation has taken place since. To be recorded that the new measures that will be implemented in January 2021 are not identical to those of the proposal of February 11”.  This message of ISAU corroborated the facts as exposed by the STU and put down the defensive and divisive plans of the administration.

Thus, its divide and rule technique that worked in the past did not work this time, possibly because reelection for a real DG is looming ahead in 2021.  In the meantime, the French Police Commissaire Nicolas Hergot proved to be unsuccessful in chasing the inhouse sources that exposed the sexual performance-based promotion affair of Kacyanides and his lovely mistress. He is considered not efficient, so it was decided by Azoulay that he will be seconded by another French Police Commissaire and one French Gendarme to be appointed shortly. Nicolas Hergot publicly vowed to transform the security service into a French gendarmerie style one. This is how UNESCO is becoming Frenchesco at all levels. 

Furthermore, taking into account that since his appointment, Hergot often showed disrespect and disdain to his colleagues, the ADG for Admin has summoned him in his office and told him to adapt with no delay his professional behavior to UNESCO’s standards. Still, as put by one of his colleagues: “Despite those firm instructions from his hierarchy, Nicolas Hergot, being a pure product of the French Police system will hardly be able to adapt his French Policeman style to the international environment of UNESCO. His appointment was a mistake. He is destroying our service”. This is clearly a case study about the way the French DG is imposing a French modus operandi at UNESCO.

Will member states’ representatives, who are fully aware about it, and brought this issue to a political level, follow her in this direction? The future elections in 2021 will say. Watch this site.

***

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

Past (and future?) UN Office: S-303, UN, NY 10017 USA
For now: Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Search innercitypress.com  Search WWW (censored?)

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

 Copyright 2006-2020 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com for