UN
GATE, Nov 6
– UNESCO,
like the whole
UN system
under Antonio
Guterres is
falling apart
in corruption
and fraud. In
recent years,
Inner City
Press has
revealed the
alarming
situation of
the
Paris-based UN
agency, headed
by Frenchwoman
Audrey Azoulay
since 2017.
Since
the beginning
of her
mandate,
following a
totally
unexpected
election, the
French DG and
her team have
treated the
organization
as if it were
her private
store or her
family
property.
Until
recently,
however, very
little
reaction from
member states
to rectify
this situation
has been
generated,
although it
has occurred
in other UN
agencies.
Yet,
the exposure
and the
revelations of
Inner City
Press finally
resulted in
open and
official
criticism
expressed by a
number of
member states
at the last
215th session
of the
Executive
Board, held
from 5 to 19
October
2022.
As
in other UN
agencies, the
Executive
Board of
UNESCO is
finally waking
up to the
issue of
accountability.
That is why,
under the
instructions
of Azoulay's
Cabinet, the
IOS director
has done
everything to
slow down the
procedure
discussed by
member states
in the ExB
Special
committee
under item 21
of the Board's
agenda
(Document 2015
EX/21
available here)
on the "UNESCO
procedure of
investigation
of allegations
against the
Director-General".
It is a leap
forward and
even today it
is easy to
predict that
DG Azoulay
will end her
mandate badly
after having
mismanaged it.
Several
signals
confirm this
new state of
mind of the
member states.
For
example, the
usual
supporters of
the French DG
and of her
corrupt
mismanagement
have fallen on
deaf ears this
time. The
legitimate
demands of the
staff unions
and some
honorable
member states
to remedy this
state of
affairs did
not meet with
the usual
opposition of
Azoulay's
lackeys.
On the
contrary, a
resolution was
even adopted
on the
personal
financial
responsibility
of managers
who generate
financial
liabilities
for the
organization
through their
decisions.
Another first
for the
corrupt
administration
of DG
Azoulay.
The
governance
vacuum appears
to be over.
"This session
of the
executive
board signaled
the beginning
of the
end-of-term
period for the
Azoulay
administration,"
said a senior
official
working in the
organization.
"This is
unprecedented,
as normally
open criticism
from member
states usually
comes only a
few months
before the
incumbent DG
leaves office.
In the case of
DG Azoulay,
her lame duck
period will
last at least
two more
years. This is
very unusual,
but it
reflects the
irritation of
influential
ambassadors,"
adds our
source.
The
following is a
transcript of
the memorable
speech of the
Turkish
Ambassador,
H.E. Ms.
Gülnur Aybet,
delivered at
the opening
session of the
Executive
Board last
month.
She
requested
Audrey Azoulay
to “improve
the
communication
between the DG
and the
permanent
delegations”
and emphasized
the
“importance of
speed and
timing” since
the DG office
is very slow
and not
responding and
that this is
becoming the
“emerging
norm” and that
ambassadors
find it
“extremely
difficult to
schedule an
appointment
directly with
the DG
herself”.
The
Ambassador
also said that
the problems
of “timing and
level of
response” of
DG cabinet are
“appearing
across” the
board and this
obstruction
seems to be
“systematic
and
structural”
While
underscoring
the need for
DG Azoulay to
address these
issues, Ms
Gülnur Aybet
also did a
“timely and
gentle
reminder that
intergovernmental
organizations
like UNESCO
are made up of
member states
and the
Secretariat is
accountable to
member
states”.
At
last, the word
accountability
was thrown in
the face of
Audrey Azoulay
who, despite
her stony
face, seemed
incandescent
with rage in
front of the
applause that
followed this
muscular
intervention.
Servilely,
the Chair of
the Executive
Board, Serbian
Tamara
Rastovac
Siamashvili
tried
desperately to
stop the
applause that
was
outrageously
discourteous
for Azoulay
and sounded
like the
beginning of
the end of her
time in
office.
Some
have wondered
why Tamara
Rastovac
Siamashvili
was so
obsequious in
frantically
trying to
overprotect
the DG in that
particular
case, when
criticism of
this magnitude
was emerging
publicly for
the first
time. We have
the answer for
you. Just
before the
board session,
Azoulay
promised
Tamara
Rastovac
Siamashvili to
appoint fellow
Serbian Uros
Mijuskovic to
the very
strategic
position of
Secretary of
the Appeals
Board.
As the
UNESCO human
resources
office (HRM)
leaked this
information to
Inner City
Press, this is
one of the
most
controversial
recruitments
in many years.
Reportedly,
the Serbian
who is now
number one on
the short list
has a triple
nationality,
contrary to
Dutch laws
that require
the
abandonment of
all other
nationalities
once Dutch
nationality is
to be
obtained.
Strange for a
lawyer to
ignore that
much the laws.
Moreover,
sources in The
Hague indicate
that Tamara
knows the
Serbian
candidate well
from her years
in The Hague
working in the
office of the
legal adviser
to the
Organization
for
Prohibition of
the Chemical
Weapons. Both
are
specialists in
legal affairs
and he was
clearly
favorably
advantaged and
preferred by
Tamara
Rastovac
Siamashvili
who pushed for
him but
deliberately
failed to do
the same push
for other
Serbian
candidates who
had obtained
the support of
the capital
Belgrade for
their
candidacies.
So,
another
intimate
friend of
those in power
to get a cushy
job at UNESCO,
where family
and
mistresses’
businesses are
the most
prosperous
branch of the
organization.
See here
about the
Chilean ADG
for culture,
Ernesto Ottone
and his latest
Spanish
mistress Sara
Garcia De
Ugarte, as
well as about
Nicolas
Kassianides,
the Director
of Azoulay’s
Cabinet and
his official
mistress, Lily
Neyestani.
Evidence
provided by
HRM on the
controversial
recruitment of
Serbian Uros
Mijuskovic
includes the
fact that a
non-staff
member was
invited to sit
on a UNESCO
recruitment
panel.
The
Office of
Legal Affairs
then refused
to sit on this
panel despite
the insistence
of the panel's
chairman,
British con
man Nicholas
Jeffreys, who
still holds
the position
of ADG for the
administration
after all the
documented
misdeeds.
The
panel was thus
composed of
Nicholas
Jeffreys,
Amita Vohra
from the
Cabinet,
Annick Grisar
from HRM and
the President
of the Appeals
board who got
this position
after an
election by
the member
states. There
is no
precedent in
the history of
UNESCO where
the elected
President of
the Appeals
board is an
official
member of a
recruitment
panel.
However,
all this is
done for a
specific
purpose by
Nicholas
Jeffreys, as
our source
pointed out:
"the goal of
the
administration
is to weaken
the President
of the Appeals
board by
involving him
in an illegal
recruitment
procedure and
then to easily
manipulate him
when decisions
regarding
staff
contestation
cases will
have to be
made by him.
He has become
easy prey for
the
administration
and the staff
will pay the
price", our
source
added.
The
illegal
recruitment
panel
interviewed
seven
candidates and
shortlisted
four, with
Tamara
Rastovac
Siamashvili's
Serbian mate
being the
number one.
"By this deed,
Tamara is
imperiling the
position and
function of
the Chair of
the Executive
Board and, as
a result, is
demeaning the
Board itself,"
said a
diplomat off
the record.
While
this explains
Tamara
Rastovac
Siamashvili's
totally blind
obedience to
Azoulay and
her tacit
support for
her
administration's
transgressions,
the secret
deal is now
exposed and
interested
member states
may wish to
question the
above facts.
This
could destroy
the comfort
zone of those
who work in
the shadows
for their
personal
interests
instead of
defending to
their best the
electoral
mandates given
to the Chair
of the
Executive
Board and to
the
DG.
Even for
ambassadors
who usually
turn a blind
eye to the
political
disorder and
diplomatic
malfeasance of
Azoulay's
administration,
this may prove
to be far too
much. This
open influence
peddling
between the DG
and the Chair
of the
Executive
Board takes
the existing
corrupt
practices to
another level.
It escapes any
form of
control and
goes against
established
rules and
governance
practices.
This is where
UNESCO stands
today, a UN
Agency
propitious to
the
flourishing of
corruption,
embezzlement,
abuse of power
and
nepotism.
This is
also an
example of
Antonio
Guterres'
overwhelmingly
corrupt UN
system. We
will have more
on that. 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
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
,
