Inner City Press -- Investigative Journalism from the United Nations

In WFP Race, Josette Sheeran Shiner Praises Mega Corporations from Cornfield While State Spins

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN

UNITED NATIONS, November 2 -- With the race to head the World Food Program entering at most its final fortnight, the official U.S. candidate Josette Sheeran Shiner has lauded praise on 12 global corporations from Chevron through Coca-Cola.

Those praised include APCO in China, Chevron in Indonesia, Coca-Cola in Mexico, Delta Construction in Vietnam, General Motors in Colombia, Goldman Sachs in Chile, Kerr McGee in Benin, McDonald's in Guatemala, Microsoft in Egypt, Motorola in Iraq, Pfizer in Pakistan, and Sambazon in Brazil.

These twelve companies are the finalists, whittled from 55 nominations, for the U.S. State Department's Award for Corporate Excellence. While all 12 finalists are named in a press release, the four finalists to head the WFP have not been. Whether the WFP race's lack of transparency to date ends up benefiting Ms. Sheeran Shiner is still not known.

On Monday November 6, Amb. Sheeran Shiner will name three winners and presumably take questions. Since it says "interactive," one assumes there'll be a link-up with the Foreign Press Center in New York, as for another Assistant Secretary of State, Jendayi Frazer. It is said that transparency and inter-activity are important.

At UN, ready for spotlight? (Afghanistan photos now on display)

Part of Ms. Sheeran Shiner's campaign to head WFP has been a four-page brochure, now online (though not inter-active). The first page shows a smiling Josette Sheeran, with a wide field behind here, evocative of the American Midwest. In food security circles, many question the U.S. strategy of placing surplus crops with WFP. Many European nations say it is better to give money. Many developing nations say that the inflow of U.S. crops destroys local production and markets, which the UN Food and Agriculture Organization is supposed to support. There is also the controversy about genetically-modified foods. These are all topics on which the four WFP finalists would face questions, and answer publicly, in a more transparent process.

As to why a five year term's being given, in Kofi Annan's last months, the spokesman on Wednesday said the current WFP head, Jim Morris, is leaving at the end of the year. Since Mr. Morris' term runs through April, Thursday Inner City Press asked when Mr. Morris made known his early departure. Despite a promise of a fast answer to this factual question, as of press time no answer was forthcoming.

L'affaire Shiner was raised in Washington at Wednesday's U.S. State Department press conference. From the transcript:

QUESTION: While we're up in New York, can you deal with (inaudible) with Josette Shiner seeking the World Food slot?
(Another question asked, discussed Iran…)

QUESTION: Can we go back to the Shiner?

MR. MCCORMACK: We can go back to the Shiner question.

QUESTION: I'm not sure of the issues. No, they -- she wants the job. Another American is a candidate --

MR. MCCORMACK: And we want her to have the job.

QUESTION: What about the other American who's --
MR. MCCORMACK: Tony Banbury?

QUESTION: -- does the program in Asia? Yeah.
MR. MCCORMACK: Well, I think he has put himself forward as an independent candidate. Usually the way this happens for these kinds of jobs is that a state will back one candidate. And our candidate for the job, as the Secretary has said, and she has made phone calls in support of Josette's candidacy, is Josette Shereen Shiner. And we think she's the right person for the job. It's not our decision. Secretary General Annan as well as I think head of the World Food Organization has a say in this. So it's out of our hands as to who gets selected, but we very strongly support her candidacy. Tony's a very capable person, a very capable person. He actually was a colleague of mine over at the NSC over at the White House previously before he took this job as, I think, Asia -- Director for Asia in the World Food Program. But the United States Government is backing Josette for the job.

QUESTION: Is there anything peculiar about funding brochures and such or is that part of the support process?

MR. MCCORMACK: You know, this is very typical in the world of the UN and these kind of UN types of jobs. I think you will find that nominees, candidates for these jobs, will go around and do courtesy calls with every country that they possibly can, a variety of different people, and very often, very often times, more often than not, they'll leave a brochure because essentially it makes the case of this person's qualifications. We have done this before. It's certainly regular practice with us. And it's certainly standard practice within the confines of this UN process.

It should be noted that the UN advertised the WFP opening in The Economist magazine, trolling, it would seem, for "independent candidates." In such a process, one might expect experience, resume and education to prevail. On the latter, it has been pointed out that while for example Mr. Banbury has a graduate degree in international affairs from the Fletcher School of Diplomacy at Tufts and another from Geneva, Ms. Sheeran Shiner lists a B.A.. At WFP, a masters degree is required for any P-1 position.

Others argue that a major job of the head of WFP is fundraising. If so, a transparent process would allow for the question, how successful was Ms. Sheeran Shiner's fundraising at William Bennett's "Empower America" organization? Developing.

In Campaign to Head UN WFP, A Race to Precedents' Depths, A Murky Lame Duck Appointment

UNITED NATIONS, November 1 -- Both U.S. Ambassador John Bolton and Kofi Annan's spokesman faced questions Wednesday about the process to select a new executive director for the UN World Food Program. Each cited mixed precedents in defense of a process about which skepticism is growing.

Ambassador Bolton, in a stakeout interview Wednesday afternoon, was asked by Inner City Press why he and the U.S. are pushing to get a five year term for Josette Sheeran Shiner, when Amb. Bolton had previously said that Kofi Annan should not appoint any senior officials to terms beyond December 31, 2006, when Mr. Annan leaves. Video here, at Minute 4:43.

In response, Amb. Bolton stated that "the precedents have varied." After acknowledging that "there are examples to the contrary," he cited a precedent from late 1991, when Javier Perez de Cuellar gave his blessing to a five year term for Catherine Ann Bertini, then a U.S. Under-Secretary of the Department of Agriculture.

Rarely has Amb. Bolton taken prior UN precedent as proof that a decision is a good one. Inner City Press asked Amb. Bolton whether, as a matter of U.S. reform, he believed that the short list of candidates should be publicly disclosed.

Earlier on Wednesday, Kofi Annan's spokesman had refused numerous reporters' requests for the short list, which Inner City Press then summarized as "Sheeran Shiner, Banbury, Fowler and Fust," see Inner City Press' articles of September 29 and October 27.

Apparently referring to these, Amb. Bolton said, "I think the short list is already public." Video on UNTV, Minutes 6:30 though 7:40. But transparency of an institution is a choice, and should not be entirely dependent the fortuity of leaks and shoe-leather reporting. Amb. Bolton strode away from the stakeout, leaving many questions unanswered.

Among these questions are why Bush Administration officials are so insistent that Ms. Sheeran Shiner must be the one. They have reportedly told UN officials up to the level of Mark Malloch Brown that "President Bush wants this."

Despite the fact that, as a matter of UN reform, short lists of final candidates were made public in the selection processes for UNHCR, UNDP and even the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, Kofi Annan's spokesman on Wednesday insisted the list will not be publicly confirmed in this case, "because this doesn't go in front of the G[eneral] A[ssembly]," he said. Video on UNTV. Following Inner City Press, correspondents from the Washington Post, the New York Sun and the Times of London all followed up, asking the spokesman to explain the difference and then remaining unconvinced.

Back in April 1999, the prior UN spokesman was quoted about UNDP that "we expect to make a decision in a week or two," but as refusing to comment about the selection process. Under this veil, Mark Malloch-Brown was selected, over Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Poul Nielson, the nominee of the European Union.

In this WFP case, most observers give the Swiss finalist Walter Fust very little chance. Canada's Robert Fowler, it is said, has credit with Kofi Annan for Canada's help in making and keeping him Secretary-General. Still, it is still widely assumed that given the Bush Administration's insistence, Josette Shiner Sheeran is the favorite for the post, over fellow American (but Democrat) Tony Banbury.

Returning to Amb. Bolton's 1991 precedent, open source research finds Ms. Bertini's biography on the UN web site, which misstates that she was appointed in 1992, and lists a pre-selection vita more extensive then Ms. Sheeran Shiner's, which pointedly does not mention her at least 20-year association with Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church. Further research finds that in February 2006, Ms. Bertini appeared at the U.S. Institute of Peace to speak about North Korea.

In 1992, Josette Sheeran Shiner wrote a generally laudatory article about North Korea's Great Leader, Kim Il Sung, which appeared on April 15 front page of the Moon-owned Washington Times. Excepts from Ms. Sheeran Shiner's article, available through the Washington Times web site, but only for $2.95 --

PYONGYANG, North Korea -- ... President Kim, appearing relaxed and jovial in a 2 1/2-hour interview, followed by a private luncheon of roast goose and quail-egg soup. He seemed to be in vigorous health on the eve of his 80th birthday, presenting the image of a self-confident, reflective elder statesman... His robust appearance contradicts persistent reports in the West that his health is failing, and he discussed with zest and ease a range of topics, from nuclear weapons and the reunification of Korea to his recent visit with American evangelist Billy Graham, his enthusiasm for tiger hunting and his formula for a long life. The interview, at the Presidential Palace, was granted after a delegation of editors and reporters of The Times, led by Wesley Pruden, the newspaper's Managing Editor and editor-in-chief, had spent 11 days here interviewing highest-ranking government, military and Workers Party officials... "In my country now everybody has housing, nobody is sleeping outside. There are no beggars. There are no opium addicts. There's no unemployment, not a single person is without food and every child has 11 years' compulsory education. Plus we have free medical care and no taxation. I think these are the good points in my country"... "This is my philosophy: Even if the sky is falling down upon us, there will always be a hole for me to rise up through," he said. "When we were fighting against the Japanese imperialists I never felt pessimistic. If one feels optimistic there is nothing that can't be solved."

It was this last that Ms. Sheeran Shiner later referred to, in a "Unification Speech and Talk," as "this wonderful thing that I published in the newspaper." Whether it is consistent with current U.S. foreign policy is another wonderful question.

Viewing the above functions, it is reported that "when the Seoul-based Joon Ang Daily would wonder how Moon’s Pyeonghwa Motor Corporation had won a $55 million exclusive deal to manufacture vehicles for the regime. The Seoul paper quoted Hwang Sun-Jo, a Uniﬁcation Church leader and head of Moon’s Tongil industrial conglomerate, who revealed that their good fortune became possible after Moon 'sent a Washington Times reporter to the North and made the country known to the West with a better image... Since then the North has conﬁded in the church.'"

Does this counter-intuitively provide support for Ms. Sheeran Shiner being anointed head of the UN World Food Program? Developing.

Inner City Press question: Ambassador, you've said that the secretary-general shouldn't appoint any new senior officials beyond his term of office at the end of the year. But on the World Food Programme, you seemed to say that he should appoint somebody for a five-year term. Can you explain that?

Ambassador Bolton: I think I've said in response to that question, which I've answered before, that the precedents for the appointment of the executive director of the World Food Programme have varied. In some cases, the outgoing secretary-general and the director general of the FAO have made the appointment. In some cases, the incoming Secretary-General has made the appointment because the terms are five years. In 1991, Javier Perez de Cuellar and the director general of the FAO appointed Cathy Bertini for a term beginning on January 1, 1992. That's one example of the outgoing secretary-general doing it. There are examples to the contrary as well. Our position on that is that we think Undersecretary Sheeran should receive the appointment and by this Secretary-General.

Inner City Press question: And should the shortlist be made public as a matter of U.N. reform and transparency?
Ambassador Bolton: I think the shortlist is public because I've seen it in newspapers.

WFP Brochure-Gate? John Bolton Has Not Seen Brochure of "Official" U.S. Candidate to Head World Food Program

UNITED NATIONS, October 31 -- "Did the U.S. State Department produce the brochure promoting Josette Sheeran Shiner to head the UN World Food Program?"

Nearly 7 p.m. Tuesday, Inner City Press asked U.S. Ambassador John Bolton this question.

"I've never seen the brochure," Amb. Bolton said. "So I can't comment on it." Video on UNTV, at Minute 4:40.

That can be quickly remedied -- click HERE for a scanned copy of the brochure, in PDF format.

Also on Tuesday, Inner City Press asked the General Assembly president's spokeswoman who in her purview may have seen the campaign brochure. WFP is run by a 36-member executive board, half of the nations appointed by the UN ECOSOC, half by the FAO.

The GA president's spokeswomen later said they do not answer for the ECOSOC, so Inner City Press put the question, in writing, to the mission of Tunisia, which chairs the ECOSOC. Similarly, Inner City Press has put the question to FAO, including asking if a provision of the FAO Constitution about picking the candidate with the most experience and technical competency applies to this WFP process.

Kofi Annan's spokesman, who has before him several related questions, explained that the Secretary-General and the head of FAO propose the new head of WFP to the WFP executive board. So was the attached brochure created only for two men? Or for the five-person interview panel, including Mark Malloch Brown and Jan Egeland, which whittled eight finalists down to four? Or for all 36 WFP Executive Board members? After a day of asking the Secretariat, the General Assembly, the head of ECOSOC and FAO, the answers should come Wednesday. And by then U.S. Amb. Bolton will have seen, one way or another, Josette Sheeran Shiner's brochure. One example: what is the statement about "Pulitzer Prize nominee" based on? Developing...

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