UNITED
NATIONS, June
12 -- Around
the world,
increasingly
the UN does
not
even pretend
to practice
what it
preaches. In
Haiti it
dismisses
legal claims
that it
brought
cholera to the
island; so
much for
accountability
and the rule
of law.
In the Congo
the UN
continues
working
with Army
units which
engaged in
mass rape in
Minova, and
then won't
answer about
it, video
here. So
much for
zero
tolerance.
But
this trend can
be found right
inside UN
headquarters.
We'll have more
to say about
the "Media
Access
Guidelines"
the UN
Department of
Public
Information
and its
partner
finalized on
June
12, banning
free speech
and hindering
media coverage
of the
Security
Council which
DPI is
supposed to
facilitate.
We'll
start with the
audio / visual
technicians
who work in
the UN.
This
week the
contract they
work under was
transferred to
a new company,
"TeamPeople."
Some have
worked for
decades in the
UN --
but this week
they were
unceremoniously
told to
re-apply for
their
jobs.
TeamPeople
sent a Human
Resources
person into
the UN to hand
out
applications.
Meanwhile
TeamPeople
started
advertising
for new and
presumably
cheaper
workers, on
CraigList.
They broke a
rule against using
the UN name,
in a corporate
press release.
Other
workers in the
UN, in the
cafeteria,
have faced
layoffs
because the
UN allows the
contractor
Aramark to cut
the hours, to
not re-open
the
Delegates
Lounge and
Dining Room on
which the UN
spent so much
renovating.
Speaking
of
spending, the
UN gives a big
room or
"clubhouse" to
the
so-called UN
Correspondents
Association,
which not only
doesn't
represent all
UN
correspondents
but which has
tried to get
some
correspondents
thrown out. (Here is Voice
of America's
request to
DPI, which VOA
said Reuters
and AFP
supported.) Maybe
that's WHY UNCA
gets
the big space:
they are the
UN's
Censorship
Alliance.
But
now the UN and
UNCA have
issued Media
Access
Guidelines
which try to
make UNCA the
only group
which can
speak.
There
are UNCA signs
on and
above the door
of its UN
provided
clubhouse; now
a rule seeks
to tell
non-UNCA
journalists
they cannot
put even on
the door to
their office
the sign or
name of the
new Free
UN Coalition
for Access.
This is
like, some
say, North
Korea - and it
is not
acceptable.
At
the same
Security
Council
stakeout where
the audio -
visual workers
have had to
mark their
turf with
yellow duct
tape and run
extension
chords after
the $2 billion
renovation,
journalists
under the UN -
UNCA rules are
forced to sit
on the ground,
not allowed
chairs or a
table to type
on.
More
Security
Council
members on
Wednesday told
Inner City
Press they had
nothing to do
with this
rule. As Inner
City Press
noted at the
June
12 noon
briefing, even
one UNCA
Executive
Committee
member claimed
he
hadn't agreed:
Inner
City Press: on
this question
of the General
Assembly, I’ve
asked
that, and DPI
has said there
will not be
any, other
than photo
booths, way to
cover the GA.
So, I wanted
to ask you,
earlier today,
something
purporting to
be the media
access
guidelines was
finalized. It
says that it’s
in agreement
with UNCA
[United
Nations
Correspondents
Association];
it says that
it can be no
permanent
workspace for
the media in
front of the
Security
Council, no
flyers
are allowed. I
spoke to one
UNCA executive
committee
member who
said
he didn’t
agree to it,
so I wanted to
know, since
the UN put it
out, who’s
behind the
rule? Is there
going to be
the GA
limitation?
Has this been
agreed to by
UNCA, as well?
And how does
this square
with DPI
telling the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access that
they are still
considering
installing
benches and
tables? Why
was
this rule
finalized at
this time with
your name of
your office on
it?
Deputy
Spokesperson
Eduardo Del
Buey: Matthew,
you’re going
to have to
check with DPI
on that. I
think we’ve
gone into this
on several
occasions with
you. We’ve
said
everything we
have to say
from this
podium. Speak
with DPI. They
are the ones
that…
Inner
City Press:
Well, we’re
having a lot
of
frustration.
For example,
the GA, they
said there was
no change.
Deputy
Spokesperson
Del Buey:
Well, you have
to deal with
that. I know
they reply to
your emails. I
know they
reply to your
questions.
Sometimes, of
course, the
answers aren’t
what you want
to hear, but
they do reply
to your
questions.
Inner
City Press:
Sometimes, the
answers aren’t
accurate.
That’s why
I’m asking
here.
Deputy
Spokesperson:
Well, they do
reply to your
questions.
Watch
this site.
, 
