Ban
Ki-moon Says
He'll Miss UN
Staff, Doesn't
Answer On
Favoritism or
Nepotism
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Follow Up on
Exclusives
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 14
-- Outgoing
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon on
September 14
said, “I am
saddened that
soon I will no
longer serve
side-by-side
with the
dedicated
staff of the
United
Nations.” If
Ban actually
means that,
the feeling
among staff is
not
necessarily
mutual among
UN staff, many
of whom have
complained to
the Press
about
favoritism and
nepotism
during Ban's
tenure.
In the shadow
of Ban's
brazen
promotion of
his own son in
law to the top
UN job in
Kenya,
without even
purporting to
recuse
himself, Inner
City Press
earlier this
month asked
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
two sample
hirings in the
Department of
General
Assembly and
Conference
Management. On
one, half an
answer was
provided. On
the other,
after two
weeks,
nothing. This
is Ban's UN.
On September
1, Inner City
Press asked
Dujarric:
Inner
City Press
understands
that the DGACM
position
vacated
yesterday is
being filled
by Ruth de
Miranda, whom
numerous UN
staff tell
Inner City
Press is
closely
aligned with
Catherine
Pollard... In
this light,
and in
connection
with the
UNanswered son
in law
questions,
this is a
formal request
that you state
pre-lid
1) if Ms.
Pollard
recused
herself from
the selection
of Ms. de
Miranda;
2) if
not, what
roles Ms
Pollard
played,
including in
the design of
the written
test, being on
the panel, etc
3) how
this is
acceptable and
what rules
apply.
Again,
as to the SG's
son in law,
this is a
formal request
that you today
(pre-lid)
provide
a) the
names and/or
other
identifiers of
the members of
the
interagency
advisory panel
which you say
selected the
SG's son in
law (to assess
whether they
can be
considered
independent of
the SG) and
the names of
the other
candidates (to
assess whether
the SG's son
in law was
arguably the
most
qualified)
or
provide an
explanation of
WHY such
information in
this situation
will not be
disclosed.
About Ban's
son in law
Siddharth
Chatterjee,
Dujarric has
stopped even
pretending to
respond. The
response has
come from
Chatterjee's
former
military
commander in
Sri Lanka,
Dalvir Singh,
calling for
Inner City
Press to be “condemned
in the
strongest
terms.”
Very classy.
On de Miranda,
Dujarric
responded: “
Ruth de
Miranda was
selected to
succeed Ion
Botnaru. I
think that
your answer is
correct.
The vacancy
was filled in
full
compliance
with the staff
selection
polices of the
organization.”
Inner City
Press
re-asked, “On
USG Pollard's
role in Ms. de
Miranda's
selection to
the D2 post,
you have not
described her
role nor
confirmed or
denied their
close
relation...
This is a
formal request
you answer
this today:
the position
USG Pollard
gave to Sonia
Elliott,
please state
if and why it
was done as a
“Temporary
Vacancy” TVA
and not as
“Acting,” and
USG Pollard's
role in the
process.”
This, like
Inner City
Press' request
for
information
about
Chatterjee's
military
activities in
Sri Lanka, has
done
unanswered.
There is
another UN
employment
story brewing,
about
Security.
Since Ban's
spokespeople
don't answer,
it will simply
appear. A fish
rots from the
head. Watch
this site.
, 
