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

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT NY Post

UNITED NATIONS GATE, August 24 – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who took a $930 million check from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has an Envoy on Youth Jayathma Wickramanayake with a partnership with MBS' Misk Foundation. Inner City Press has repeatedly asked Guterres and the envoy to explain the partnership after MBS' killing of Jamal Khashoggi - without answer.

  Now Guterres' Envoy and MBS' MiSK are promoting a joint event during the UN General Assembly week Guterres banned Inner City Press from last year and so far this year. (A request is in, UNanswered, to new Accreditation both Melissa Fleming.)

Here is the announcement: "WHAT:    The first-ever Misk – OSGEY Youth Forum will bring together 300 young people from all over the world who are committed to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by redefining the purpose of businesses to promote the good of our society and the sustainability of our planet.  

WHEN:    13:30 – 18:00, Monday 23 September 

WHERE:    New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, New York

 WHO:    Speakers currently include: Alexandra Cousteau, President & Co-Founder, Oceans 2050 Bert Houlahan, Co-Founder, B Lab Dr Reem bint Mansour Al Saud, sustainable development expert Paul Polman, Co-Founder & Chair, Imagine Ann Rosenberg, Senior Vice President, UN Partnerships and Global Head, SAP Next-Gen Dr Andrew C. Corbett, Paul T. Babson Chair of Entrepreneurial Studies, Babson College      EVENT:    Youth want impact – Changing businesses for good     In the next decade, humanity - half of which is below the age of 30 - must meet the collective challenge of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Misk – OSGEY Youth Forum takes shape in a series of interactive conversations, workshops, and masterclasses featuring emerging and established leaders to identify ways young people can lead change globally. 

 MAIN PROGRAM:    14:00 – 15:00    Redefine 

    Redefining the Purpose of Businesses. An increasing number of young people are taking development issues into their own hands as social entrepreneurs or intrapreneurs, redefining the purpose of business away from simple profitability into a quest for broader social prosperity. Conversations will examine how to empower a new generation of global citizens, optimize engagement with the UN's SDGs, and ensure young people’s positive impact on businesses.         

15:20 – 17:05    Empower     Empowering Youth as Entrepreneurs of Change. Many of the world’s young people feel their aspirations to actively drive change within their communities and organizations are frustrated by a systemic lack of support – the very reason 45% are still hesitating to start their own businesses. We will discuss steps towards intrepreneurship, promoting sustainability, and fundraising for social enterprises.     

17:10 – 18:00     Change      Changing organizations for good. The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development identifies young people as the torchbearers for achieving the SDGs. The Forum will identify support mechanisms, discuss best practices, and share skills to aspiring global social entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, so they can become the changemakers the world needs.  All attendees for this event must register in advance, as there will be limited space. About Misk Global Forum The Misk Global Forum is a flagship ongoing platform of the Misk Foundation, a non-profit philanthropic foundation established by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman."

 Tellingly, this event is PROMOTED by the UN Correspondents Association, which Guterres' UN used to help oust investigative Inner City Press from the UN: "Dear colleagues,  UNCA is extending an invitation from the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth and the Misk Foundation to the first-ever Misk-OSGEY Youth Forum taking place on Monday, September 23rd, from 1:30 -  6:00 pm at the New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, New York.  Please see the media advisory below for details.  The event is open to all UN correspondents.   Valeria Robecco President, United Nations Correspondents Association." We'll have more on this.

  Previously, two officials of the UN of Secretary General Antonio Guterres attended and even spoke on October 16 at the Saudi-funded event "New York/Arab World Culture Forum: Art for Sustainable Futures" at the Asia Society in New York. UNESCO's Marie Paul Roudil gave a speech (video here), and long time UN lobbyist Rob Skinner, a close collaborator and one time competitor for the job of Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric, was in attendance as not denied by the UN. Here is Skinner's speech, in which he calls himself a "UN bureaucrat." There was no misunderstanding: others have publicly pulled out of the event, funded by the Riyadh-based Misk Art Institute, founded under the auspices of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud: MBS. So why is Antonio Guterres' adminstration, which itself maintains a secret "banned" list which includes since 3 July 2018 not only Inner City Press but also "demonstrators" and "political activists," so chummy with MBS and Saudi?

With critical Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi "disappeared" after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and Inner City Press banned from the UN noon briefing by Secretary General Antonio Guterres for the 97th day, on October 8 Inner City Press asked Guterres' spokesmen and deputy in writing, "what is the SG's comment and action on the disappearance of critical Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi?" At the October 10 Press-less UN noon briefing at which Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric by choice had only two questioners, one retired, Dujarric said Guterres had not spoken to the Crown Prince he took the money from...

***

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

UN Office: S-303, UN, NY 10017 USA

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Search innercitypress.com  Search WWW (censored?)

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

 Copyright 2006-2015 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com for