At UN, Of Ice Bridges and Electricity Bills, Bali Read-Out Eschewed by Ad Melkert

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, December 17 -- From a design by Leonardo da Vinci, a bridge of ice was unveiled Monday outside of the UN. It is the second but not the last in a series by Norwegian artist Vebjorn Sand. In a lengthy speech beside the ice bridge before allowing it to be unveiled, Mr. Sand described his first structure, in Antarctica, which he's said Norway has had an interest in since at least 1938. Two weeks ago, Sand told Inner City Press about creating the ice bridge in aluminum molds in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Monday Sand announced that he will build in a new city every year from now on. The crowd applauded but urged Sand to drop the curtain and show the bridge. When he did it was bathed in blue light; soundtrack played and most of the audience poured back into the UN's heated lobby.

Ice, ice, baby: Antartica, Sand's bridge not shown

            In that lobby crowd was the UN Development Program's Number Two, Ad Melkert. Since he had appeared on the Secretary-General's video message from Bali about the bomb attack in Algiers, Inner City Press asked Melkert how things had gone in Bali. "Well but right now we are going to the ice bridge," he said. That's responsiveness: money is spent to send UNDP to Bali to, in essence, build up its climate change credibility, and then even a brief read-out cannot be given. There was a follow-up question, too, about UNDP's reported payment of over $200,000 to Dutch Labor Party official Eveline Herfkens.  Melkert's companion lingered and urged Inner City Press to cover the event -- request hereby granted -- comparing it favorably to what she called the more "traditional" event about Chinese painting held in the UN's other lobby.

            Earlier on Monday, the UN's yearly utility bill for its headquarters building was put at $13 million. The head of the UN's Capital Master Plan, Michael Adlerstein, estimated that after renovations in 2013, the complex will be 40% more energy efficient. Office space for 1700 more staffers is being sought. Inner City Press asked Adlerstein about his role in a disputed bidding procedures in New Jersey; he said it came from past service to the National Parks system, that he is still testifying but is no longer involved. He disagreed that the Bloomberg administration has threatened to stop the visits of school children in light of safety conditions in the building, calling the UN - NYC relationship very positive and "on track." (Monday morning, workmen were pulling red cables into the staircase by the Security Council, "for fire alarms," they said.) Adlerstein called the UN's budget committee hardworking and well-informed.  At least one of those two is true -- but that's another story.

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Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

  Because a number of Inner City Press' UN sources go out of their way to express commitment to serving the poor, and while it should be unnecessary, Inner City Press is compelled to conclude this installment in a necessarily-ongoing series by saluting the stated goals of the UN agencies and many of their staff. Keep those cards, letters and emails coming, and phone calls too, we apologize for any phone tag, but please continue trying, and keep the information flowing.

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