On
Malala Day, UN
Won't Answer
on Browns'
Charity or How
Access Granted
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, July
12, updated
July 20 --
Malala's speech
at the UN on
Friday was an
inspiration.
But the UN
at least in
part used it
to direct
concerned
people to a
non-UN
charity, A
World at
School,
which was
started by
Gordon Brown's
wife Sarah in
2002.
When
Inner City
Press asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesperson
Martin Nesirky
about this at
Friday's
noon briefing,
he insisted
that the focus
should be on
Malala's
speech.
While
the UN might
have preferred
narratives of
the day, it
seems to Inner
City Press
(and to the
new Free
UN Coalition
for Access)
that the
purpose of the
UN noon
briefing is to
answer the
questions that
are asked.
If
it's just a
one-way
communication,
like much of
the UN
system's
social media,
there's no
reason to have
an in-person
question and
answer
session.
When
Inner City
Press said
it had
“additional
questions
about this the
World at
School and the
media access,
but if you say
it’s not the
right day, I
will ask them
another day,”
Nesirky said
he would get
back with
responses.
But
as of 8 pm, no
answers have
been provided,
on A World at
School or why
the UN Media
Accreditation
and Liaison
Unit told
journalists
there were no
tickets, when
Nesirky said
there were
ten. Who got
them? On what
basis? @FUNCA_info
has
asked.
From Friday's noon
briefing
transcript by
the UN:
Inner
City Press: on
media access,
there ended up
being no
tickets
available
through [Media
Accreditation
and Liaison
Unit] to
attend it. But
in trying to
pursue
tickets, we
were referred
to something
called A World
at School and
also to the
office of the
UN Special
Envoy on
Global
Education,
Gordon Brown.
What is the
connection
between A
World at
School and the
United
Nations? Is it
a UN body? And
the office of
Gordon Brown,
it says at the
bottom of it,
“copyright
Gordon and
Sarah Brown
and the reds”
[sic -
made up by UN], the
website was
registered by
this World at
School, so I
wanted to
know, is it a
UN office, is
it funded out
of the UN’s
budget, both
entities are
laudable, but
it seems a
little bit
blurry. Is
this a UN
entity or not?
Gordon Brown
is a UN
official, but
why is his
website not a
UN website?
Spokesperson
:
Gordon Brown
has a very
specific role
given to him
by the
Secretary-General
as the Special
Envoy for
Global
Education and
for, as the
leading
champion of
Global
Education
First, the
initiative
that the
Secretary-General
launched. And
of course, the
presence of
Malala here
today on her
birthday — and
after all,
that is what
this should be
about — was
extremely
powerful.
Anybody who
listened to
her speech, I
imagine could
not fail to be
moved by it
and to feel
inspired and
motivated by
it, too.
As for
your question
about access,
tickets were
available. Ten
tickets were
indeed
available and
were
distributed.
It was
first-come,
first-served.
And as you
will have
seen, and as I
think people
around the
world saw, it
was being
broadcast, and
therefore,
people who did
not get into
the room — and
it was not
only
journalists
who could not
get into the
room — believe
me, there are
many who would
have wished to
have been
there. It was
possible to
cover this,
and I think
many people
did cover it,
even if they
were not in
the room.
Inner
City Press: A
World at
School, it
seems
laudable, the
speech was
great. I am
just trying to
figure out,
Gordon Brown,
what
relationship
is the UN?
Spokesperson:
Listen,
Matthew, I
think, I am
happy to take
this up with
you, but I
truly believe
that the focus
today should
be on Malala
and the work
that she has
done, the
symbolism of
her visit
here. And I
think that
anybody who
has been
listening to
that, and
indeed
followed the
Youth Assembly
that has
followed,
there are
many, many
extremely
courageous,
bright and
eloquent young
people who are
advocating
strongly for
what is
fundamental
rights. And I
think that’s
where the
focus should
be today.
Other
questions,
please. Yes?
Question
[Journalist
from Pakistan,
not on UNCA
board]: But,
Martin, that’s
all very well
about Malala,
but why should
some outside
body be
controlling
the access to
the General
Assembly Hall
and not the
United Nations
itself?
Spokesperson:
Well, it’s the
Trusteeship
Council
Chamber, and
as I have
said, the
tickets were
available.
To
whom? These
questions
should be
answered.
Watch this
site.
On
Saturday
morning, July
20, the
following came
in:
Subject:
Question
From: UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date:
Sat, Jul 20,
2013 at 9:12
AM
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
On
your question
about the
Malala event:
"A World at
School"
is one among
several
partner
organizations
that supported
and
contributed to
the
organization
of Malala Day
at the UN. It
does not
have any kind
of formal
affiliation
with the UN.
Gordon Brown
and
Sarah Brown
have their own
websites to
follow and
give
visibility to
their
activities and
campaigns --
on education
and beyond.
, 
