At
UN,
As Ban Ki-moon Switches from S. African to Canadian As New OIOS Chief,
Post-Ahlenius Rebellion Spreads, Sources Say
By
Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 23 -- Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, reeling
from the
damning exit memo
of the outgoing head of the Office of Internal
Oversight Services, may now get himself in more troubling in naming a
replacement.
Earlier
this year,
Inner City Press reported that the new head of OIOS was slated to be
an auditor from South Africa. This would conform to many member
states' understanding that developed and developing countries would
alternate atop the OIOS: Karl Paschke of Germany, then Dileep Nair of
Singapore, then Inga Britt Ahlenius of Sweden. The next was slated to
be from South Africa.
But
diplomatic
sources tell Inner City Press that on July 23, after facing questions
for a week about his interactions with OIOS, Ban told regional
groupings that instead of the South Africa, he would be appointing a
Canadian.
This
has triggered
outrage among developing countries. It comes against the backdrop of
ad hoc meetings to “revitalize the General Assembly” which are
discussing requiring Ban Ki-moon to come before the GA to seek his
second term, and not only the Security Council.
UN's Ban and auditors 2008, Canadian and Dag under
Fire not shown
Specifically,
under
the heading “Selection of the Secretary General,” the draft
“takes note of the views expressed at the Ad Hoc Working Group at
the 64th session and bearing in mind the provisions of Article 97 of
the Charter, emphasizes the need for the process of selection of the
Secretary General to be inclusive of all Member States and to be made
more transparent.. including through presentation of candidates for
the position of the Secretary General in an informal plenary of the
General Assembly.”
Interestingly,
the
marked up draft of this pending paragraph reads as follows:
“10.
Affirms its commitment to continuing its consideration of the
revitalization of the General Assembly's role in the selection and
appointment of the Secretary General, including through (encouraging
(Algeria / NAM: delete and add 'the') Russian Federation: retain)
presentation of candidates for the position of Secretary General in
an informal plenary of the General Assembly before the Security
Council considers the matter (Russian Federation); Russian
Federation: bracket entire para.”
10
Alt.
Also encourages formal presentation of candidatures for the
position of the Secretary General in a manner than allows sufficient
time for interaction with member states, and requests candidates to
present their views to all Member States of the General Assembly
(Belgium / EU, US & Russia) (Algeria / NAM supports Islamic
Republic of Iran proposal of retaining as OP 10 bis).”
In
the Security
Council, placating or giving patronage to the five Permanent Members
would be enough to gain the second term. But if the GA and regional
grouping get involved, Ban's snubs like that of Africa for the deputy
post in the UN Development Program, and the devaluation of the Office
of the Special Adviser on Africa, could come back to haunt Ban. Watch
this site.
* * *
UNder
Fire,
Ban's
Hiring Staff Spin, Decline Myanmar Comment, Doss No
Action
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July
22 -- In purported rebuttal of criticism of UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for lack of leadership on Myanmar,
Darfur, Afghanistan and other issues, the UN on July 22 presented
on
camera two officials, neither with any political responsibility.
Angela
Kane,
the
Under Secretary General for Management, told Inner City Press that
she could not rebut outgoing official Inga Britt Ahlenius' criticism
regarding Myanmar, where Ban allowed dictator Than Shwe to take part
of UN aid in foreign exchange manipulation, because “in my current
perch” as USG for Management it would be “inappropriate to
comment on the political situation in one country.” Video here,
from
Minute
18:19.
Even
as
to human
resources questions, Assistant SG Catherine Pollard evaded most of
the questions, in essence blaming Ahlenius for not have set up her
own Senior Review Panel to obtain the independence to which she and
the Office of Internal Oversight Services are entitled.
Ban's
Spokesman
Martin
Nesirky had begun by saying that for all UN posts at the D-2
level, there must be three candidates and at least one must be a
woman. But as Inner City Press reported earlier this week, Horst
Heitmann was removed from his Security Council Affairs post and
parked atop the Middle East and Western Asia unit of the Department
of Political Affairs, without any three candidates or woman.
Ms.
Pollard said
this was an exception, a lateral hire, but that the post Heitmann was
removed from will be advertised and filled in the usual way. The
usual pre-selected way? Sources say that Karina Gurlach, a favorite
of DPA chief Lynn Pascoe, will get the post under a Temporary Vacancy
Announcement, and then permanently.
Under
the
rubric of
accountability, Inner City Press asked about the case of Alan Doss,
who after initially being exposed by Inner City Press for pushing
UNDP to show him “leeway” and hire his daughter, was the subject
of a report of impropriety by OIOS that Ban let languish on his desk
until Doss retired.
Pollard
said
that
“G-2s and USGs are subject to the same rules” -- this despite
Doss being allowed to bring his wife and children to “non-family”
posts in West Africa and the Congo, as UN Volunteers -- and that the
OIOS report “as presented” justified the “action” taken.
What
action,
Inner
City Press asked. Ban's Assistant Spokesman Farhan Haq had said the
Doss report was still being considered, and that the outcome would be
announced.
No
disciplinary
action was deemed warranted, Pollard said. So: lack of
accountability, and total lack of transparency, as to when and why
this decision was taken.
UN's Ban and Kane, Compact only on intra-net, but
SRSGs too now
Here
is
more on the
issue of hiring rules to which the UN has sought to confine the story
-- we present this without forgetting that Ms. Ahlenius herself tried
improperly to get her friend Danielle Coolen hired, refused to answer
questions about it, nor why she and Robert Appleton never
investigated the UN's $250 million sole source contract with Lockheed
Martin for Darfur “super camps” that were never built.
Nevertheless:
Catherine
Pollard
cited
an obscure Secretariat document called ST/AI/401 and
claimed that Ahlenius never created the necessary "appointment
panel" which would have allowed her to select her preferred
candidate to head OIOS' Investigations Division.
When
it
was
pointed out to her that it is actually the responsibility of
the Secretary-General to create the panel, she dodged the question,
saying maybe this will happen in the future.
According
to
ST/AI/2003/4,
issued 21 March 2003, "the Secretary-General,
in consultation with the Under-Secretary-General for Internal
Oversight Services, shall establish an OIOS Review Body to advise the
Under-Secretary-General on the appointment, promotion and termination
of all staff members up to and including the D-2 level.
When
questioned
about
the actual provisions of relevant UN rules, Pollard
deflected the question with mumbo-jumbo about an ongoing review of
all Administrative Instructions.
ST/AI/401,
titled
"Personnel
Arrangements for the Office of Internal
Oversight Services", says that the Head of OIOS shall exercise
"latitude and control" over personnel and resources of
OIOS, and "shall have powers of appointment, promotion and
termination similar to those delegated by the Secretary-General to
the heads of programmes, funds or subsidiary organs enjoying special
status in these matters."
Pollard
was
not
able to adequately explain why the appointments within OIOS
are thus not treated the same as the appointments within UNDP, where
the SG does not exercise veto rights over the hiring of D-2. Helen
Clark can hire whoever she wants, without her selections going to
Ban's Senior Review Group for vetting and approval.
Also
unanswered
by
Kane was the obvious conflict of interest inherent in
Team Ban having in effect veto power over Ahlenius' personnel
selection process. These would be the subject of future reviews by
the Fifth Committee, ACABQ, and Internal Audit Committee, in a
properly functioning organization.
Another
document,
ST/SGB/2002/7,
titled "Organization of the Office of
Internal Oversight Services", quite clearly establishes that
"The Under-Secretary-General is responsible for all the
activities of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, as well as
its administration." Team Ban didn't adequately explain this
inconsistency.
The
same
document
says that the OIOS executive office is responsible for
"submitting OIOS appointment and promotion cases endorsed by the
Panel to the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services
for his or her approval on behalf of the Secretary-General."
So
there
is
a clear indication that the head of OIOS is responsible for
approving appointments "on behalf of the Secretary-General". Both of
these documents -- ST/AI/401 and ST/SGB/2002/7 -- were
prepared and issued by the Department of Management.
And
so
it
seems that Team Ban did not have the authority to reject
Ahlenius' proposed selection for the D-2 position in her
Investigations Division. What story will they try to spin now?
Another “senior UN official” is scheduled to appear later on July
22. Watch this site.
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