In
Austria UN
Guterres Says
Sexual Abuse
and
Exploitation
Are "Not
Relevant In
Vienna,"
Evades
#MeTooUN
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
May 14 – UN
Secretary
General
Antonio
Guterres is in
Vienna, where
he told UN
staff that sexual exploitation
and abuse is
not relevant,
only sexual
harassment is.
This statement
was made amid
allegations
of physicl
sexual abuse
by UNAIDS'
Luiz Loures,
and the
purchase of
sex by a D1 UN
official
in Somalia.
Are those cases
of harassment?
Guterres' statement
was made at a staff Town
Hall meeting
for which he
was 45 minutes
late. After he
said it, a
staff member
complained
that her application
to set up a
#MeToo club
had been denied and
would Guterres
help? He did not
say yes. He
said his
attempted
reform of the
UN development
system had
"passed
silence," with
but without
assessed
contributions.
In New York at
the UN noon
briefing Inner
City Press
asked
Guterres' deputy spokesman
Farhan Haq if
Guteres doesn't
think the
Loures cases
is about
sexual abuse,
beyond harassment.
Haq
seemed to say
Guterres uses
these terms
based on the
identify of
the victim, not the
use of force
or economic
pressure.
#MeTooUN?
Days
after first
banning the
Press from his
photo ops with
Al
Sharpton
and new
Political
Affairs chief
Rosemary
DiCarlo then
prohibiting
Inner City
Press'
livestreaming
of a photo op
with Finland's
foreign
minister even
though UN
Television
shot video
and audio
there, the UN
in Vienna is
promoting
this, with no
mention if
Periscope is
allowed or
not:
1.
Photo opportunity
with the
Secretary-General
and the Austrian
Chancellor Sebastian
Kurz
Date: Monday 14 May
2018
Time: 12.55 p.m.
please arrive by
12:30 p.m.
Venue: Austrian
Chancellery,
Marmoreksalon,
Chancellery
2. Joint press
stakeout with the
Secretary-General
and the Austrian
Chancellor Sebastian
Kurz
Date: Monday 14 May
2018
Time: 2.15 p.m.
Venue: Austrian
Chancellery, Grauer
Ecksalon,
Chancellery
3. Photo opportunity
with the
Secretary-General
and the Austrian
President Alexander
Van der Bellen
Date: Monday 14 May
2018
Time: 2.35 p.m.
Venue: Hofburg,
Ballhausplatz, 1010,
Vienna
4. Joint press
stakeout with the
Secretary-General
and the Austrian
President Alexander
Van der Bellen
Date: Monday 14 May
2018
Time: 3.10 p.m.
Venue: Hofburg,
Ballhausplatz, 1010,
Vienna
5. Photo opportunity
with the
Secretary-General
and the Austrian
Foreign Minister
Karin Kneissl
Date: Monday 14 May
2018
Time: 3.30 p.m.,
please arrive by 3
p.m.
Venue: Austrian
Foreign Ministry,
Minoritenplatz 8,
1010 Vienna
6. Photo opportunity
for the arrival of
the
Secretary-General at
the Vienna
International Centre
Date: Monday 14 May
2018
Time: 4.10 p.m.,
please arrive by
3.45 p.m.
Venue: Plaza, Vienna
International Centre
Guterres'
lead spokesman
(speechwriter?)
Stephane
Dujarric
appeared to be
with him,
kissing cheeks
in Vienna. And
what of the
growing
#MeTooUN
issues while
he is in
Vienna? Is
Guterres going to take
his absurd
restrictions on and
censorship of the
Press on the road? Or
create a double
standard where the
restrictions apply
only inside UN
headquarters? How long
will he continue his
rote expressions of
support for UNAIDS'
Michel Sidibe, who
threatened staff with
retaliation for
speaking about against
Luiz Loures? And given
the statements, when
will Guterres have to
start recusing
himself? Watch this
site.
***
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