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ICP
Asked Why
UNICEF is
“Official
Child Rights
Org” for Baku
2015: Answer
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, June
12 -- Why
would any UN
agency,
particularly
UNICEF,
sponsor
Azerbaijan's
European
Games? Inner
City Press asked the UN on
June 11
and was told,
reflexively it
seems, that it
might not be
true.
But the
publicity
material had
already been
released:
UNICEF is the
“Official
Child Rights
Organization”
of Baku 2015.
Why?
When
Dujarric
during the
June 12 noon
briefing did
not provide
any answer to
the previous
day's
question,
Inner City
Press asked at
the end, Any
answer from
UNICEF?
Dujarric said
yes -- it is
unclear why it
had not been
sent to Inner
City Press,
necessitating
asking again
when question
time is
limited - and
afterward,
this came in
from
Dujarric's
office to
Inner City
Press:
"Regarding
your question
on Azerbaijan,
we have the
following
information
from UNICEF:
"For the last
8 years UNICEF
has been
supporting a
programme in
Azerbaijan to
promote sport
for
development
including
through
sporting
events. The
programme aims
to lay the
groundwork for
increased
participation
of children in
sports,
particularly
the
development of
inclusive
physical
education and
sport and
recreational
activities for
all children
in the
country.
"UNICEF is
using the
opportunity of
the European
Games to put a
focus on safe
and inclusive
sport for all
children in
Azerbaijan,
especially
girls and
children with
disabilities.
Just earlier
this week,
following a
two-day
national
consultation
with
adolescents, a
declaration on
safe and
inclusive
sport was
presented
directly to
Azerbaijani
government
officials with
recommendations
from
adolescents on
how to improve
access to safe
and inclusive
sport in the
country and to
involve
adolescents
and youth in
the
development of
sport and
youth
policies,
programmes and
strategies.
"UNICEF has
been working
in Azerbaijan
since 1993 to
protect and
advocate for
children’s
rights as
enshrined in
the Convention
on the Rights
of the Child,
which the
country
ratified in
1992."
But why
be a sponsor,
and get listed
as "official
child rights
organization"
of these
games, from
which some
media have
been Banned?
Why did
Dujarric offer
such fulsome
praise on June
11 of
Azerbaijan,
while on the
other hand
making a
statement on
Venezuela
which has
resulted in
that country's
mission
accusing him
of violating
the UN
Charter? Inner
City Press
directly asked
Dujarric for
his response
to the
Venezuelan
Mission's
statement at
1:45 pm; no
response was
received by
the time his
Office closed
for the
weekend at 6
pm on June 12.
Watch this
site.
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon,
rather than
pushing on any
of the human
rights and
freedom of the
press issues
that many
groups are,
issued through
Dujarric an
unequivocal
expression of
support for
Azerbaijan on
June 11,
pointedly
saying the
another UN
official who
raised
questions was
NOT speaking
for the UN. So
much for
engaging on
issues.
UNICEF,
along with the
UN Office of
the High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights and UN
Peacekeeping,
and later Ban
himself, knew
of detailed
allegations of
child rape by
French
soldiers in
the Central
African
Republic, and
did not even
tell CAR
authorities -
it was, in
essence, a
cover up. Now
this.
Here's
what Inner
City Press asked the UN on
June 11, and
Spokeman
Dujarric's
responses:
Inner City
Press: Your
statement on
the
Secretary-General
fully
supporting the
European Games
in Azerbaijan:
there’s a
controversy
about UNICEF
(United
Nations
Children’s
Fund) has been
declared the
official child
rights
organization
of the
European Games
and even some
Member States
have said it’s
inappropriate,
given issues
that have
existed about
child rights
in the
country, in
fact a child
rights
organization
that’s been
kind of
prosecuted by
the
Government.
So I wanted to
know, first of
all, for the
UN system as a
whole, is
there a
situation in
which, sort
of, like,
Coca-Cola or
something
else, that a
UN fund,
program or
agency can
become the
official one,
the official
child rights
organization
of a game like
this?
And is it
appropriate?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
I’d have to
check with
UNICEF as to
the very
nature of that
agreement
they’ve signed
with the
authorities
organizing the
games and I
can answer you
in more
details.
I think it is…
we see often
these large
sports events
having a UN
presence.
It’s a good
way for the
United Nations
agencies to
engage
different
public on
issues that
are of
importance.
We often
engage in
places where
things aren’t
perfect and
engaging is a
way of
improving that
record.
Inner City
Press: what
the critics
say is that
it’s one thing
to work in a
country that
has problems
but to try to
help
people.
But it’s
something else
to basically
have this
sponsoring—
Spokesman
Dujarric:
Like I said, I
would not dare
disagree with
what you’re
reading but I
would have to
check as the
very nature of
that report.
Well,
six hours
later when his
Office closed
on June 11,
there had been
no checking or
further
information.
Watch this
site.
* * *
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are
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