| UN PGA
Abdulla Shahid Is Not Disclosing Funding
as Heads to Central Park Banning Press
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
UN GATE, Sept 24
–
After UN President of the
General Assembly John Ashe was
indicted for taking bribes
from Chinese government
businessman Ng Lap Seng, and
died before trial, the UN's
lone reform was to say that
future PGAs would disclose how
their office and travel and
staff members were
funded.
And now, even
that insufficient reform is
not being complied with. And
the Press that asks about
ongoing UN corruption is
banned.
On September 16
Inner City Press wrote to new
PGA Abdulla Shahid's
spokesperson Monica Grayley,
"state when you will put on
the PGA website the financial
and staffing information
committed to after the
indictment of then PGA John
Ashe."
It asked for
confirmation of receipt, and a
copy of the list of speakers
for the UNGA High Level Week
beginning September
21.
More than a week
later, neither was provided,
nor any response on what
Shahid, Maldives' foreign
minister, will do to ensure
access to "his" UNGA by the
Press which asks these
questions.
In fact, on
September 24 on the website on
the words, "Ethics and
Transparency," linked to
nothing. No answers from
Grayley, but this "written
briefing" - "The President of
the General Assembly, Mr.
Abdulla Shahid, will attend
the Global Citizen Live on the
Great Lawn of Central Park in
New York, 25
September.
The 24-hour event will gather
artists and leaders from
around the world and is part
of the Global Citizen’s 2021
global campaign, a Recovery
Plan for the
World.
Global Citizen Live will
feature performances from
several cities such as Lagos,
London, Los Angeles, New York
City, Paris, Rio de Janeiro,
Seoul, and
Sydney.
Mr. Shahid will speak about
his Five Rays of Hope." No ray
of transparency.
Each day Inner
City Press has emailed its
questions to Grayley,
including on Nigeria's
treatment of Igboho and Kanu,
and the assassination plot
against the Dominican Republic
president it is covering at
SDNY court. Nothing.
There is a
pending application to the UN
Media Accreditation and
Liaison Unit, acknowledged
(unlike PGA Shahid's Grayley)
but not acted on.
On September 17,
with the "Team" section of PGA
Shahid's website still empty,
Inner City Press wrote to two
other staffers in the PGA's
office, Carl Mercer
Lead, Communications, Advocacy
& Speechwriting and Ahmed
Salman Zaki, Executive
Assistant to the PGA. Watch
this site.
***
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