UN GATE, Dec 23 –
Each day, the current United
Nations less accountable. It
has refused to answer Inner
City Press' questions why it
sponsored a press conference
by Ghislaine Maxwell even
after her collaborator Jeffrey
Epstein served a too-brief
prison term for pedophilia. On
COVID during UNGA week, an
unvaccinated Brazilian
diplomat who flew into New
York and entered the "honor
system" UN General Assembly on
September 21 then tested
positive for COVID.
Now the day
after December 22 when UN
President of the General
Assembly Abdulla Shahid tested
positive for COVID, Inner City
Press has been robtained a
leaked copy of the UN Staff
Union concern about the
handling of Omicron, as UN
Tours are canceled and UN
Spokespeople refuse Inner City
Press' questions about UN's
mishandling of COVID in South
Sudan (see below) and
elsewhere. Here's the Staff
Union: " STAFF UNION BROADCAST
New York Wed 12/22/2021 5:10
PM Dear
colleagues, The
Staff Council met on Tuesday
21 to discuss the increasingly
alarming reports on the new
wave of COVID-19 hitting the
New York area and the
simultaneous increase in cases
reported at the UN workplace.
The Staff Council appreciated
the message of 18 December
2021 from USG Michaud, Chair
of the OSH Committee,
announcing reinforced
preventive measures (namely,
allowing all staff to work
remotely where functions
allow), as well as the
responsiveness demonstrated by
a majority of managers in the
week starting 20
December. After
discussing the evolving
situation and the foreseeable
outlook for the coming weeks
and months, the Staff Council
felt it was important to call
for: Clarifying the current
status of working
arrangements, for the benefit
of all staff and managers, by
requesting the reinstatement
of Alternate Work Arrangements
(AWA) Extending the current
measures through 31 Jan 2022,
as this most recent surge is
unlikely to abate in three
weeks. Recognizing the
additional risk and burden
placed on essential on-site
staff, who have been on the
front line of the pandemic for
nearly two years, and to make
this recognition effective
through danger pay, special
leave when required to isolate
due to close contact with
positive cases, and
preferential parking access
for those required to come in
to work every day... stay
safe! Aitor Arauz
President, UNSU General
Secretary, UNISERV."
Another Inner
City Press exclusive, put to
UN spokespeople without any
answer after Inner City Press
was contacted by UN
whistleblowers in South Sudan
with this, exclusive: "Hello
Matthew, here is an update
concerning sudden surge of
covid in UNMISS camp. Covid
has been very kept low profile
in South Sudan in past few
months. Only 40% of staff are
strictly following protocols.
Of course there is no strict
policy to those who are not
followed Covid measurements.
Very few staff follow to wear
mask. True story: a staff was
returning from leave . He did
rapid test on 4th day and was
advised to return home until
his results were clear. He
didn't listen and went to an
end of the year party and
spread covid. In some
regions, end of the
years party was celebrated,
then many tested
positive. UMISS is
just pretending that they
follow the covid measuress, in
reality the senior management
doesn't know how to control
and prevent COVID. The
senior management will never
follow CDC updated
instructions. They
only care to
secure their
jobs."
Sounds like Guterres, who has
banned Inner City Press 1367
days.
On
September 21, even while
banned Inner City Press
covered what it could of the
entrances to the lawless
"honor system" UNGA, for
example Nigeria
and Bangladesh,
then Bolonsaro
and Biden.
Since July, NYC-based Inner
City Press has asked the UN in
writing why it would hold this
super spreader event, after
bringing cholera to Haiti. No
answers.
Later on
September 21, this: Health
Minister Marcelo Queiroga
tested positive for Covid-19.
He will be quarantined for 14
days in New York, in
isolation, and will not return
to Brazil for the time being.
The information was confirmed
by the Special Secretariat for
Social Communication (Secom)
on Monday night. The
minister is in New York, where
he accompanied the delegation
of President Jair Bolsonaro...
Queiroga stated that he will
remain in quarantine in the
US. He was at the
UN General Assembly today.
Back on September
18, in violation of NYC COVID
law and of basic free press
principles, this: "Dear
colleagues, MALU has
just informed us that there
will be a stakeout on Monday,
September 20th at 11:40 am
with the Secretary-General and
the Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom and Northern
Ireland, Boris Johnson. A
limited number of only five
(5) RESIDENT media, as well as
a couple of photographers will
be accommodated.
RSVPs will be taken on a first
come first served basis.
Please send your name to
contactus@unca.com no later
than 4:00 PM TODAY (09/18)
with the subject line
"STAKEOUT RSVP" if you want to
attend. The first 5
names will receive a
confirmation from the UNCA
Office and will be sent to
MALU. Thank you for your
attention and
cooperation. Valeria
Robecco President, United
Nations Correspondents
Association."
Note: The
UK Mission to the UN refuses
Press questions, including
about its failure on its
failures in its former colony
Southern British Cameroons
(Ambazonia).
The UN has
neither
responded to
or offered any
explanation
when a
lawyer's
letter - to UN
official
Fleming, and
Tal Mekel, and
to each UNCA
Executive
Committee
member - urged
them to have a
dialogue about
ending the
UN's banning
and censorship
of Inner City
Press.
On
August 9, an
independent
(minded)
journalist
asked Dujarric
about the
letter, video
here,
The
letter was
received by
the UN's
Melissa
Fleming, Maria
Luiza Vioti
and Tal Mekel
and to each
UNCA Executive
Board member,
to them citing
UNCA's stated
goals that it
has a charter
to supposedly
uphold.
What's
next? Since
the letter,
Inner City
Press has
published
exclusive
stories not
only from the
U.S. court
systems but
about the
United
Nations,
including its
agencies UNOPS,
UNFPA,UNITAR
and UNESCO.
(Also credited
in AP,
Daily
Mail, and
Nigeria's
Sahara
Reporters,
amid answers
from the IMF.)
But
none of its
written
questions have
been answered
by the UN
Spokespeople,
and it remains
banned from
entry to the
UN's
briefings.
This must
end.
***
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