As
UN
Confirms ICP
Scoop on CMP
Overruns, USUN
Only Tweets,
Wants DM?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 14, updated
-- On Monday a
cost
overrun in the
UN Capital
Master Plan of
$265 million,
up from $79
million, was
reported
by Inner City
Press, along
with the
analysis that
this makes it
far less
likely that
another new UN
building, the
so-called DC-5
or "Ban's
Boondoggle,"
will be built.
On
Tuesday the UN
confirmed
the increased
cost overrun
and also the
additional
"associated
costs" of $147
million
reported by
Inner City
Press.
But the
spokesman for
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon, he of
the
boondoggle,
said there was
no connection
with DC-5,
that "is
totally
unconnected,
as you well
know, that
should
anything
happen on
that front, it
is dealt with
by an entirely
different body
— it’s
not dealt with
by the United
Nations
itself, and I
think you know
that."
Inner
City Press
followed up,
with the US
and UK
Missions to
the UN and with
Ban's
spokesman,
Martin Nesirky:
Inner
City
Press: at
least some
Member States
are saying,
although it
would
be the UN
Development
Corporation
that would
actually build
DC-5,
they are
considering
now this idea
of a
contingency
plan for the
footprint or
logistics of
the UN. So
they see it as
connected in
this way: if
in fact there
have been
these overruns
on repair,
what
level of
confidence do
they have? Are
you saying
that the
building of
DC-5 could
never cost the
UN budget
money?
Spokesperson:
The building,
should such a
building be
constructed,
it would be
under that
Corporation,
which is not a
UN body, okay?
Many
member
states'
representatives
have told
Inner City
Press they see
a
connection:
once Ban's
Secretariat so
badly
underestimated
or
understated
the costs of
the CMP, why
gamble more
money for a
building that
may not be
necessary (and
which,
incidentally,
would
unilaterally
destroy a
playground)?
A
UK spokesman
responded to
Inner City
Press with
this: "Fifth
Committee is
now
in session
with decisions
on the Capital
Master Plan
needed by the
end of next
week. We are
looking at the
detail
closely, and
are of
course
concerned at
projected cost
over-runs."
The
US Mission to
the UN was
twice asked
for comment,
specifically
from its
Ambassador
for such
issues, Joe
Torsella. In
response,
after a day,
Inner City
Press was
directed to
Torsella's
Tweets on the
topic.
These do not
address DC-5;
notably, many
of Torsella's
tweets are in
fact pro-UN
re-tweets, for
example about
the Lubanga
verdict (click
here
for Inner City
Press' story
on UN's
role with
another
unindicted
child soldier
recruiter,
Peter Karim),
the appointment
of a 71-year
old Swede to
be Ban's
deputy,
unqualified
praise for the
"Action
Agenda" of Ban
Ki-moon, which
so far has
meant rotating
his long time
advisers Kim
Won-soo and
Yoon Yeochol
to new but
close by jobs,
and shifting
American Bob
Orr to an
invented
public private
partnerships
job. Some
reform.
On the CMP
overruns,
Torsella
links as
"UN101" to a
story that
undercounted
the overrun as
4%.
But
perhaps, while
not stated in
Torsella's
Twitter
profile,
retweets are
not
endorsements.
In
fairness we
note that
while not
commenting on
DC-5, Torsella
has tweeted
concerns and
questions
about the CMP
overruns:
"Three
questions we
have for UN:
In papersmart
UN, why are we
paying between
$3.2 - $6.4
million for
new filing
cabinets?!?
Where are old
ones? http://goo.gl/wxAyL
[This tweeted
link didn't
work, at least
when tried by
Inner City
Press] 2.
Auditors urged
desk-sharing
-- common in
private sector
-to save "at
least" 10-20%
on space
costs. Why
wasn't that
implemented?
3. Big savings
were projected
from energy
efficiency of
rehabbed
buildings. Now
would be a
good time to
show us that
money!"
Notably, the
head of the
CMP is an
American,
Michael
Adlerstein.
Some say the
US hopes to
take over not
only the
Department of
Political
Affairs, but
also the
Department of
Management,
perhaps with
Patrick
Kennedy. The
Department of
Management
oversees the
CMP.
So
could their be
some conflicts
of interest,
or weakening,
in this US
Mission's
stated
commitment to
reform the UN?
Watch this
site.
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