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UN Human Rights Post Will Be Awarded Before Any Briefing of
GA, Kerim Claims Input and Fight for his Office's Funding
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
July 9 -- With the UN High
Commissioner of Human Rights post vacant for more than a week, the
President of
the UN General Assembly Srgjan Kerim claimed Wednesday that the GA will
have
input into the selection of the next Commissioner, by being briefed by
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "in the next ten days" about "the
persons who are proposed."
But minutes
later Ban's spokesperson Michele
Montas, when asked by Inner City Press if this meant Ban will brief the
Assembly before announcing a winner, said no, the input has already
been taken,
the GA briefing will be after the decision has been made.
Video here,
from Minute 15:05. Input is not
in a public forum, Ms. Montas said, although Ban's briefings of the
Assembly
have throughout the year been closed to the press.
Srgjan
Kerim said that he is scheduled to meet with Ban upon his return from
the G-8
meetings in Japan, either Thursday or Friday, and that the input
briefing of
the Assembly will follow that. "The General Assembly will be
involved," he said, "that's what we have agreed, it lifts the level
of transparency." Video here,
from Minute 22:46.
There seem
to be differing understandings here between what was agreed, formal
input by
the General Assembly at a briefing about the "persons" (plural) being
considered, or a briefing only after the winner has been selected.
Ban Ki-moon and Srgjan Kerim, Human Rights
Commisioner and GA input not shown
While
there has been talk of a short list,
the Secretariat has refused to confirm or deny who is on it.
Well-placed cynics point out
that some of the human rights NGO's criticism of the process was
blunted once
Amnesty International's director was put on the short list. The
president of
Timor L'Este announced he might be considered, but that he didn't want
to leave
his country in the lurch. Ban said he hasn't offered the job to anyone.
But
from Ms. Montas' answer on Wednesday, it seems the winner is about to
be
announced, before ten days are up and the GA briefing takes place,
perhaps as
early as July 10. We'll see.
Update -- The Secretariat added to
its transcript
of the noon briefing in brackets, "[The Spokesperson later added that
the
process of interviewing candidates for the post was still ongoing.]"
Srgjan
Kerim also said that his position needs to be funded by the UN, that
the
President of the General Assembly cannot be continue to be "an
outsider," to be treated "like a consultant." Since Kerim had
earlier, and to his credit, acknowledged that he has been paid this
year by
non-UN sources, but then refused
to confirm or deny that his previously and
perhaps future employer WAZ Media has been paying or otherwise
compensating him
during this year, Inner City Press asked if he will ensure that the
General Assembly
votes on this proposed reform before he leaves office. He said he
wasn't sure,
that if not, he will tell the incoming president of the 63rd General
Assembly
to take the matter up. Will Nicaragua
being creating a budget for "it's" GA President? Watch this site.
And this --
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