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By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 12 – Back on May 31 when the UN General Assembly's new President Miroslav Lajcak came to take questions in from the GA Hall on May 31, Inner City Press asked him as the last question about the then still undecided bribery case involving former PGA John Ashe and Macau based businessman Ng Lap Seng, and whether he would commit to disclose who pays for his travel and his staff, and try to codify this in a GA resolution during his year. Video here. Lajcak to his credit stayed and took the question, ending with “There will be no secrets.” On September 12 after his first session as GA President, Lajcak held a stakeout, at the end of which Inner City Press asked him if he would commit NOT to take a job with the UN Secretariat at the end of his year, as his predecessor did earlier on September 12. Lajcak said he has no hidden agenda, only the agenda of the UN. Video here. Transcript: Inner City Press: Question: Your predecessor today has been named to a post by the Secretariat as Envoy on Oceans which is probably good for the oceans. But some people think it’s strange given that the PGA or GA is supposed to oversee the Secretariat. Can you commit when you would take a job with the Secretariat as soon as you leave this post, and how do you view the GA’s role in actually kind of overseeing the activities including with ethics and transparency of the Secretariat? PGA Lajcak: "I’m glad to say that particularly my two last predecessors have set a very high standard for ethics and transparency in this office, which I fully intend to follow. And I said publicly, and I can repeat it here as well, that I have no personal agenda, I have no national agenda, I have no hidden agenda. I only have one agenda, which is the United Nations. So, all I am here for is to help promote the UN agenda." Now, his Office's website has gone up - although for "Information on Finances" it says "coming soon." In the UN until now, basic questions about who is paying who, which staff are seconded, go unanswered. Lajcak has provided some information, but has not tied it to WHICH staff member. He discloses so far: "The Office of the President of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly currently has 28 team members, of which 20 are female and 8 male. 15 staff are seconded from member states; 7 staff are provided for by regular UN budget (3 administrative assistants, 2 from the senior executive team and 1 senior adviser and 1 spokesperson). 3 staff are recruited through voluntary contributions to the OPGA Trust Fund, 1 secondments from the UN system – IOM - and 2 UN interns." We'll have more on this. In one step for UN reform and transparency, a resolution was adopted on April 19 to henceforth webcast to the public the UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, which Inner City Press has covered and critiqued for some time. Inner City Press notes that a similar, even more basic reform is needed: due process rules for journalists at the UN, where currently there are none. As to the NGO webcasting, US Ambassador Nikki Haley on April 19 said, “Today's vote will bring increased transparency and accountability to the United Nations. Now all of these meetings and votes will be open for the world to see. This major win at that will greatly assist organizations that stand up to oppressive governments around the world.” We agree: see below. But when will the needed reforms - any reforms - for content neutral accreditation of media at the UN, and due process of some sort before UN censors can throw the Press, happen? After the UN Department of Public Information gave Inner City Press two hours to leave, for having covered an event in the UN Press Briefing Room related to the Ng Lap Seng UN corruption case, there has been no appeals process. Pro-UN media only recently arrived have been given office space; Inner City Press' long time shared office is being given to an Egyptian state media Akhbar al Yom whose correspondent Sanaa Youssef rarely comes in and never asks questions. For nineteen months and for now ongoing, Inner City Press is required to have UN minders to cover events on the Conference Building's second floor, unlike other media. It is lawless censorship and must be addressed.

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