As
UN Tried
Recruiting
Moon from
ACABQ, History
of Revolving
Door, No
Safeguards?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
WASHINGTON,
January
10, updated
Jan. 14
-- Should
the
UN have rules
or a cooling
off period
before it can
give a UN job
to a member of
the Advisory
Committee on
Administrative
and Budgetary
Questions
which is
supposed to be
overseeing the
UN?
Recently
whistleblowers
exclusively
told Inner
City Press
that to
replace Warren
Sach at the UN
Office of
Central
Support
Services, the
UN was
considering a
member – now Vice
Chair – of
ACABQ, Richard
Moon of the UK,
as well as
Paul Buades of
Procurement
and now the
dubious
MONUSCO
Mission in the
Congo.
The danger in
allowing such
hiring from
the ACABQ is
that a
putative
overseer of
the UN would
“go soft” once
he or she was
being
considered for
a job with the
UN. In the
field of
banking,
regulators are
prohibited
from going to
work for the
banks they
have
regulated, for
a particular
period of
time.
But in the UN,
no rules
exist. Are
there
safeguards?
Four times
Inner City
Press has
asked the UN
in writing
about this on
December 27:
"please
deny or
confirm /
comment on the
UN
Secretariat's
consideration
of current
ACABQ vice
chair Richard
Moon of the UK
to head OCSS
in the
Department of
Management,
specifically
what
safeguards are
in place given
the potential
for conflict
of interest in
offering a job
to a person
ostensibly
objectively
analyzing the
Secretariat's
budget and
human
resources
proposals at
ACABQ."
Unlike
other
questions
Inner City
Press asked
that day, the
UN did not
answer that
one. On
Decmeber 31,
Inner City
Press
submitted a
follow up, to
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's top
three
spokespeople:
"While
still awaiting
a statement of
the rules or
safeguards
applicable to
the
Secretariat
hiring from
the ostensibly
independent
ACABQ [see Q
Dec 27 - 2],
please confirm
or deny that a
relative of
then ACABQ
chair McLurg
was hired by
the contractor
that runs the
guided tours,
including
confirming or
denying any UN
role or rules,
and anything
on hirings
from ACABQ of
Fontaine Ortiz
(Secretariat)
and Ladjouzi
(DPKO)."
The
UN has not
answer any of
this, ten days
later. By
contrast,
Mr. Sach has
graciously
confirmed to
Inner City
Press that he
is retiring in
February. We
wish him well.
But what will
happen next?
Watch this
site.
Update
of Jan. 10,
1:12 pm -- An
hour after
publication of
the above, the
following came
in:
From:
UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Thu, Jan
10, 2013 at
12:59 PM
Subject: Re:
Your question
on recruitment
To: Matthew
Russell Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Your questions
on
recruitment:
We do not
comment on
recruitment
processes that
are under way.
In the search
for the most
suitable
person for a
particular
position, the
Secretary-General
takes great
care to ensure
the fairness
and
transparency
of the process
while
protecting the
privacy of the
candidates and
panel members.
While any
answer is
appreciated,
it would be
easy to answer
on if there
are safeguards
in recruiting
from ACABQ,
given its role
of overseeing
the
Secretariat.
Watch this
site.
Update
of January 14:
Inner City
Press is today
informed that
while there
was some early
consideration
of the UK's
Richard Moon
for the OCSS
position, that
is over. Duly
noted, minutes
later.
But
the question
on the need
for safeguards
when the UN
Secretariat
dangles jobs
before members
of ACABQ, or
of the Fifth
(Budget)
Committee,
still stands.
, 
