UN
Won't Answer
on Rapes, Its
AT&T
Contracts,
Ban's Bankers
Speech
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 17 --
With the UN
embroiled in
rape scandals,
exposed as
playing host
to spying for
the UN
National
Security
Agency while
its Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon gave a
speech to 150
bankers later
deemed
“private,” is
this
dysfunction a
product of the
press not
wanting
answers or the
UN not wanting
to give them?
On
August 17,
Inner City
Press asked
the UN's
spokesperson
for the day,
Vannina
Maestracci,
about UN rapes
in the Central
African
Republic and
the Democratic
Republic of
the Congo
before it,
about the
spying for the
NSA and about
Ban's speech
on August 14
to 150 people
at the Buffalo
headquarters
of M&T
Bank, subject
to government
charges on
unfair lending
and on money
laundering. Video here.
UN Associate
Spokesperson
Maestracci
began by
saying that
the UN's
contracts with
AT&T,
which turned
over all
information to
the US, would
not be made
public. From
the UN
transcript:
Inner City
Press: Would
it be fair to
assume that UN
contractors
paid by the UN
are assumed
not to be
spying on
people inside
the UN?
Associate
Spokesperson
Maestracci:
I don't know
what the
procurement
contract
entails, and I
don't like
assuming as a
general
rule.
Oleg.
Inner City
Press:
Can we get a
copy of the
contract?
Associate
Spokesperson
Maestracci:
I doubt
it.
Oleg.
Inner City
Press has
since
researched
this and found
a UN written
policy
militating for
release of the
contracts.
Former UN
Office of
Internal
Oversight
Services chief
Inga Britt
Ahlenius, when
she left,
wrote to Ban
that “I see no
visible effort
to deliver on
your stated
commitment to
increased
transparency.”
Next on the UN
rapes in CAR,
on which
Maestracci had
read out a
statement that
UNICEF was
providing the
victim legal
advice, Inner
City Press
asked
Inner City
Press: You
read out on
UNICEF that
they purport
to be
providing
legal advice
to the
victim.
And I guess I
just wonder,
given that
the… that the
legal problem
is caused by
the UN
system's own
invocation of
immunity, what
advice are
they giving,
to sue those
responsible
or… it just
seems like…
isn't it kind
of a conflict
for the UN
system to be
the one
providing,
purporting to
provide legal
advice to a
person
victimized by
the UN system
who can't get
justice
because of UN
immunity.
So, what's the
advice, I
guess I'm
saying…?
Associate
Spokesperson:
I'm not sure
what the
advice is
because I'm
here, not with
UNICEF in the
[Central
African
Republic], but
I think they
are showing
all the
possible
avenues that
she has and
what she can
do. I
mean, I think
it's fairly…
people might
not know what
these avenues
are. And
it's
important…
Inner City
Press:
Can she sue
UN?
Associate
Spokesperson:
Can I
speak?
And it's
important for
people to
raise
awareness and
to make sure
that they do
know where to
go.
Inner City
Press: Where
should she
go? I
mean, I'm just
saying it
seems… it's a
contradiction
because if she
tries to sue…
Associate
Spokesperson:
And where…
Inner City
Press:
…she's told
that it's
immune, that
the UN is
immune.
Associate
Spokesperson:
That's not
true.
There's an
investigation
going
on. And
that, you
know, it is
going
on. Why
don't we let
it go on and
see what it
comes up with?
Inner City
Press:
That's the
second
question I
wanted to ask.
Associate
Spokesperson:
You are so not
interested in
the answers.
Inner City
Press: Yeah, I
am interested.
I wasn't
getting an
answer.
That's the
problem.
So, for the
second time
Maestracci cut
off the
question, this
time with the
statement,
“You're so not
interested in
the answers.”
But even when
Inner City
Press emailed
questions
after the
briefing to
Maestracci and
Ban's lead
spokesman, no
answers were
received. This
is today's UN.
Further
on the UN
rapes, now in
the DRC Congo,
Inner City
Press asked:
Inner City
Press: Just
for the
record, the
answer I was
asking for is
what legal
advice UNICEF
gave.
But, I hear…
since you said
to wait, I
wanted to ask
you
this. In
2012… I don't
know if it was
in this room
or a previous
UN briefing
room… there
was discussion
of the rape of
two girls in
the DRC
[Democratic
Republic of
the Congo] by
three… they
believe
they're from
Uruguay but
three
peacekeepers
in the
DRC.
This was
alleged by Dr.
Victoria
Fontan of the
UN University
of Peace in
Costa
Rica. It
was said there
would be an
investigation,
but nothing
has ever been
said of either
the
peacekeepers
being held
responsible or
the SRSG
[Special
Representative
of the
Secretary-General]
of the Mission
at the time or
DPKO
[Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations].
So, I wanted
to know… I'm
asking you, I
don't expect
you
necessarily to
know from the
podium, but
this is an
answer I'm
extremely
interested in
— what
happened?
Associate
Spokesperson:
I don't know
about the
specific case
obviously from
2012.
But, I think
you've heard
what the
Secretary-General
has been
saying all of
last week and
what he's,
what he's been
pushing when
it comes to
both
misconduct
and…
including…
sorry,
misconduct
including
sexual
exploitation
and
abuse. I
mean, he's
been very
strong.
He has shown
his resolve to
push this
forward and to
make sure that
there is, you
know,
institutional
accountability,
responsibility,
but also that
Member States
provide us
with the
information
that we ask
because, as
you know,
there is a
limit, some
things are up
to Member
States.
But,
obviously,
he's very
determined to
make progress
in this, in
this area for
the victims of
misconduct.
Inner City
Press:
But, what
happened in
this case?
Associate
Spokesperson:
I don't
know. I
just said
that.
Inner City
Press: I'm
asking, can
you ask
DPKO?
The two
victims’ names
were Gisele
and Esperanz…
Associate
Spokesperson:
Sure.
Why don't you
send me an
e-mail rather
than saying
everything
here.
Oleg.
Another cut
off. And to
the detailed
email sent
after the
briefing, no
answer at all.
This is
today's or
Ban's UN.
Here was the
final exchange
of the day,
about Ban
Ki-moon's
speech to
bankers:
Inner City
Press: there
was an article
in The Buffalo
News saying
that the
Secretary-General
had gone to
Buffalo and
given a speech
in front of
150 people in
the M&T
Bank
headquarters
for a couple
of
reasons.
One… I'm
interested
because
M&T Bank
has a bank
merger that's
been stalled
out for three
years due to
allegations of
money-laundering
and lending
discrimination,
but mostly I
wanted to
know, did he
give such a
speech?
Can we get the
text of the
speech?
Why wasn't it
given in
advance?
And did he
raise these
issues about
lending
fairness and
money
laundering in
his
discussions
with the CEO
of the bank?
Associate
Spokesperson:
So this was
mainly a
private
visit.
He went to
visit Buffalo
and Niagara
Falls,
actually, and
he was invited
by someone
he's known for
a long time to
address this…
this group of
people that
you've
mentioned.
We didn't put
it out, again,
because it was
mostly,
mainly,
largely, a
private
visit.
He was with
his family
over the
weekend.
Inner City
Press: Were
the people
there all
employees of
the
bank?
Was…
Associate
Spokesperson:
No, I think it
was community
leaders from
all over
Buffalo, if I
understand
correctly.
Inner City
Press: Do you
have the
remarks?
Associate
Spokesperson:
I'll check,
but,
again:
mainly private
visit and I
don't think
we'd be
sharing
them.
Anything
else?
Great.
Have a good
afternoon.
, 
