In
Yemen, IOM
Says Hampered
by ID Demands,
When ICP Asks,
Won't Say By
Whom
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
21 -- A week
after Saudi
Arabia's
Ambassador to
the UN assured
Inner City
Press about
his country
facilitating
evacuations
from Yemen,
amid its
airstrikes,
the
International
Organization
for Migration
announced its
"decision
to temporarily
suspend its
evacuation of
third country
nationals
(TCNs) from
Sana’a,
Yemen...operations
continue to be
hampered by
unacceptable
demands in
regard to the
identity of
passengers to
be evacuated
by IOM."
But who is it,
making demands
in regard to
identities?
Inner City
Press asked
IOM
spokesperson
Joel Millman:
"Can
you say WHO is
making these
demands about
identity
information?
Is it only the
countries to
which flights
are going - in
which case,
are some
countries less
demanding than
others -- or
do other
countries,
including IOM
donors, makes
these
demands?"
Millman
replied
quickly: "No
we are not
sharing that
detail."
Why not? We'll
have more on
this.
Back
on April 14
the UN
Security
Council
adopted the
GCC's
resolution;
Russia
abstained.
Inner City
Press put the
resolution, as
sent out by
the UN after
the vote, online
here.
After the
vote, the
Ambassador of
Saudi Arabia,
Qatar and
Yemen came to
the stakeout.
Inner City
Press asked
the Saudi
ambassador,
what about the
humanitarian
consequences
including lack
of electricity
and lack of
food, with UN
staff pleading
(unsuccessfully,
see below) to
be evacuated?
The
Saudi
Ambassador
said that no
one is more
concerned
about Yemen
than Saudi
Arabia, adding
the wounded
Yemenis have
been evacuated
to Saudi
hospitals.
(The Yemeni
ambassador
moments later
put that
number "in the
dozens.")
But
when asked if
his country
might launch a
ground
invasion,
Saudi Arabia's
ambassador
said that
diplomats here
in New York
don't know
what is
happening on
the ground.
What then of
the
humanitarian
assurances?
"What
does this mean
for Iran?"
asked the
previously-designated
questioner for
UNCA, the UN's
Censorship
Alliance. The
three
Ambassadors
beamed. Iran's
plan is said
to be launched
tomorrow.
As to UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon, not
only did he
fail to
clearly call
for a halt in
the airstrikes
on Yemen at
his rare
press
availability
on April 9
-- he has also
failed
to protect UN
national staff
there,
despite their
request.
Now Inner City
Press is
multiply and
exclusively
informed of
plans to
create
supposedly
"safe
havens"
for UN
national staff
inside
Yemen - even
after the
staff
representatives
said clearly
that
"relocation
inside the
country is not
an option any
more."
It
wasn't Ban
Ki-moon who
told UN
national staff
in Yemen that
their plea was
being
rejected, it
was Helen
Clark of the
UN Development
Program, who
answers press
questions at
UN
headquarters
even less than
Ban, while
seeking to
succeed him.
In the midst
of this, the
UN Security
Council
scheduled an
April 14 vote
on a
resolution
imposing an
arms embargo
on the Houthis
and Saleh
supporters,
with no
commitment to
halt the
airstrikes on
the country.
The so-called
UN
Correspondents
Association,
rather than
push for
answers or
even just more
Q&A
sessions from
Ban (and
Clark) instead
bragged they
will party
with Ban and
Prosecco --
"UN
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
will attend
for a toast!
Cocktail and
refreshments
to be served:
Italian
Appetizers,
Piadina,
Ravioli,
Dolcini, Red
& White
Wine, Prosecco
and Spirits."
This
is the same
organization
whose board
and president
tried to get
the
investigative
Press thrown
out of the UN
for actual
reporting, on
the UN's
failure to
protect
civilians in
Sri Lanka then
UNCA's
ghoulish and
conflict
screening of a
war crimes
denial film
inside the UN.
This is the
UN's
Censorship
Alliance.
At
the April 10
UN noon
briefing,
which UNCA's
partier-in-chief
attended
without asking
a single
question at,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric:
Inner
City Press:
Yesterday the
UN staff
unions, with
the plural, I
guess, because
the one in New
York, it's
unclear who
the union is,
basically
raised
questions
about the UN
not making any
move
whatsoever to
either
evacuate or
offer
protection to
national staff
members inside
Yemen.
Farhan said
it's not the
policy to ever
evacuate
national
staff.
But, if it's
unsafe for
international
staff...
the safely
level doesn't
matter what
your passport
is. So,
what's the
UN's thinking?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
I think we're
obviously… our
national staff
is continuing
to work
inasmuch as
they can to
help deliver
humanitarian
aid, which is
critical, and
I think we
honour their
bravery in
doing so in
very
challenging
circumstances.
We are in
touch with
them, whether
it's through
the
Secretariat or
through the
heads of
agencies, to
ensure that
they're as
safe as
possible.
And we're
doing that on
a daily
basis.
And if we have
anything more
to say on
that, we'll…
Inner City
Press:
Does Ban
Ki-moon join
this call by
the
humanitarian
resident
coordinator
for
humanitarian
pause?
Is that…?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
I think I
just… I just
said we
obviously were
urging for
cessation of
hostilities.
I think
that… I
think that
covers it
fairly
broadly.
Inner City
Press:
Have you
conveyed that
to the Saudi
led coalition?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
I think that…
this is a
message that
will be passed
along to… in
the
Secretary-General
and his
contacts and
obviously the
ones our
humanitarian
partners are
having.
In the more
than three
days since,
the UN has
provided no
information on
any evacuation
of its
national staff
from Yemen.
But multiple
sources have
exclusively
provided Inner
City Press
with an email
from Helen
Clark as head
of the UN
Development
Program,
floating among
other things
the idea of
"safe haven"
inside Yemen:
Subject:
RE:
SOS-URGENT-
Request for
Evacuation for
National Staff
of UNDP in
Yemen
From: Helen
Clark,
Administrator,
UNDP
Date:
04/09/2015
01:27PM
To: [REDACTED]
..."At this
time we are
also in
contact with
some Member
States asking
for all to
respect the
neutrality and
non-belligerent
status of UN
premises and
staff.
For national
staff of UNDP
who are
working from
locations
outside Yemen,
we will adopt
a work from
home approach
until we have
reassessed the
situation.
"And, finally,
we are
currently
exploring safe
haven
approaches
within Yemen
for national
staff and
families that
will allow a
place of
greater safety
for you and
allow a return
as soon as
possible of
our
international
colleagues."
Many have
asked, what
are these
"safe haven
approaches,"
and how do
they differ
from "shelter
in place"?
We'll have
more on this.
, 
