| In
Corrupt UN of Guterres UNESCO Azoulay
Mismanagement Faces Three Different Audits
By Matthew
Russell Lee &
sources,
Exclusive
UN
GATE, April
24
– 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.
The way
in which DG
Azoulay has
decided to
manage
UNESCO's
deficit in
2023 runs
counter to all
the usual
practices of
good
governance. It
was duly
revealed by
Inner City
Press and led
to a heated
debate and an
unprecedented
decision by
member states
at the last
session of the
Executive
Board (here
).
Following
this decision,
the member
states of the
Board
requested that
the case be
examined by
three
different
audits - an
internal audit
by IOS and two
external
audits by
Canadian and
South African
audit teams.
Their task
will be to
find out
exactly what
went wrong in
the process of
managing the
organization's
deficit in
such an
illegal way,
and to
identify and
account for
personal
responsibility
in this system
of financial
mismanagement.
The first to
be ready is
the IOS audit
on budget
monitoring and
control, which
was launched
immediately
following the
Executive
Board's
decision and
will be
completed
shortly. Our
sources
indicate that
IOS's
preliminary
findings are expected
to be appalling
for her
administration.
Following
the work of
his
investigators,
it will be up
to Bernardin
Assiene, the
Director of
the Division
of Internal
Oversight
Services (IOS)
and Chief
Audit
Executive at
UNESCO, to
decide which
side of the
narrative he
will take.
Either he
passes on to
Audrey Azoulay
and then makes
public the
report being
drawn up by
his fellow
internal
auditors, or
he takes full
responsibility
for modifying
the report's
content and
findings in
order to save
not only
Azoulay's
reputation but
also the
careers of two
of the most
senior
officials in
Azoulay's
administration
dealing with
financial
matters.
We shall be
watching
closely to see
which of these
two options
Mr. Assiene
chooses.
Manipulating
the results
would be a
risk for him,
especially as
he has not
enjoyed the
confidence of
member states
for some time
now, who
regularly
scrutinize his
speeches and
publicly
deplore his
obvious lack
of
independence.
This risk
would be all
the more
insane given
that the two
other external
audits to
follow will
provide an
objective
description of
their
respective
findings,
which Mr.
Assiene will
obviously not
be able to
manipulate,
alter or
conceal.
What's more,
most member
states are
perfectly
aware of
exactly what
happened, and
this IOS audit
will be a kind
of “crash
test” for Mr.
Assiene.
The
external
auditors will
specifically
provide, in
the framework
of the audit
report of the
consolidated
financial
statements for
2023, an
opinion and
observations
regarding the
respect of
financial
Regulations
and the
corresponding
appropriation
resolution of
41 C/5 and 42
C/5. They will
also express
an opinion on
the
liquidation of
legal
contractual
obligations
related to
2023
activities, on
the budget
controls of
the
Organization
and the use of
other sources
of funds to
cover
commitments
initially
recorded under
the 2022-2023
41 C/5 regular
budget. It is
therefore easy
to anticipate
the deep
displeasure of
the Drama
Queen Azoulay
at these
latest
unfavorable
developments.
Nevertheless,
it's high time
she realized
the true
extent of her
incompetent
management of
the
Paris-based UN
agency.
Another matter
has also been
brought to our
attention, and
the President
of the General
Conference, Ms
Simona-Mirela
Miculescu of
Romania, and
the
Chairperson of
the Executive
Board, Ms Vera
El Khoury
Lacoeuilhe of
Saint Lucia,
may wish to
examine in
depth the
place reserved
for the
governing
bodies on the
UNESCO website
Under DG
Azoulay, the
restructuring
of the website
led to the
total
disappearance
of the
governing
bodies from
the front
page. This
reflects the
policy of
gradually
marginalizing
the presence
of member
states on it,
so that all
the little
light that
still shines
on UNESCO can
go to the
French DG.
From a
prominent
place on the
home page, it
takes some
time to
discover that
it was now
under “Quick
Links”.
When
there is no
substance in
the actions,
new ideas or
major
projects,
communication
is essential.
Wrapping is
promoted
instead of
content, and
this is
exactly what
Audrey Azoulay
has been doing
since the
beginning of
her mandate as
DG. Even
Antonio
Guterres, at
the UN in New
York, doesn't
allow himself
such an
affront to
those who pay
his fat
salary. The UN
website is
built
differently,
and
information on
member states
is immediately
accessible.
But at
Azoulay's
UNESCO, this,
like so many
other
misdeeds,
remains
possible.
We will have
more on that.
This is where
UNESCO stands
today, a UN
agency ravaged
by greed and
financial
misappropriations,
propitious to
the
flourishing of
abuse of
power,
corruption and
nepotism.
Watch this
site
***
Feedback:
Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
Past (and
future?) UN Office: S-303, UN, NY 10017 USA
For now: Box 20047,
Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017
Reporter's mobile (and weekends):
718-716-3540
Other, earlier Inner City Press are
listed here,
and some are available in the ProQuest
service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright 2006-2020 Inner City
Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com for
|
,
