At
UN Economic Commission in Beirut
OIOS Belated Probes Politics of
Jobs, Mercedes and Elevators
Like Guterres
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive follow
up
UNITED NATIONS
GATE, October 15 – How
politicized are the UN's
regional economic commissions
and how much do they come to
mirror the man at the top,
Antonio Guterres? Inner City
Press on May 22 exclusively
reported about the one in
Beirut, ESCWA. A month after
that, Inner City Press was
physically ousted from the UN
and remains now on Guterres
UNdisclosed banned list
including political activists.
As
reported Guterres' practices
in New York are being
replicated, by an official
whose performance as Iraq's
Ambassador to the UN Inner
City Press has positively
reviewed, Mohamed Ali Alhakim.
Guterres flies around on the
public dime, back to his home
in Lisbon. The same by Erik
Solheim as UNEP led to an
investigation by the Office of
Internal Oversight Services,
about which Guterres'
spokesman have refused to
answer Inner City Press'
questions, even about the
status of OIOS chief Mendoza.
In New York, Guterres drives
an armored black Mercedes; it
seems a request for one worth
$160,000 has been made for
ESCWA, as well as a dedicated
elevator just like Guterres
has. [This last is blamed on
the previous Executive
Secretary, on which we still
hope to have more.] There's a
request for $35,000 worth of
Iranian carpets, including for
the "VIP room." This one,
Inner City Press has been
told, was questioned by an
official performing the
procurement function - who was
then disciplined up and out,
from Beirut to Rome, P4 to P5
despite muffled talk of being
a low performer. This is how
the UN works.
There's an
attempt to “freeze” a post for
the niece of a Lebanese
politician. A fish rots from
the head and it all starts on
the UN's 38th floor.
Now in mid
October 2018, already banned
from the UN for more than 100
days and counting by Guterres
without hearing or appeal,
Inner City Press is informed
that these ESCWA allegations
are now the subject of an OIOS
investigation. We'll have more
on this, even as Guterres'
spokespeople refuse to answer
Inner City Press' other
questions on OIOS despite the
purported commitment of
Guterres' Global Communicator
Alison Smale, including
"September 20-2: What is the
status of Heidi Mendoza at
OIOS - is she still on leave?
- and what is the SG's comment
and action on her recent
public statements on politics
in The Philippines, including
describing an agency there as
“we” and how this comports, or
doesn't, with her duty as an
international civil servant?..
October 1-4: Regarding Heidi
Mendoza, USG of OIOS, and her
recent public comments on
politics in the Philippines:
a) what is Ms Mendoza's
current status with the UN? b)
if she is on medical leave, is
it paid leave? c) do the UN's
rules about international
public servants not getting
involved in their countries'
politics apply to those on
such leave, or whatever type
of leave Ms Mendoza is on? d)
can the SG waive such rules?
When and in what circumtances?
Has he waived rules here? e)
is there an Officer in Charge
at OIOS? Who is it? f) does Ms
Mendoza has any involvement in
OIOS decisions while on
leave?... On UN travel costs,
please state when and if the
UNEP audit by OIOS will be
public... October 10-2:
Regarding DPA and Inner City
Press' reporting and complaint
to OIOS about the website
role(s) of the spouse of the
chief of staff of DPA, please
confirm or deny that Kyoko
Shiotani is on leave, state
how long it is to last, if she
is under investigation by OIOS
and why no (other) actions
have been taken. The questions
about the leave, and actions
during leave, of OIOS' Mendoza
remain UNanswered." And still,
104 days into this censorship
ban.
Back in May we
were told of Guterres'
then new Under Secretary
General for Political Affairs
Rosemary DiCarlo blocking off
two full hours for her
predecessor Jeffrey Feltman,
who Inner City Press has now
reported, including based on
Libya's former Permanent
Representative to the UN, that
Feltman is in the mix to be an
adviser to Lebanon's Ghassam
Salame as Guterres envoy to or
at least on Libya. Watch this
site.
***
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