| In
Corrupt UN of Guterres Poor Management In
2d UNESCO Term of Audrey Azoulay
By Matthew
Russell Lee &
sources,
Exclusive
UN
GATE, Feb 13
– UNESCO,
like the whole
UN system
under Antonio
Guterres is
falling apart
in corruption
and fraud.
Inner
City Press has
been reporting
on serious
malfeasance by
the French
Audrey Azoulay
administration
at UNESCO in
Paris, almost
as bad as
Antonio
Guterres'
corruption in
and of the UN
in New York. A
fish rots from
the head.
During
DG Azoulay's
term in
office, abuse
and corruption
are spreading
around.
Terrorizing
staff members
has become the
management
norm for
Audrey Azoulay
and her senior
team. The
bowing DG with
her
humiliating
posture in
front of the
King of
Morocco (here
) showed her
true nasty
face as a
tamed and
overshadowed
DG. And this
is the French
lady who
pretends since
her election
to be
inaccessible
to ambassadors
and ministers.
The
media exposure
of corruption,
harassment and
abuse of staff
might
appear to be
bearing fruit -
though with
the UN and its
immunity /
impunity, it's
never certain.
For instance,
since the
beginning of
her tenure in
2017, several
senior
officials at
ADG (Assistant
Director-General)
level have
been dismissed
for gross
misconduct.
The first ADG
to be
ruthlessly
dismissed
under Azoulay
was Frank La
Rue of
Guatemala, ADG
for the
Communication
and
Information
Sector. He was
relieved of
his duties a
day after sex
pest claims
were reported.
The
second ADG to
be abruptly
dismissed was
Frank La Rue's
successor, the
Tunisian Moez
Chakchouk, who
was involved
in a case of
moral
harassment in
his senior
position at
UNESCO. He had
to leave
despite
Azoulay's best
efforts to
save his
position and
reputation.
The total
protection
given to
Chakchouk was
due to
Azoulay's
family ties
with Tunisia
(more here).
We
learned this
week that two
more ADGs are
about to leave
the UN agency
in Paris. One
of them is
Shamila
Nair-Bedouelle,
who until this
week held the
position of
ADG for
Natural
Sciences. Ms.
Nair-Bedouelle,
originally
from South
Africa,
obtained
French
citizenship
and built her
career in
France. The
number of
complaints
against her
harassing
management
style,
however, led
to an
investigation
by IOS that
concluded that
Shamila
Nair-Bedouelle
ought to be
dismissed
despite her
strong French
connections
and cronyism
with Azoulay
herself.
The other ADG
who will be
leaving UNESCO
is Firmin
Matoko from
Congo/Brazzaville.
He has
survived most
of the press
reports of his
illegal
actions, but
his days are
now numbered.
Obviously,
Matoko fears
that after his
departure,
some of his
close
collaborators
will reveal
the
embezzlement
of funds
orchestrated
by himself and
his closest
teammate, Eric
Volibi, who
currently
heads the
UNESCO office
in Gabon. It
is clear that
ADG Matoko was
not an asset
to the agency
but was kept
because of his
proven ability
to demonstrate
servility and
high standards
of
brain-sterility
and docile
incompetence.
More about the
corruption
schemes of ADG
Matoko – here
).
These
forced
decisions by
DG Azoulay to
dismiss
herself the
senior
officials she
personally
selected and
appointed,
prove the
total lack of
discernment in
the selection
of candidates
for these most
senior
positions. The
selection of
her senior
team on the
basis of
favoritism and
under the
condition of
total
obedience is
proving to be
wrong and does
not work at
all. These
decisions to
fire so many
people from
her team also
confound
Azoulay's
plans to have
a spotless
senior team
with which to
fly to new
positions in
the French
administration
after her
24-month
lame-duck
period.
Yet there is
one ADG whose
dismissal case
is still
pending. In
recent years,
the Culture
sector has
been under
water by DG
Audrey Azoulay
and her ADG
for culture,
Chilean
Ernesto Ottone
Ramirez.
The staff of
the Culture
sector openly
accuses Ottone
Ramirez of an
arrogant and
authoritarian
management
style and even
refers to him,
in dark and
very UN-like
terms, as a
"baby-Pinochet."
There is no
doubt that,
despite his
high-level
protection by
DG Audrey
Azoulay, the
next to
undergo the
IOS
investigating
assessment
will be Ottone
Ramirez. It is
only a matter
of time.
What
has happened
since his
appointment is
the total
disruption of
the work of
the Culture
sector. Senior
managers in
the sector are
harassed and
suffer from
his blatant
incompetence
and total lack
of managerial
skills. His
obvious
predilection
for young
consultants
begging for
fleshly
promotions is
also
disrupting the
work of the
sector.
The
Culture sector
is now slowly
falling apart,
and senior
staff members
are
considering
leaving,
sickened and
revolted by
the work
environment.
Another case
that member
states may
want to
question is
the clear act
of abuse of
power allowing
the director
of legal
affairs,
Santiago
Villalpando,
after coercing
DG Azoulay and
trading his
full support
in exchange
for this
favor, to have
his wife
appointed to
UNESCO. Inner
City Press
confirmed that
the decision
to appoint
Marina
Silberman, the
wife of the
director of
UNESCO's legal
office, to the
UN agency has
been duly
processed. She
has been given
a P5 position
in the
Financial
Management
Branch
(BFM).
This is
another major
conflict of
interest - a
reward for
impunity in
violating the
rules - that
deserves the
full attention
of member
states. From
an ethical
point of view,
it is akin to
Azoulay's lack
of concern for
any standard
norms and
regulations,
as in the case
she covered up
for the French
pervert in the
Ministry of
Culture under
her tenure,
who
intoxicated
women to watch
them urinate
in front of
him. The
staff
association
(STU) keep
voicing its
concern of
those alarming
practices
resurfacing in
the total
absence of
respect for
rules and
regulations.
It
keeps opposing
the
unacceptable
situation in
which top
senior
managers like
Ottone Ramirez
can exert
totalitarian
control over
the staff
including by
using
intimidation
and harassment
that force
staff members
into fear and
obedience.
Despite all
this exposure
though, little
progress has
been achieved
mainly due to
the criminal
complicity of
the member
states. Their
insensitive
political
attitude is in
fact a green
light given to
DG Azoulay to
continue these
practices and
even intensify
them in the
remaining last
two
years.
Their
soundless
political
stance is
actually a
green light to
DG Azoulay for
her to keep up
with those
practices and
to even scale
them up in the
remaining last
two years. The
member states
are therefore
entirely
responsible
for the
unopposed
collapse of
UNESCO.
We will
have more on
that. Watch
this site
***
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