| As
Guterres In Lisbon Ruined Paris Christmas
For DG Azoulay UNESCO 2d Term On Rocks
By Matthew
Russell Lee &
sources,
Exclusive
UN GATE, Dec 27 – UNESCO, like the
whole UN system under Antonio
Guterres is ending a
damaging year even more rotten
by corruption and illicit
political maneuverings.
UNESCO has seen a
lot of corruption and abuse of
power over the last three
years. Still, the lack of
respect for its governing
bodies and for its
Constitution by the Azoulay
administration has reached in
2020 unprecedented
levels.
A month ago,
Inner City Press wrote about
the DG Audrey Azoulay and her
yes-men Nicolas Kassianides
and Firmin Matoko meetings
with representatives of
members states to the
executive board in order to
secure their support for her
reelection during the 210th
board session (here).
Following the exposure by
Inner City Press, a number of
those ambassadors who had
committed to speak out
publicly in her favor,
preferred to retract. Azoulay
ended with only 24 board
members supporting her second
term, which proved
insufficient for recommending
her to the general conference
for a second term “by
acclamation”, as the result
was far behind the expected
majority of 30 favorable
voices. The Spanish
Ambassador, Juan Andrés
PERELLÓ RODRÍGUEZ had to be
reminded that that respecting
democratic prerequisites is a
must, even at corrupted
UNESCO. Mr Ambassador of Spain
made a memorable speech
declaring that in the case of
the French Azoulay, reelection
must be awarded, and that it
is “time to do beyond
initiating electoral
processes”.
What the
Ambassador was saying
shamelessly to his fellow
ambassadors is that it is
appropriate to close their
eyes to the Constitution of
UNESCO in order to please the
French. Was his speech
approved by his capital in
advance remains unclear
despite our efforts to get a
response from the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, European
Union and Cooperation of
Spain.
The government in
Madrid is defending the
opposite standpoint when it is
about the "unavoidable
requirement for democratic
processes", in the case of
Venezuela or Belarus for
instance.
As emphasized by
one Cabinet member : “When you
know that this Spanish guy was
running for the position of
President of the General
Conference, the most
prestigious political post at
UNESCO, it is a miracle that
he did not get it. Obviously,
the Ambassador of Turkey, who
won it last year against him,
is assuming his duties with
far more dignity and full
respect for the
Constitution”. Despite
all the political pressure and
false promises, despite the
complacent anti-constitutional
statements by Spain, Italy,
Germany, Serbia, Bulgaria,
Morocco, Ethiopia, Jordan and
Tunisia, the secret plan to
barter the reelection of
Azoulay poorly failed and the
clique came to nothing in its
stratagem to abolish the
constitutional provisions.
Still, as the
French DG appears scared to
death by the option of a fair
competition in the forthcoming
reelection process, all steps
will be taken by the French so
as to dissuade a potential
candidacy from another country
in 2021.
The ire of
the French is currently
directed against the Chair of
the executive board Agapito
Mba Mokuy, who showed unusual
difficulties in managing the
210th board session. Since
then, closed-door discussions
are underway among EU
ambassadors to remove him from
the chairmanship position
although there is no provision
for such impeachment in the
rules of procedure of the
executive board.
This is
where UNESCO stands today at
the end of 2020. A rotten UN
agency, propitious to
corruption,
anti-constitutional political
moves, sexual
performances-based promotions
by the Director of Cabinet
Kassianides himself, abuse of
power and nepotism. We will
have more on that next year.
***
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