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By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon, CJR Letter PFT

UNITED NATIONS GATE, July 5 – The corruption of the UN system under Antonio Guterres has extended to what some had called the UN's crown jewel, UNICEF. This week after banned Inner City Press reported first hand on the UNICEF Kid Power Goodwill Ambassador family using for physical injury from a fender bender while kickboxing on oxy, here, now this:

 UNICEF commissioned a report on harassment and abuse of authority. Inner City Press is publishing it on Patreon, here. But most telling is this update, from a whistleblower like so many in the UN system who cares about the Organization but sees leaders like Guterres, Fore and those they have selected killing what remains of the credibility: "the UNICEF global town hall meeting during which the report was discussed here was very disappointing. None of the senior managers took responsibility for the issues identified in the report of the independent task force. Questions from staff in this regard were deflected. Instead the very same senior leaders who created this system of harassment and abuse are now pretending to fix it. Some of them have been starting a witch hunt on lower level managers to demonstrate their "own commitment" and deflect from their own failings. Such a response lacks credibility and questions the real intent of appointing this task force.    Maybe you are interested in covering this matter since nothing will change in UNICEF without public pressure." Here's hoping.

In UNDT/2019/033 we learn of a UNICEF professional ''investigation'' so wanting that the Judge hearing the case referred the INVESTIGATOR to the Exec Head of UNICEF for consideration of disciplinary action.  The case relates to alleged ''program funds'' fraud in Pakistan that initially led to an innocent staff member being dismissed only to be reinstated and awarded damages by the UNDT.  We learn of gross incompetence, loss of evidence, disingenuous concealment and a failure to pursue exculpatory evidence - not by the case subject but by the investigator!  Noting that the Judge had no special information or insight, all of the failings outlined in the case should have been identified by UNICEF legal, HR and Investigations management before any form of disciplinary action was undertaken against the staff member but the in-your-face failings seem to have entirely escaped any kind of rational or objective review by management thereby compounding the seriousness of case issues identified by the UNDT. 

Now, add into the mix the case of UNDT/2019/045 where we learn that UNICEF recruited into, yes, its Security Section in war ravaged Somalia a man who had served 15 years in prison in New York for RAPE, assault, false imprisonment and burglary.  A situation made worse by the fact that this information was in the public domain, had HR bothered to check.

Because even banned, Inner City Press is fair, it was UNDT itself which said it has confirmed that the person UNICEF sent to Somalia was "was imprisoned at Woodbourne Correctional Facility in New York State, United States of America, following a conviction on charges of rape in the first degree; unlawful imprisonment in the first degree; burglary in the second degree and assault in the second degree." This is an outrage - and typically under Guterres, the Emperor of Impunity himself, no one has been held accountable. The faux feminists who send rapists to war zones then covers it up through censorship.

   Oh, and let's not forget that the UNICEF ''staff member's'' educational credentials were fraudulent.  The bizarre approach taken to investigating the matter when it did come to light also raises questions about management competency.  All this from the UN Agency mandated to protect vulnerable children when it appears they cannot even identify convicted criminals in their own ranks.   

What we see here is systemic ''duty of care'' failings.  An organization where its internal investigators are found to be incompetent and disingenuous, if not actually dishonest.  Recruiting a convicted rapist into the ranks of the security department is simply incredulous and exposes the lie that are so-called UN personnel clearances. (An issue that has arisen repeatedly in Peacekeeping in terms of screening police and military personnel).  I know for a fact that there is no such thing, for example, as an official UN check of criminal records before the UN recruits civilian staff -- we'll have more on this, with regard even to UN Security which Guterres used to rough up and lawlessly ban and target the Press. 

 Even still banned after 280 days we'll have more on all of this: this is Guterres' UN. The UN has banned Inner City Press from entering its campus since July 5, claiming that its Lieutenant Ronald Dobbins targeted ouster of Inner City Press from a speech by Secretary General Antonio Guterres on June 22 then from a meeting about his budget on July 3 were "altercations." On August 17, with no due process and no accountability, Guterres' Global Censor Alison Smale issued a ruling without once hearing from Inner City Press, making the ban permanent. Now this ban has been extended  beyond the UN Secretariat to the other side of First Avenue, the once crown jewel of the UN system now corrupted to (as in CAR and Myanmar), UNICEF, the "children's agency." Inner City Press has responded to an UNICEF invitation to an event for a book by Kul Gautam on September 5. On Friday August 31 past 6 pm UNICEF's Michelle Siegel wrote, "bring your UN media accreditation for security clearance. If you are not a currently accredited UN journalist you will not be admitted to the event." Wonder(ed) why. Now it emerges that Kul Gautam earlier on August 31 met with Guterres (who dominated the photo promoting the book) - and then Inner City Press was disinvited. On September 5 Inner City Press went to check out, then stake out, the event, which is its right. A slew of people with no UN ID at all went in. After a time, not Guterres but his chief of staff Maria Luiza Viotti and her chief of staff Mr. Eihab Omaish, previously Jordan's Deputy PR, arrived. Inner City Press informed them, politely, that it had been banned from this UN book event. They did not react at all. This is what Guterres is doing to the UN, including its badges that Guterres through Smale can revoke the moment you ask him about cash, Cameroon or corruption. Now UNICEF of Henriette Fore and Queen Rania and David Beckham have joined Guterres' censorship, hamhandedly. (We'll assume Fore checked this with the Queen, and Bend it Like Beckham, and the one and only  Kul Chandra Gautam, author of “Global Citizen from Gulmi"). Guterres is killing the UN. We'll have more on this. Earlier Guterres' retaliatory ban was extended to the Pierre Hotel on Fifth Avenue, for a July 10 press conference by the UN affiliated but ostensibly independent World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) which as Inner City Press has previously reported helped North Korea with its cyanide patents and retaliated against it staff and media. Inner City Press was e-mailed an invitation on July 2 and replied with an RSVP to cover it. Marshall Hoffman of WIPO's public relations firm Hoffman PR wrote back, "Thanks. We will see at the press conference." After that, Guterres spokesman Farhan Haq was asked why Inner City Press is banned and said it is pending a review of two "altercations" - both of which were improper and unilateral ousters of Inner City Press by UN Security's Dobbins and officers, four of whom refused to give their names. Soon, there was this follow up e-mail from WIPO's flak Marshall Hoffman: "Dear Matthew, It has come to my attention that your accreditation to the UN has been suspended pending an investigation into an incident. Given the suspension, I regret you will not be able to attend the WIPO press conference." This is more than a little strange - the press conference is not explicitly limited to UN accredited journalists, and Inner City Press has not been contacted once by the UN about the review or any suspension, it was only told at the 46th Street gate that its banned for some undefined time. But now also banned from a press conference at a hotel in Manhattan by an agency for which Guterres spokespeople have refused to answer, saying Francis Gurry (who will speak at the Pierre Hotel press conference along with Soumitra Dutta from Cornell University and Bruno Lanvin from INSEAD) has his own governing board? Something stinks here. We'll have more on this - and on this: how untransparent and inaccessible is Antonio Guterres, as UN Secretary General? The day he canceled his first UN Headquarters press conference in six months, he was ironically the guest of honor of the United Nations Correspondents Association. He was scheduled to make remarks at 6 pm - but it was not in the UN Media Alert. Inner City Press, whose RSVP to UNCA was never responded to, streamed the event from the tourists' balcony, edited here. Then Guterres' UN Security guards physically ousted Inner City Press from covering the UN Fifth Committee's July 3 meeting on his proposal to fire UN staff and move the jobs- then on July 5 banned Inner City Press from entering the UN. Fox News story here, GAP blogs I and II. While Guterres' UNCA fan club said nothing, others did. Guterres blathered on about how he supported the media in Portugal - dubious - and then cuts a cake for his UN Censorship Alliance. Earlier Inner City Press asked Guterres' lead spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who previously lent the UN Press Briefing Room to UNCA, if the event was open press but he refused to answer and ran off. Inner City Press asked the spokesman from the President of the General Assembly, who is listed as attended but will not speak, why it is not in the UN Media Alert. The spokesman said to ask UNCA. But UNCA never responded to the RSVP of Inner City Press through the Free UN Coalition for Access. In the middle of the event the claim was that UN correspondents didn't have to RSVP - not what the notice said. The event was not even in the June 26 UN Media Alert. Last week, Dujarric spoonfed sound bytes to a prominent UNCA members and is working with them to try to further restrict Inner City Press, here - Inner City Press was in fact ousted on June 22, video here, story here). The Free UN Coalition for Access questions this and the propriety of this explicit focus by the UN Correspondents Association on the UN's "causes" rather than simply covering the UN as it is; it and corruption are among the reasons Inner City Press quit UNCA (and co-founded FUNCA).

On June 25 Inner City Press asked Guterres' Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq about it, video here, UN transcript here: Inner City Press:
on Friday there was the Eid event in which António Guterres gave a speech, and I… I want… I guess I want to put this in a general way because I don't understand it.  During the event, as the event went on, I was required to leave by a Lieutenant Dobbins and the emergency response unit.  And it seemed strange, because there were many other non-resident correspondents at the event.  So, I wanted to know… to know, one, what are the rules?  Number two, is it acceptable for a… a… UN Security to… to single out and target a specific journalist?  And I did… and I ask this because I've previously written a story about promotions in DSS [Department of Safety and Security], including Mr. Dobbins, and whatever that is, what are the provisions in the UN to make sure that security cannot abuse its powers?  So those are… I… I… I'd like you to answer that, and also they didn't give their names.  The other individuals refused to give their names.  Is that UN policy?

Deputy Spokesman:  UN Security has their policies.  Your concerns with them need to be addressed to UN Security.  I'm not going to comment on your own problems with UN Security.  Brenden, come on up.

Inner City Press: I don't understand.  This happened at a speech by the Secretary-General.

Deputy Spokesman:  No, I'm sorry, your security issues are things you're going to have to deal with.

Inner City Press: It's not a security issue.  It was done in the name of the Secretary-General.  Is he speaking tomorrow at 6 p.m. somewhere?  Can you say where the Secretary-General is speaking tomorrow at 6 p.m.?

Deputy Spokesman:  I’m not going to argue with you on this." There was more - video here.

  FUNCA timely sent this: "This is a timely response to your statement that 'The event is open to all UN correspondents, Please RSVP by FRIDAY, June 22nd to RSVPUNCAEvents@gmail.com... Opening Remarks byUN Secretary-General António Guterres, 6:00 pm (LOCATION TBC).' A UN correspondent, by choice not a member of UNCA, is hereby timely requesting to be informed where SG Antonio Guterres will be making remarks, and to cover it. Please confirm receipt and provide response. On deadline, thank you in advance." Five days later on Tuesday June 26, no answer at all. So it is not true, the claim that "the event is open to all correspondents"?

Five UN Security officers, led by UN Lieutenant Ronald E. Dobbins, pushed Inner City Press' reporter out of the UN on June 22. Inner City Press was live-streaming Periscope and preparing to write about Secretary General Antonio Guterres' claims about his visit to Mali, where he didn't even inquire into a recent case child rape by a UN Peacekeeper. With the event still ongoing, Inner City Press was approached by Lieutenant Dobbins and told that since it was just past 7 pm it had to leave the building. Video here.

 That is not the rule, nor the practice. But Inner City Press under Guterres and his head of Global Communications Alison Smale has inexplicable been at the "non-resident correspondent" level lowered from that of no-show state media like Akbhar al Yom's Sanaa Youssef, assigned Inner City Press' long time office despite rarely coming in and not asking a question in ten years.

  While Guterres and Smale have created and encourage the atmosphere for targeting the Press, Dobbins had and has his own reasons. Inner City Press previously exclusively reported on fraudulent promotions in the UN Department of Safety and Security, beginning of series here with a leaked document with Dobbins own name on it, under the heading "Possible Promotions... if Dobbins does not want Canine / ERU." Document here. Since the publication, Dobbins and a number of UN Security officers have openly targeted Inner City Press. This has been raised in writing to Smale (for eight months), for almost 18 months to Guterres and his deputy Amina J. Mohammed, whose response has been to evade questions on Cameroon and now an ambiguous smile while surrounded by UN Security. On June 25 Inner City Press asked Guterres' Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq about it, video here, UN transcript here: Inner City Press:
on Friday there was the Eid event in which António Guterres gave a speech, and I… I want… I guess I want to put this in a general way because I don't understand it.  During the event, as the event went on, I was required to leave by a Lieutenant Dobbins and the emergency response unit.  And it seemed strange, because there were many other non-resident correspondents at the event.  So, I wanted to know… to know, one, what are the rules?  Number two, is it acceptable for a… a… UN Security to… to single out and target a specific journalist?  And I did… and I ask this because I've previously written a story about promotions in DSS [Department of Safety and Security], including Mr. Dobbins, and whatever that is, what are the provisions in the UN to make sure that security cannot abuse its powers?  So those are… I… I… I'd like you to answer that, and also they didn't give their names.  The other individuals refused to give their names.  Is that UN policy?

Deputy Spokesman:  UN Security has their policies.  Your concerns with them need to be addressed to UN Security.  I'm not going to comment on your own problems with UN Security.  Brenden, come on up.

Inner City Press: I don't understand.  This happened at a speech by the Secretary-General.

Deputy Spokesman:  No, I'm sorry, your security issues are things you're going to have to deal with.

Inner City Press: It's not a security issue.  It was done in the name of the Secretary-General.  Is he speaking tomorrow at 6 p.m. somewhere?  Can you say where the Secretary-General is speaking tomorrow at 6 p.m.?

Deputy Spokesman:  I’m not going to argue with you on this." There was more - video here.

  Even if Lt Dobbins and his team and commanders wanted to interpret and twist the existing rules in a way they are not enforced against any other non-resident correspondent at the UN, the Guterres Eid al -Fitr event listed in the UN Department of Public Information was still ongoing, making it unquestionable that Inner City Press had a right to be in the UN and cover it.

   But even as Inner City Press dialed DPI's Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit, getting only voice mail, Dobbins made a call and UN “Emergency Response Unit” officers arrived, with barely concealed automatic weapons. One of them repeatedly pushed Inner City Press' reporter in the back, forcing him through the General Assembly lobby toward the exit. Video here.

   UN Under Secretary General Catherine Pollard was told the ouster and did nothing, as was a Moroccan diplomat. The heavily armed UN Security officers refused to give their names when asked. Lieutenant Dobbins, with no name plate on his uniform, refused to spell his name. He said, I have my orders. From who - Guterres? His Deputy SG or chief of staff, both of whom were at the event? DSS chief Drennan? DPI chief Alison Smale?

    Inner City Press repeatedly asked to be able to get its laptop computer, which was upstairs - there was no way to have known it would be ousted during Guterres' event.

  But Dobbins and the others refused, as did the UN Security officers at the gate. Inner City Press remained there, with dwindling cell phone battery, raising the issue online to Smale, under whose watch Inner City Press has remained in the non-resident correspondent status it was reduced to for pursuing the Ng Lp Seng UN bribery case into the UN press briefing room where Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric ordered it out, then had it evicted. A DPI representative, whom Inner City Press asked to call Smale, was unable or unwilling to even let Inner City Press go in escorted to get its laptop.

   Just in the past week, when Inner City Press complained of Dujarric providing only to Al Jazeera the response of Antonio Guterres to the US leaving the UN Human Rights Council, Dujarric and the Al Jazeera trio claimed to MALU that the coverage was “too aggressive.” Journalism is not a crime? Next week, Antonio Guterres is set to give remarks, to which Inner City Press has requested the right to cover response, to the UN Correspondents Association, which not only has not acted on this censorship, but has fueled it.

  Inside the UN the Eid event continued, alongside a liquor fueled barbeque thrown by UN Security. This DSS sold tickets to non resident correspondents, and allowed in people who had nothing to do with the UN, including some seeming underage. When Inner City Press audibly raised the issue to UN Safety and Security Service chief Mick Brown, he did nothing.

   The Moroccan diplomat emerged and chided Inner City Press for even telling him of the ouster, claiming that “25% of what you write is about Morocco.” Some Periscope video here. Pakistan's Permanent Representative, who hosted the Eid event, said she would look into it. Sweden's spokesperson asked whom to call in DPI and when Inner City Press said, Alison Smale, responded, Who is Alison Smale? Indeed.

  Smale has refused to respond in any way, in the eight months she has been Guterres' “Global Communications” chief, to a 5000 signature petition to restore Inner City Press to its unused office S-303 and to adopt content neutral media access rules going forward. That, and appropriate action on Lt. Dobbins and the others, must be among the next steps. Watch this site.

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