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

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - CJR - PFT

UN GATE, Jan 18 – While it took Antonio Guterres' tweet about patriachy to cast a cloud over his current push for a second term, it is the hypocrisy that should ensure his needed departure.

This hypocrisy and incompetence, shielded by censorship of Press, extends to matters of race - and of Darfur, on which late on January 17 Guterres issued this canned statement:

"The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about clashes in West Darfur over the weekend.  Escalating inter-communal violence has resulted in scores of deaths and injuries, the displacement of nearly 50,000 people and the destruction of property. He expresses his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured.     The Secretary-General calls on the Sudanese authorities to expend all efforts to de-escalate the situation and bring an end to the fighting, restore law and order and ensure the protection of civilians, in accordance with the Government’s National Plan for Civilian Protection.     Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General" - a corrupt censor who has refused to answer Press questions about Darfur, and UN Peacekeepers' sexual abuse, and UN racism.

  Inner City Press exclusively published findings from the UN racism (UNPAD) survey leaked to it. Over 50% of those surveyed (52%) have experience racism. And here below are some examples from the report - photos of some here - Guterres must go -- on this as well:

"Dear Mr. Lee, Inner City Press: we are group of UNAMID UNDSS former National Staff affected by downsizing in 31DEC2015 ,our entry date in the mission are variable as we served in variable duty stations across Darfur region including (west-south-north and  Central Darfur region), our dedicated service contributed unsuccessful establishment and continuation of UNAMID Mission, however and inspire of many of our rights are denied including financial Claims and other grievances.       We have been struggling and arguing the mission by submitting many claims since we were under service, but the mission only paid our entitlement for the year 2015, and denied all our claims prior 2015. While our group seek every possible approach and efforts through Ombudsman 2017,MEU 2016, National lawyer and Sudanese Ministry of foregion Affairs in 2018 and 2019 , and all possible mediations to settle the outstanding issues and put an end to this tragedy, the mission refused tatlly,hence we just got a clear response from the current UNAMID mission Director support (DMS) on 04/08/2020  as report and decision ,also was denied our rights ,and it deal only mechanism of  UN dispute tribunal, based that we filed our case  to UNDT through OSLA on 13/08/2020 which was asked by UNAMID to receive our case, but its surprise that up to now we were waiting to know whether it reached UNDT or not after more than two months the assigned lawyer latterly will not response our correspondences more than five correspondence in more than three weeks .       Based on UNAMID mission is under processing of check out by 31/12/2020 , and delaying of OSLA and UNDT feedback on our Case it Shocking us Hardy, therefore we were organizing peaceful sitting strike at UNAMID logistic base entrance  for more than two months continuously and we will continue up to get our rights, and this strike peacefully till now but if it take more , we will expect any scenarios with the silence of UNAMID mission and headquarters in newyork out of information on what is our situation now , we spent two months with very peaceful sitting strike with very difficult and miserable situation ,rain ,dust,Miskito,financial problems.    Please our group in need  in media help . Thanks lots  With best regard  On behalf of group  Darfur region From main entrance of UNAMID Logistic base- Elfasher." We'll have more on this

I have heard colleagues being referred to as monkeys on occasion. • Once a colleague referred to Africans as still living in trees. • I was harassed by my own staff and encouraged by my manager to resign without a proper process. • I found a way to test the racism in my organization by drafting something and asking my European junior to send it – it received praise whereas when I would submit my work myself, I would face negative comments. • A white colleague once asked me “Can you speak English” while mocking my accent.

Many Black colleagues are sent to particularly difficult duty stations – in the deep field as retaliation. • I was told to hand over my duties to a junior White colleague and redeployed to a remote field location. • Blacks receive the most severe punishment. • I witnessed a woman of colour get punished and kicked out ruthlessly for reporting bad procurement practices. • I was transferred to a remote area as punishment because of my race. • The feeling of everyone in the office is that the Westerner has benefitted from senior management’s indulgence and given a second chance while the African has been punished harshly for the same thing. • I face retaliation for reporting wrongdoing – abuse of power and mismanagement of resources. • There is retaliation if you stand up for yourself by damaging your reputation and blacklisting you. • I have been threatened with job termination and retaliated against when I challenged decisions that put me in a compromising position in relation to my professional integrity

It’s very hard to see Africans appointed at HQ level. • Under qualified White candidates are often given jobs over qualified Black ones. • The most important decisions such as the recruitment of an international staff are based on racial criteria. • When a recent recruitment exercise resulted in only Whites being selected, I was told it was because there were no qualified black people

A white colleague refused to report to a Black Supervisor. • The white staff in my office did not accept my leadership and would systematically undermine me. • Whites at a lower grade do not accept Black supervisors (P3/P4 level) and prefer to report to more senior supervisors who tend to be White. • As a team leader, I get described as aggressive and abrasive if I put my foot down. • Gaslighting and general disrespect to local staff

The UN proudly quoted Guterres, on Twitter, "The #COVID19 pandemic is demonstrating what we all know: millennia of patriarchy have resulted in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture which damages everyone – women, men, girls & boys."  

  But this is the same Guterres who in June when Inner City Press, which Guterres has banned from the UN for 798 days and counting, published a video of UN staff in Tel Aviv having groups sex with a prostitute in a UN van, refused to answer about.   

 Then Guterres lied that the driver Juan Carlos Cunillera has been put on leave without pay, even when that wasn't true: he is being paid. 

  During this time, Inner City Press published Guterres' racial survey. It was retracted, but it now being relaunched under the very official who was in charge of the first fiasco, Catherine Pollard (who laughed heartily as Guterres guards pushed Inner City Press out in June 2018). Here it is:

Subject: SG letter to Staff Members on Task Force on Addressing Racism and Promoting Dignity for All in the United Nations
Sent: Wednesday, September 9, 2020

 Dear Colleagues,   I write to inform you that I have established a Task Force on Addressing Racism and Promoting Dignity for All in the United Nations for one year. This is a continuation of my efforts to strengthen my campaign of dialogue and action on eradicating this scourge from the Organization.   The Task Force is mandated with identifying the extent of personal, interpersonal, structural and institutional racism in the Organization and its impact on mandate delivery. On this basis, the Task Force is required to devise a long-term Strategic Action Plan for my consideration on how to end racism and racial discrimination in the United Nations, propose measures to promote diversity and inclusion and on how to develop policies and tools to create a safe environment in which racism can be reported and addressed promptly without fear of reprisal.   The Task Force will be chaired by the Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance and will comprise a diverse group of senior level staff and a staff representative from the Staff-Management Committee. During the execution of its mandate, the Task Force will also engage with other key stakeholders and experts on racism and racial discrimination.   Based on the legitimate concerns raised by staff on the content of the recent Survey on Racism, I requested its suspension to allow for necessary revisions in order to address the issues raised by staff. On this note, the Task Force is also mandated with directing and overseeing the Survey process prior to its relaunch.   As we move forward in earnest to address the issue of racism and racial discrimination in the Organization, I would like to take this opportunity to urge you to continue to hold deeper and honest dialogues on the issue of race and ethnicity, deliberately and harmoniously, and with great sensitivity and awareness.   Since assuming office, I have placed the issue of diversity and inclusion at the heart of my reform agenda. As we make progress in addressing gender equality and geographic representation in the Organization, I count on you all once again to give the same zeal to my efforts of ensuring a United Nations where every race, colour, gender, religion, creed or sexual orientation finds a sense of belonging and safety and is granted an equal opportunity to participate in the activities of the Organization at all levels.   Yours sincerely, António Guterres."

Fraud.

 Another UN staffer, Karim Elkorany, was arrested and arraigned in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of New York for drugging and raping women in Iraq where he was a UN communications strategist. 

   Guterres has refused to answer Inner City Press' written questions about why, once the UN was informed Elkorany's drugging and raping, he was allowed to simply leave Iraq and set up shop in New Jersey. 

 This same "repatriation" is the only punishment Guterres mete out to UN Peacekeepers accused of raping children, most but not all of these girls and some as young as five, in the DR Congo and Central African Republic and Haiti.

Then, unlike even his predecessor Ban Ki-moon, Guterres through his spokesman Stephane Dujarric refuses to provide basic if-asked information about the cases.  Inner City Press has also published leaked audio about Guterres ordering the end of a probe of sexual harassment by one of his cronies, audio here.

 Also in the SDNY is the higher profile sex trafficking case of Ghislaine Maxwell, on whose Terramar Project board of directors Guterres' head of "UN Partnerships" Amir Dossal was one of only five members. Guterres has refused to answer or act on this as well.

   So alongside his talk of patriarchy, Antonio Guterres sits atop what could be described as an international sex trafficking conspiracy, misusing the UN's and his own legal immunity and having roughed up and banning the Press which asks about it.

  The UN being the UN, with full impunity, will probably double down and have propagandist Melissa Fleming, funded by IKEA and Pierre Omidyar, claim that Guterres being under fire for saying patriarch makes him a hero. But he is a hypocrite.

 Inner City Press on September 5 re-applied for re-entry to the UN, which it covered in person for a decade before "anti-patriarchy" Guterres had it ousted. The questions Inner City Press is asking should have to be answered, in person, now more than ever. Or Guterres should certainly be hoisted on his own hypocritical patriarchy tweet. 

***

Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA

Past & future at UN: Room S-303, UN, NY 10017 USA

Mail: 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 2006-2021 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com