UN
FAO Servan Accused of
Harassment So Banned Inner
City Press Asks But Guterres
Passes Buck
By Matthew
Russell Lee, CJR PFTracker
UNITED
NATIONS GATE,
November 7 -- UN
Secretary
General
Antonio
Guterres says
he has a "zero
tolerance"
policy for
sexual
harassment,
and for
retaliation. But
after Guterres
imposed
on
Inner City
Press on
ongoing ban
against
entering the
UN, made
permanent by
his Alison
Smale in an
August 17 unappealable
letter,
his
two spokesman
on are
refusing
to answer written
questions from
Inner City
Press about
Guterres
ignoring victims
of abuse and
harassment, and about
his own
son Pedro
Guimarães e
Melo De
Oliveira
Guterres, doing
business
to Angola
and Timor
Leste as
exclusively reported
by Inner City
Press. This is
an exclusive,
too: in an October
31 meeting in
Conference
6 in the UN
from which
Guterres has
in retaliation
banned Inner
City Press for
119 days and
counting, staff
were initially
told that "off
color jokes"
could not be
sexual harassment. This
from a UN official
who admitted
that if it were
his family
member who was
the victim, he
would go to
the 17th Precinct of
the New York
Police Department.
What
hypocrisy, when this
same part of
the UN refuses
to investigate and
act on
Guterres'
Lieutenant
Ronald E.
Dobbins' July
3 (and
June 22)
assaults on
Inner City Press with
other UN DSS
officers
unnamed, and
UN Security lobbies
NYPD not to
respond to
Inner City
Press' Freedom
of Information
Law requests.
Another UN
official
said that
harassed staff
members are
pressured not
to go to the press.
And in
Rome, the UN's
Food and
Agriculture
Organization mimics
Guterres by attacking -
there legally,
not like
Guterres
physically
with Security
and lawlessly
with a secret
list -
the media that
reports on it.
The Italian
Insider has
reported in
detail on
sexual harassment
charges
against
FAO's human resources
official
Fernando
Servan. On
November 6,
still banned
from the UN
noon briefing
for the 125th
day and with
no one who is
allowed in
asking about
this, Inner
City Press
asked
Guterres'
spokesmen and
Deputy
and USG Smale
questions
including:
"November 6-4:
On UN system
sexual
harassment,
what is the
SG's comment
and action on
the
involuntary
kissing of an
FAO staffer by
Peruvian human
resources
official
reported in
The Italian
Insider, and
on FAO /
official suing
Italian
Insider?"
There was no
answer to
this, despite
the promise Guterres'
USG Alison
Smale made not
only to the Government
Accountability
Project then
to Inner
City Press,
but also to
the UN's own
Special Rapporteur on
Freedom of
Information David
Kaye, in her
evasive answer
two
months after to
his (some
of) his questions
about her ouster
of Inner City
Press --
no answer on
appeal. Inner
City Press
asked the
question
again,
sharpened, on
November 7:
Hours
later, rather than
response by
Guterres who
claims he
takes sexual
harassment
seriously,
another
buckpassing
and bout of
impunity as
with Michel Sidibe
at UNAIDS:
"Regarding
your questions
on FAO, FAO
has the
following to
say: 'The
allegation was
made in an
article by the
Italian
Insider on a
rumour
concerning
activities
outside the
workplace and,
pending any
formal
complaint, it
would be
inappropriate
to comment at
this time.
FAO has a
policy of zero
tolerance
towards any
form of sexual
harassment,
sexual
exploitation
or abuse. The
Organization
is committed
to ensuring a
work
environment
that is free
of harassment,
in particular
sexual
harassment, as
well as the
highest
standards of
conduct for
its employees
with regard to
sexual
exploitation
and abuse.'"
So when UNSG
Guterres is
asked about
FAO allowing
rank sexual
harassment,
Guterres'
spokesmen provide
only the
self-serving
response of
FAO which is
suing the
press that
reported on the
harassment,
with Guterres
silent or
cheering, as
he bans Inner
City Press...
Guterres
after his
junket in
Lisbon is
meeting
with
the UN Chief
Executives
Board, who have put
up with his censorship
and debasement
of the UN,
including the
Director of
FAO. We'll
have more on
this.
This
Guterres cover
up extends to what
the UN views
as separate,
sexual exploitation
and abuse.
Inner City
Press asked,
without answer
by close of
business: "November
6-5: On UN
sexual
exploitation
and abuse,
yesterday you
said “Vannina
in my office
has more
information.”
But all I was
sent was the
script / note
that was read
out, nothing
additional. So
what was the
additional
information
you said on
camera was in
your office?
Please
immediately
provide it -
including
figures for
civilian
personnel,
partners, and
personnel of
UNSC
authorized
operation
(not, it
seems, on the
Conduct and
Discipline
website)."
In
the October 31 meeting
- we have the
names but out
of respect
for now for
some current
UN staff
don't use them
- an intern
complained
about the
prevalence of
sexual
harassment for
delegates or
diplomats. It
was claimed
that Guterres
is working on
this - while
he most
recently had a
female foreign
minister
change
from a meeting
in his office on
the 38th floor
to his residence on
Sutton Place
and even then
summoned her
upstairs,
not from the flags
and meeting room on
the mansion's
first floor
but up into
his personal
quarters. A
fish rots from
the head. This
meeting and
the claims
made about
Guterres'
responses were
a matter of
derision and
disgust among
many staff
members -
we'll have
more on
this.
This
also was an
Inner City
Press exclusive: at
the
International
Civil Service
Commission, sexual
harassment
at which Inner
City Press
asked Guterres
spokesmen about
in person
until roughed
up and banned,
the chairman
Kingston Rhodes facing
complaints
is rounding
up signatures
of support, much like
Louis Loures
and now Michel
Sidibe at
UNAIDS. This
is Guterres' UN:
no standards,
every
man for
himself and smash and
ban the Press
that asks. Here
is a photo of
the "petition"
Kingston Rhoades has launched. We are
also informed
from UN / OIOS
sources, not
the filer,
that a
filing has
been made with
the Office of
Internal
Oversight Services,
which has
yet act
on Inner City
Press' filings
on Cameroon,
Guterres,
Dujarric,
Smale and
others.
This is Guterres'
UN. And
so,
since corrupt
Guterres, Smale
and Dujarric
continue to ban
Inner City
Press from their dying
briefing since
July 3, but we
are
here asking these
questions: How
many
signatures one
would need to
clear a
perpetrator?
How many
signatures are
needed to
protect
victims not
only from
sexual
harassment,
but from
continuous
retaliation
and
intimidation?
What are the
duties of the
UN staff
during an
investigation,
are they
allowed to
harass further
the victims
and whistle
blowers?
Is this
how SG
Guterres is
protecting
from victims
from
retaliation as
he promised?
Is this what
'gender
equality and
empowerment of
women" when
women are used
by those in
power
to attack
the victims
further?"
We'll have
more on this.
For the
PBS
Frontline "UN
Sex Abuse
Scandal"
documentary,
Guterres
arrogantly refused
to be interviewed - by
contrast he
did 30 minutes
with RT
recently - and
went on
vacation
on the broadcast
date, after ousting
and banning
Inner City
Press which
has asking
him about UN
sex abuse. Guterres
foisted off
Jane Holl
Lute, who has
been saying the same
thing on the
issue for a
decade. On
August 27,
Inner City
Press asked
Guterres'
spokesman Stephane
Dujarric and
Farhan Haq, as
well as Smale
and Guterres'
Deputy
SG Amina J.
Mohammed, "August
27-2: As asked
Friday, please
confirm that
the SG's envoy
Jane Holl Lute
is still on
the Board of
Directors of
Union Pacific
railroad AND
the President
and CEO SICPA,
North America. Given
that she now
has two UN
jobs and these
other two
jobs, at
least, please
explain how
there are no
conflicts of
interest and
why she had
not made
public
financial
disclosure -and,
as Inner City
Press has
repeatedly
asked, why USG
Smale has not."
On August 28
at 11 am
Dujarric replied
on this
(nothing on
Cameroon) that
"MS. HOLL LUTE
SERVES “UNDER
WHEN ACTUALLY
EMPLOYED
CONTRACT.”
SHE’S
FULFILLED HER
OBLIGATIONS
UNDER THE
RELEVENT
ETHICS RULES
OUTLINED HERE:
https://undocs.org/ST/SGB/2006/6
. HER OUTSIDE
ACTIVITIES ARE
CLEARED BY THE
ETHICS
OFFICE." We'll have more
about
this - but
what about
Smale, who
without due
process and
without recusal
banned Inner
City Press
for
life?
On
July 25, banned
from entering
the UN
by Guterres
for the 22nd day
Inner City
Press put
written questions to
several
missions and
has received
this, to his
credit,
from Swiss
Mission
spokesman
Johann
Aeschlimann: "I do
not have any
comment on
Cameroon, but
regarding your
question on
sexual abuse,
I would like
to assure you
that for
Switzerland
these matters
are of high
importance.
Consistent
with our
national
approach, we
consider all
instances of
sexual
misconduct by
UN
peacekeepers
as
unacceptable.
Switzerland is
working
closely with
the offices of
the Special
Coordinator on
improving the
United Nations
response to
sexual
exploitation
and abuse
(SEA), Ms.
Jane Holl
Lute, and of
the Victim’
Rights
Advocate
(VRA), Ms.
Jane Connors.
Moreover, the
President of
the Swiss
Confederation
is a member of
the
Secretary-General’s
Circle of
Leadership on
the prevention
of and
response to
SEA in United
Nations
operations.
Switzerland
holds that an
adequate
response to
SEA should be
victims-centered.
In the
upcoming
negotiations
in the Fifth
Committee this
fall,
Switzerland
will engage
for a
strengthening
of the office
of the VRA...
On the matter
of your access
problems to
the UN
premises, I
appreciate
your
information."
We'll have
more on this -
including on the EU
response. It
was covering
the July 3
meeting of the
referenced Fifth
(Budget)
Committee that
Inner City Press was
roughed up by
Guterres' Security
and has been
banned by him
since, 24 days
and counting.
Back
on July 25, banned
from entering
the UN
by Guterres
for the 22nd day
Inner City
Press put
questions on
First Avenue
to the French
Mission's
political
coordinator
(who refused
to answer,
video here)
and French UN
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric who
said without
explaining
that Guterres
chosen to to
speak and
sent Lute.
Inner City
Press in the
morning
wrote again to the
French
Mission: "Dear
Ambassador
Gueguen,, Ms
Bree, Ms Negga,
others:
This is a
reiterated
request for
your, your
Mission's and
Ambassador
Delattre's
comment on
three issues:
first, the
troubling
issue of UN
sexual abuses,
detailed in a
one hour
Frontline
documentary
broadcast an
hour ago, for
which UN
Secretary
General
explicitly
refused to be
interviewed
while now
going on
vacation. What
is your
mission and
country's
comment
on this?
Here at the
Delegates
Entrance,
banned from
the UN for 22
days with no
end in sight,
I asked your
Mission's
political
coordinator
this morning.
Nothing.
Second, again,
the human
rights abuses
by the
Cameroon army
and security
forces, not
only in the
Anglophone
areas (which I
have been
asking about
in the UN
since early
2017) but now
also in the
north, video
linked to in Inner City
Press, here,
as verified
by Amnesty
International.
(Now HCHR has
commented,
today - why is
there no
meeting of the
UNSC, at least
under Any
Other
Business?) Given
that the
Security
Council has
supported
these
Cameroonian
forces, and
given France's
role in
Cameroon and
the region,
this is a
request for
comment on
deadline
including on
whether your
Mission will
now seek
and/or support
a Security
Council
meeting on
these abuses,
and if not,
why not. I
am asking
these
questions in
writing now
because I was
banned all
week from
entering the
UN and could
not ask them
at the
Security
Council
stakeout.This
notifies your
Mission that I
have been
banned from
the UN since
at latest July
5, with no due
process. See,
The
Independent
(UK), July 12,
2018, “UN
'roughs up and
bans'
investigative
reporter long
considered
thorn in side
of world body
officials, Mr
Lee has
written about
UN in
connection to
Haiti,
Burundi, Sri
Lanka and
other
nations." Frontline
did well by
interviewing
victims, but
entirely misrepresented
several
interviewees'
roles, most
notably Isobel Coleman,
who did not
criticize the
UN when she
worked for
Samantha
Power, and
stood by as the
UN evicted
Inner City Press
from its work
space
and made it a
"non resident
corresponent."
(Guterres has
gone much
further,
trying to
strip even
that, deploying
violence and
banning the
Press.) There was
no mention of
"R&R"
Ladsous' role,
nor of
Lacroix. It was
filmed some
time ago, with
David
Gressley. But
a key
point is the
32 new allegations
this year, each of
which Inner
City Press
has asked the
UN about before
being targeted with
violence and
Guterres ban.
That, and his
arrogant
refusal to
answer, and
going on
vacation,
should have consequences.
Watch this
site.
***
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