At
UNESCO Norway Pulls Funds
Because Gry Ulverud Not Given
Job But Guterres Read Out Silent
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 27 –
That jobs in
the UN system
are
essentially
for sale is on
display at
UNESCO, where
Norway is
pulling
funding
because its
candidate Gry
Ulverud didn't
get the top
educational
post. (Italy
got, or in
context
probably
bought, the
position for
Stefania
Giannini.) On
September 26
Inner City
Press asked
the UN in
writing,
"September
26-3: On
reports that
Norway is
cutting its
funding to
UNESCO because
it was not
given a high
position
there, what is
the SG's
comment and
action on
this? Is such
a quid pro quo
approach
acceptable or
the norm in
his UN
system?" By
the next day,
no answer. But
later on
September 27,
Guterres
issued this
read-out:
"Today, the
Secretary-General
met with H.E.
Ms. Erna
Solberg, Prime
Minister of
Norway. The
Secretary-General
and the Prime
Minister
discussed
regional
developments
in the Middle
East. The
Secretary-General
commended
Norway’s
efforts in
support of the
Sustainable
Development
Goals and
gender
equality. He
also
appreciated
Norway’s
support for
the UN reform
process. The
Secretary-General
and the Prime
Minister
discussed
ocean-related
issues, as
well as the
challenges
related to
climate change
and the
efforts to
prepare for
the 2019
Climate Change
Summit." So
apparently
Guterres is
NOT concerned
about a
country
cutting its
funding for
not getting a
top job.
Aftenpost
behind a
paywall
describes a
demarche of
UNESCO boss
Audrey Azoulay
by
representatives
not only of
Norway but
also Denmark
and Sweden.
This is ironic
because these
two countries
are moving to
cut funds to
UNEP because
of (Antonio Guterres-like)
travel
waste by
UNEP chief
Erik Solheim,
who happens to
be Gry
Ulverud's
husband. Does
her losing out
on the UNESCO
job make
Solheim less
tempted to
spend public
money flying
to Paris?
Nothing, it
seems, can
stop Guterres'
Lisbon air
shuttle on
the public
dime, for
which he has
been willing
to have Inner
City Press
which asks
about it
roughed up and
banned, even
on September
26 from a UN
human rights
speech by
Michelle
Bachelet it
had RSVP-ed
for and had a
ticket to,
video here.
Today's UN
system is
corrupt. The
UN
talks a lot about
freedom of the press
but this summer at
its headquarters in
New York has twice
physically ousted
critical Inner City
Press, banned by
Secretary General
Antonio Guterres
from entering the UN
since July 3 when it
was covering the UN
Budget Committee.
This was captured on
video
and now the
September 23 NY
Post, here.
And so,
seeing that the
Paris-based UN
Educational,
Scientific and
Cultural
Organization has
whole sections
devoted to Protection
of Journalists
and Fostering
Freedom of
Expression, Inner
City Press reached
out to UNESCO's
Director of Freedom
of Expression Guy
Berger, whom it had
questioned
in the UN Press
Briefing Room back
in March before
being banned from
that room, about
UNESCO sexual
harasser Frank
Larue, and to the New
York-based
liaison Ricardo de
Guimarães Pinto.
A similar
request for action
directed first to
a.azoulay [at]
UNESCO.org, then to
dg [at] UNESCO.org
was blocked: it
seems Ms Azoulay
accepted mail and
information only
from within UNESCO.
So much for
protecting
journalists.
Here is what
Inner City Press has
sent to UNESCO,
Berger and de
Guimarães Pinto:
Dear Messrs. de
Guimarães Pinto
(NY), Berger
(Paris), DG:
This is a
formal request for
freedom of the press
action by UNESCO. I
am an investigative
journalist who has
covered the United
Nations system for a
decade. But but I
have now been banned
from the UN with no
end in sight since
July 3, when I was
physically ousted
from the UN for the
second time in 11
days, while I was
doing reporting.
I am
told by the UN that
the “suspension” of
my access to the UN,
now for 22 days, is
for a review of
being physically
ousted by UN
Security from
covering the UN
Budget Committee
meetings on July 3,
the type of meeting
I have staked-out
and covered for 11
years, the last two
as a non-resident
correspondent. I
managed to film some
of my ouster,
beginning half way
through as UN
Security Lieutenant
Ronald Dobbins tried
to grab my phone,
video
here.
Something
has
gone wrong in the UN
- on which UNESCO
must act,
immediately -- when
a journalist typing
up notes from an
interview with the
UN Budget Committee
chair has been
approached and
assaulted by UN
Security officers at
least one of whom
had and has a
personal vendetta
springing from
previous (and
accurate) Press coverage.
But it
has become or
exposed a more
systemic problem: I
have been banned
from the UN for
doing my job as a
journalist, with no
due process, no end
in sight.
USG DPI
Alison Smale has
gone on a three week
vacation, after
vaguely claiming I
was uncivil as my
arm was being
twisted, and that a
few e-mail responses
to my questions by
the UN spokespeople
means the UN is
respecting my rights
as a journalist.)
DPI has
caused this problem
by downgrading Inner
City Press to “non
resident
correspondent”
status for my
coverage of the John
Ashe / Ng Lap Seng
UN bribery case,
which allows UN
Security to target
me any time I cover
a meeting after 7
pm. I am allowed by
rule to stay for
such meetings, and
for an hour
afterward. But this
is not been
communicated to or
accepted by these UN
Security officers.
The
only solution is to
restore Inner City
Press, which
produces substantial
UN coverage, to its
long time shared
work space in UN
Room S-303 (which
sits almost entirely
unused) and to
restore me to
resident
correspondent
status. And then to
ensure rules, and
the rule of law and
freedom of the press
at the UN, going
forward. If you have
any questions, I am
available (for now
outside the UN
gates) on my cell
phone, or on email
here. Please confirm
receipt of this
request.”
They did not even
confirm receipt. So
much for protection
of journalists.
***
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