| As UN Whispers of its
Budget Banned Inner City Press
Publishes Controller Briefing Here
Patreon Book
Substack
NEW YORK,
Feb 2 – As the UN moves on in
2026 to pick a new Secretary
General, as its last one
Antonio Guterres fails on
Ukraine, Gaza and basic
transparency, it is whispering
about its financial woes to
friendly media, while banning
the Press that continues to
expose corruption.
Alongside
a breathless letter from
Guterres to member states, a
self-described "senior UN
official" briefed the scribes
of the UN Correspondents
Association, which includes
Xinhua and IRIB, an Iranian
outlet that has published
statements under torture as
interviews. The official
warned that the UN might have
to leave NYC, and not hold its
General Assembly high level
week.
Maybe that
would be good - Guterres for
example banned the critical
press from the last UNGA week.
Now from UN
whistleblowers, this:
Dear Matthew
Russell Lee, For your
info:
Controller
financial update: - 76.6%
collection of assessed
contribution to the Regular
Budget by the end of 2025 -
Planned expenditure for 2025
was 83% but actual spend was
higher at 86% - All liquidity
reserves wiped out - Last
year, we started with $245m of
cash, this year we are
starting with almost no
reserves. - Now we have
collected more that $500m in
January which is higher than
collection levels at the same
time in 2025 - We expect to
run out of cash by the end of
July o Much will depend on
collections
Not sure how much
China will pay in April and at
the end of the year o Not sure
how much and when US will
pay Indicated that first
instalment should come in
January – approximately $125m
- All early separations being
made – more than 1000 staff to
date - Global placements in
February and March after
departments - Will then take
stock of actual occupancy – ie
approved vacancy vs actual –
need clarity on this before
can release more allotment -
Will stay with 20% release
which should suffice for first
3 months of the year - We know
that GA did not agree to
return of credit – ie $290m –
but it will not go back to MS’
who did not pay in full – ie
$70m so we will have to repay
$220m – which in real terms is
o For 2025, we may have to
return $400m -
Current countries
with areas include the U.S.,
Venezuela, Mexico, Ghana,
Ecuador o Potentially 9-10%
shortage, could be $15% - Will
give update on allotments once
we have greater clarity on
U.S. / China payments - Freeze
of recruitments will only be
considered to be lifted after
we have settled UN80
reassignments - Likely that
allotments in 2026 will be
more than 80% allotment of
last year but unlikely to be
more than 85%with 90% likely
to be the maximum. - Budget
instructions for 2027 to come
out in next two weeks – there
will likely be instructions
for reductions in senior level
positions – ie above P5 level
- Does not want to receive
exception requests unless
absolutely critical – hiring
now is not advisable.
Visas for UN80 impacted staff
-
Travel Section
are preparing a broadcast
message on visa’s with regards
to relocations / FWA in NY for
colleagues who are relocated
away as part of UN80 - G4
visas are not cancelled when
relocating but can only be
used when for official
business travel to the U.S. –
cannot be used for family
visits etc. - UN has to advise
host country when staff are
relocated and will do so when
staff leave so the authorities
here will know when staff have
been relocated. - Family
cannot stay in the country on
a G4 – they can stay if they
transfer to other visa
categories – staff should
consult with a competent visa
lawyer for advise. -
Staff have to
leave 30 days upon separation
and or relocation – requests
for additional 30 days are not
usually considered positively
by U.S. authories . Please do
not overstay. - Staff cannot
do FWA in NY on a G4 which is
linked to your employment. o
Staff can however apply for B1
/ B2 visas – however the UN
cannot support these types of
applications as UN only
supports G4 visa applications
- Staff cannot stay in the
U.S. to work using the G4 of a
spouse working in the system
in NY as G4 holders must be
for those stationed in the
same duty station where the
visa applies - No lump sum on
relocations, it will be an
issued ticket o Self ticketing
is allowing but staff members
shoulder the risk of approval
and reimbursements.
Inner City Press,
which reports daily on the UN
as while banned, can verify:
today's UN is corrupt.
It's all in
a new book "United
Nations Betrayals: From
Election Stolen by Guterres to
Bribes and Banning of the
Press," by Matthew Russell Lee
(who quickly discloses that he
has been ousted and banned
from the UN by Guterres, for
his reporting).
A noted
by New York Magazine on Lee's
Maximum Maxwell book,
at times here he uses the
character Kurt Wheelock, who
first appeared in his
Predatory Bender.
The book
begins with Guterres beating
out female candidates for the
UNSG post, after a murky year
being paid by Lisbon-based
Gulbenkian Foundation. The
book digs into the bid by the
China Energy Fund Committee,
convicted of UN bribery, for
Gulbenkian's oil company.
Readers can draw their own
conclusion, including on the
need for SG campaign finance
disclosure in 2026.
Part of
the book in italics delves
into the UN Correspondents
Association and its efforts to
throw Lee out. They appear
again in the afterword /
novella, "Whacking Qaddafi,"
which was first mentioned in
the New Yorker magazine's Talk of
the Town piece about
Lee. It addresses more
countries: from India to
Pakistan, Guinea to Guinea
Bissau.
The main
text addresses UN failures in
Sri Lanka - including the UNCA
connection - Cameroon, Western
Sahara, Syria, North Korea,
Sudan, Gaza and elsewhere. UN
Betrayals indeed - this should
be the first of a series.
***
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