Dodging
Haiti Claims,
UN Devotes
$23.5M,
Unclear if to
Victims or
DPKO Reforms
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 11 --
With the legal
claims seeking
redress for
the
UN introducing
cholera into
Haiti still
pending in the
UN Office of
Legal Affairs,
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon on
Tuesday
announced an
"Initiative
for the
Elimination of
Cholera in
Haiti," and
devoted $23.5
million of UN
money to it.
Afterward,
Inner
City Press
asked the UN's
deputy envoy
to Haiti Nigel
Fisher if
any of those
funds are
devoted to
victims,
including
families of
those killed
by the
introduction
of cholera.
Fisher said
all of the
funds "go to
Haitians," but
he declined to
address
accountability,
repeating that
it is a legal
matter on
which he
cannot
comment. As
noted, this is
morally
bankrupt.
On
the other
hand, Ban
referred to
other donors'
$215 million,
and
trying to
raise more.
Also
looking
forward, Inner
City Press
asked Fisher
if the
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations has
implemented
any changes at
all to try to
ensure that it
doesn't happen
again, the
transport of
peacekeepers
from an area
with cholera
to a UN
mission.
Fisher
said he could
only speak for
the mission in
Haiti, not for
DPKO. The
head of DPKO
Herve Ladsous
was present at
Ban's
launching of
the
initiative,
and his
spokesman was
upstairs
watching the
Fisher
stakeout. But
no answer was
given, no new
safeguard
described.
While
this seem
consistent
with other
recent
stonewalling
by DPKO, on
issues ranging
from
implementation
of the UN's
supposed Human
Rights
Due Diligence
Policy in
Eastern Congo
to even "what
is the UN's
role in
Abyei," Inner
City Press for
today is not
digging deeper
into the
seeming
dysfunction
atop DPKO. But
questions will
continue
to be asked.
On
Monday, Inner
City Press
asked the UN
about protests
of MINUSTAH
for this
stonewalling.
Tuesday the
following came
in:
From:
UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Tue, Dec
11, 2012 at
10:26 AM
Subject: Your
question on
Haiti
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
The UN
Stabilization
Mission in
Haiti
(MINUSTAH) has
informed us
that a group
of around 50
people staged
a protest in
front of its
premises in
Port-au-Prince
yesterday. The
protest lasted
for less than
an hour and
ended
peacefully.
How very
civilized.
Inner City
Press also
asked Fisher
what the UN is
going about
impending
forced
evictions. A
lot, he said.
We hope so.
Update
of December 12
- at Tuesday's
noon briefing,
18 hours after
Nigel Fisher
said he could
not describe
screening
reforms for
DPKO, and DPKO
heard the
questions,
Inner City
Press went to
the noon
briefing and
asked again.
Spokesman
Martin Nesirky
said he will
"ask DPKO."
But they
already heard
the question
and should
have answered
it already.
Now we'll see.
Watch this
site.
, 
