At UN,
Developing Countries Demand Changes to Ban's Political Affairs Reforms
Byline:
Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS, March 7 -- Developing
countries have taken strong exception to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's
approach to political affairs, calling among other things for an
increased focus on Africa and on development initiatives directed by the
General Assembly, not only donor nations.
One day after the
chief of Ban's Department of Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe
told Inner City Press
that most country don't link the proposal to reform DPA with a consonant
increase in funding for development, the Joint Coordinating Committee of
the Group of 77 and the Non-Aligned Movement wrote Pascoe an 11-page
letter making just such a link. The March 6 letter directs Pascoe to
amend his proposal by, among other things, requiring prior consent of
member states before the opening of regional offices, and re-directing
the requested funding boost for DPA to Africa. See Letter, obtained by
Inner City Press and placed online
here.
The letter requests
the omission of two references to the UN Development Program, which G-77
member
Ecuador this week told Inner City
Press is too dominated by Northern donor countries.
A deletion of the "One UN" proposal under which UNDP would gain control
over other streams of funding is also requested in the letter.
On March 4, Inner City Press
asked Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas about opposition expressed by
the Group of 77 to Pascoe's restructuring plan. Ms. Montas declined to
answer, saying the question should be directed to Pascoe himself, slated
to appear on March 5 to unveil a new, and now seemingly controversial,
mediation support team to be administered by the Norwegian Refugee
Committee. This end-run around UN rules can be seen as an attempt to
avoid what the G-77 and NAM refer to in their letter as the primacy of
the General Assembly.
Pascoe and Ban Ki-moon, developing
world questions not shown
In his March 5 press
conference, Pascoe said that bypassing the GA's rules would provide
desired "flexibility." When Inner City Press
asked about criticism in the
General Assembly of his
restructuring proposal, Pascoe was dismissive, saying that after many
meetings with select developing countries, most did not make any link
with boosting UN development efforts. The next day, the link was made in
the
JCC letter
requesting detailed amendments to the DPA proposal.
Sources tell Inner City Press
that Pascoe, and presumably Ban Ki-moon behind him, are declining to
make the requested changes. Whether they can expect approval of their
already-delayed "DPA strengthening" proposal remains to be seen. Watch
this site.
* * *
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Reuters
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here
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Reuters AlertNet
piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's
$200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.
Video
Analysis here
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