By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, June
18 -- The UN
system has
said it is
trying to
clean up its
Goodwill
Ambassadors
program, as
Inner City
Press exclusively
reported in
January, here.
But now UNICEF's
Dutch Goodwill
Ambassador
Nicolette van
Dam, in the
middle of the
World Cup, has
tweeted a
photo-shopped
mock-up of
Colombia
national team
members James
Rodriguez and
Falcao Garcia
snorting, like
cocaine, the
white spray
now used to limit
how close to
stand to a
free kick.
"Colombian
wall," was
Nicolette van
Dam's
caption.
Click
here to view.
Many
Colombians
naturally were
less than
pleased, as
were some in
the UN system
(at least at UNICEF
in Colombia).
But what will
be done?
(Colombia's
team is set to
play Cote
d'Ivoire on
June 19.)
Previously,
that Libya's
Colonel
Moammar
Gaddafi's
daughter Aicha
Gaddafi was a
UN "Goodwill
Ambassador,"
when first
reported
by Inner City
Press in
February 2011,
was an issue
the UN did not
want to
address.
First
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesperson's
office left
the question
unanswered
after Inner
City Press asked at the
February 20,
2011 noon
briefing.
Three days
later, former
UN Deputy
Secretary
General Mark
Malloch Brown
told Inner
City Press he
hoped
it
wasn't true
-- but it was.
Now UN
sources have
exclusively
provided Inner
City Press
with a draft
proposal that,
if
implemented,
might avoid
for the UN
some such
embarrassments
and outrages
in the future.
The proposal,
from UNDP, is
that the UN
system
discourage
naming as
Goodwill
Ambassadors
"immediate
family members
of individuals
holding or
running for
political
office, as
well as
members of
Royal
Households."
Ironically,
UNDP
even as it
makes this
proposal has
as a Goodwill
Ambassador
Crown Prince
Haakon Magnus
of Norway. But
it would apply
to many other
current UN
system
Goodwill
Ambassadors,
such as the
First Ladies
of Cameroon
and the
Dominican
Republic, and
Royal family
members of
Jordan, the
UAE, Morocco,
Norway,
Denmark,
Monaco, Bhutan
and Thailand.
Here
exclusively
are two
proposed
paragraphs,
then how they
would apply to
current UN
practice, and
a comment --
appreciated
and included
for fairness
-- from the
UN's Outreach
Division
chief, Maher
Nasser, that
updates are
needed.
Some might
call them
too-rare
reforms:
Messenger
of
Peace/Goodwill
Ambassador
draft
guidelines
& meeting
minutes
Dear
All, With our
apologies,
please find a
revised
version of the
draft
guidelines. We
neglected to
add language
that UNDP had
proposed.
FN3:
"immediate
family
members"
replaces
"spouses"
The
designation of
immediate
family members
of individuals
holding or
running for
political
office, as
well as
members of
Royal
Households, is
discouraged to
avoid the
appearance of
vested
interest.
PARA18:
the
following text
has been added
5.
Appointment
letters should
specify the
beginning and
end dates of
the term of
the
appointment.
If a decision
is made to
terminate or
not renew a
partnership
with a
Goodwill
Ambassador or
Messenger of
Peace, an
official
letter shall
be sent
expressing
appreciation
for his/her
services and
clearly
indicating the
date on which
the
partnership
comes to an
end. Language
should also be
included
specifying
that as of
that date, the
individual
should no
longer use the
title of
Goodwill
Ambassador or
Messenger of
Peace, and
that his/her
biographical
data, websites
and other
promotional
materials
should be
modified
accordingly.
We
understand
that some of
you have
shared the
previous
version with
your legal
departments,
and very much
regret this
inconvenience.
As
always, we
look forward
to your
feedback.
Please
review the
guidelines and
convey your
agency's
approval of
this version
by 31 January.
Best
regards,
, 
