Showing posts with label kauzya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kauzya. Show all posts

Wednesday, 30 September 2009

UNITED NATIONS OPENS NOMINATIONS FOR 2010 GLOBAL CONTEST

SEEKING EXCELLENCE IN DELIVERY OF PUBLIC SERVICES


In continuing efforts to promote and support innovations in public service delivery worldwide, the United Nations is calling for nominations for its 2010 Public Service Awards.


The seventh annual United Nations Public Service Awards are open to local or national public organizations as well as public-private partnerships involved in essential service delivery to citizens. Nominations can be made online at http://www.unpan.org/applyunpsa2010 until 31 December 2009.


Institutions interested in competing cannot nominate themselves. Instead, they must be nominated by Governments and civil society organizations for their achievements and performance in one of the following categories: improving transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the public service; improving the delivery of services; fostering participation in policymaking decisions through innovative mechanisms; or advancing knowledge management in Government.


“The United Nations has long recognized that effective governance and efficient public administration are central to the global development agenda, and particularly in achieving the Millennium Development Goals,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said while addressing the 2009 Public Service Awards winners and finalists earlier this year, reminding them that the ingredients for efficient and equitable public service delivery are “commitment, hard work, innovation, talent and technological know-how”.


Established by the Economic and Social Council in 2003 to promote better service delivery by Governments, the United Nations Public Service Awards promote exemplary public service and recognize that democracy and successful governance are built on a competent civil service. The most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service, they reward the creative achievements and the contributions of public service institutions to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries around the world.


Award recipients will be selected by the United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration. Winners and finalists for 2010 will receive a trophy and a certificate of recognition during the United Nations Public Service Awards Ceremony and Day on 23 June.


For background information about the United Nations Public Service Awards and past winners, please visit http://www.unpan.org/unpsa.


Contact Information in the Division for Public Administration and Development Management, Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Haiyan Qian, Director, qianh@un.org; John-Mary Kauzya, Chief, Governance and Public Administration, kauzya@un.org; or Adriana Alberti, Coordinator of the United Nations Public Service Awards Programme, +1 212 963 2299, alberti@un.org.


Media contact: Franck Kuwonu, Department of Public Information, +1 212 963 8264, kuwonu@un.org.

Saturday, 24 January 2009

DESA's Seoul Center plunged into scandals

During a recent visit of Ban Ki-Moon in Seoul, South Korea (July 3, 2008) he stated that his purpose of visit to Korea was to encourage Korean government to contribute more to international community, and underlined importance of further active roles of UN Family in Korea will get essential. 

At the end of his meeting in Seoul, little Ban would know that he was about to take a happy family photo with a rather disturbing and scandal embroiled branch of his own organization - called : United Nations Governance Centre (UNGC - http://www.ungc.org/)

Click in the picture for larger image

To be fair to Ban Ki-moon, UNGC was established on June 23, 2006, almost six months before Ban Ki-moon was appointed Secretary General. Eventhough the timing and selection of Seoul as the center of good governance for Asia would have left many in the region skeptical and think that it was just a move of South Korean government to strengthen their "candidacy" for the post of Secretary General (Ban Ki-moon was running for SG job at time of announcement).

In the agreement reached between DESA and GoSK (Government of South Korea), the goal of the United Nations Governance Centre (UNGC) is to act as an international and regional focal point for research, training and advocacy in government reinvention, and its functions will be oriented towards addressing information requirements of public officials, civil society, and the private sector. In the initial stages, UNGC would focus on e-government, government innovation, citizen participation, and public ethics in terms of research, capacity development, consulting and support activities.

on the opening day

All the above looked "very promising" if DESA ought to entrust the centre to anyone else other than Guido Bertucci, John Mary Kauzya and Elia Armstrong, who as usual would corrupt anything they would touch and manage on their way.

A very recent secret report from DESA's Executive Office details a massive abuse of power, UN immunities - including abuse with tax-deduction and other UN perks for SK Government officials as well as corrupt procurement practices and commitment of funds without any procedural approval from HQs.

While many at 23rd floor are "committed to secrecy on Seoul center" due to "sensitivity" it bears from Ban Ki-Moon being a south korean, the scandal has now become a heavy one, that even ASG Jomo has admitted that the center should be "shut down, or if it should continue it should not under DESA's flag".

With UNGC being the second scandal of DESA's centers in the world (UNTC - Thessaloniki Centre was the first one) now we wonder what would be the status of other centers of DESA ?


John Mary Kauzya and Catherine Pelluso have shortlisted Elia Yi Armstrong as replacement of Adil Khan

a shocking rumor is going thru the halls of UN-DESA. John Mary Kauzya and Catherine Pelluso have shortlisted the candidates that would allegedly take over the post of Head of Economic Branch - (former Adil Khan).

is absolutely amazing to even think that a more unqualified, ignorant, corrupt and un-ethical person to be shortlisted for this post. But hey, when UN-DESA has no other but John Mary Kauzya, who is under investigation for fraud, miss-management and gross-negligence conduct, to shortlist the future head of the Economic branch, this is the lowest level DESA has reached in years.

the fact that this korean lady can't stay longer at UNDP, tells a lot about her caliber and qualities.

Look at her CV (here)

What a shame !

Sunday, 30 November 2008

United States pressures Ban Ki-moon to froze pension of those who stole from UN (Guido Bertucci reference?)

During the November 23 debate of the Fifth Committee of the 63rd Un GA, U.S. Representative Michael Scanlon suggested that the pensions of UN officials who stole from the organization should be frozen or "attached." He said : 

Mr. Chairman,

It is disappointing that despite the UN's efforts to recruit and employ staff with the highest level of competence, efficiency, and integrity, and I highlight integrity, too many incidents of misconduct and criminal behavior continue to occur. My delegation takes note of the Secretary-General's report (A/63/202) on actions taken during the year ending June 30, 2008 in cases of proven misconduct and/or criminal behavior in accordance with the established procedures and regulations. We further note the number of cases of fraud, theft, and misappropriation listed in the report and the financial losses incurred by the United Nations as a result.

Given the significant resources contributed by Member States to fund the Organization's mandates, we urge the General Assembly to consider providing for additional actions to recover UN funds that are stolen from the Organization by staff members. Accordingly, we should consider the possibility of trying to access other assets owned by staff members convicted of stealing money from the Organization or withholding or garnishing their pensions. We recognize that such action might also affect other organizations that participate in the pension plan and that it would be necessary to seek broader agreement to any such measures. (Click here for the text of statement from USUN website)

While he did not say it, some assumed he was referring to recently retired Guido Bertucci, who despite being responsible for a range of irregularities including the discredited Thessaloniki Center in Greece all left with his entire pension. Greece's Interior Minister, off camera at the Security Council stakeout to talk recently about an upcoming migration conference in Greece told Inner City Press that the corruption at the Thessaloniki Center was for the UN itself to address. But when will it?

(portions of the above are quotes from InnercityPress - click here for their article)

Tuesday, 18 November 2008

Bernard Kliksberg's Beautiful Life !


Today we will discuss the story of another corrupt case in DESA (Department Economic and Social Affairs) of the United Nations. 

His name is Bernard Kligsberg. A so-called leading Argentinean economist, who has made his career in "advising" multiple International institutions at same time. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as you do it in the private sector. But if you work for the UN and you sign the contracts - you have to bide by them and dedicate full time to your work for the respective UN unit who hires you. 

His career at UN-DESA and his personal relation to Guido Bertucci is extremely important because while employed for years as indefinite CONSULTANT at DPADM located at DC-2 - 17 floor, this gentleman was also employed as full time personal advisor to Rebeca Grynspan, Assistant Secretary General of United Nations for Latin America Bureau of UNDP - DC-1, making an astonishing US$429,341 Thousand Dollars a year, respectively from:
1. Full Time Employee of UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA/DPADM);
2. Full Time Employee of UN Development Programme (UNDP/RBLAC);
3. Full Time Employee of InterAmerican Development Bank in Washington DC (BID);
4. Consultant of UN Development Programme Office in Argentina;
All the above is TAX-FREE, and since this well-known economist is in US with a G4 Visa - thanks to Bertucci and Furio De Tomassi, why not make some extra money aside working for various private and/or semi-private banks in Washington DC. 

Here are all the payment Mr. Kilksberg made at UNDP - at the same very period he was under contract and being paid from Bertucci/De Tomassi with full support of Catherine Pelluso and under "extremely vigilant eyes" of Marie Oveissi.

Another important element of Mr. Kliksberg's career is that while he was employed as CONSULTANT of DPADM/DESA he was also for the past 7 years member of the Committee of Experts in Public Administration, the body who was supposed to exercise oversight functions over DPADM/Bertucci. 

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL for Mr. Kliksberg - isn't it?

Payments from UNDP Office in ARGENTINA


Payments made by UNDP HQs - Latin America Bureau (RBLAC)


Payments made by UNDP for Travel - While DESA paid for his travel as well


We really wonder at this point if Mr. Sha Zukang or anyother manager of UN-DESA would take any actions to really remove once and for all the corruption which eating-up DESA/DPADM and TCMS like a cancer.

Monday, 10 November 2008

Italian Restaurant goes bankrupt while UN member states are offered pre-cooked chinese food

at its 60th anniversary of the UN's Public Administration and Development Programme, and on the 12ve anniversary of the GA Resolution 50/225 on public administration and development which recognized that the mandate of DPADM and DESA on public administration should ensure that:
... efficient, effective and transparent public administration, at
both the national and international levels, has pivotal role to play in the
implementation of the key objectives of the United Nations Millennium
Declaration, and in that context stressing the need to strengthen national
public-sector administrative and managerial capacity-building, in particular in
developing countries and countries with economies in transition....

while the same resolution appointed CEPA (Committee of Experts in Public Administration) to oversee and direct the work of DESA/DPADM in achieving the UN's goal in this field.

Today we at DPADM (soon to change) became testimony to a real travesty of our own system. Under Secretary General, thru Ms. Haiyan Qian is attempting to reverse cource from the OFFICIAL MANDATE - resolutes from our lawmakers (UN Member States) and instead......he want the whole Division to change into a big database on e-government and e-projects.

All the above seems to be built in order to justify the appointment of Haiyan Qian into the leadership of the Division. And since she has no background nor any substantial experience in Public Administration, the only way to catapult her there is ......change the scope of the division and its mandate.

From now on - Branches will have to change their programme, shut down their projects, and retool their job description into (e-) ......Yes everything will have to start with an (e-) :

Lets see how it will look :

- e-public administration;
- e-local governance;
- e-transparency;
- e-ethics;
- e-post conflict rehabilitation;

eeeeeeeeeeeee- WHAT ?

Mr. Sha - If you don't like the current structure and performance of the Division (who does) why you don't call for an urgent meeting of CEPA? Consult with them and than propose to ECOSOC a formal re-arrangement and re-alignment of the Division's work.

  • Do you know Mr. Sha that currently in the UN there is an Office of IT FOR DEVELOPMENT within UN Secretariat (41 staff)?
  • Do you know Mr. Sha that UN Agencies like UNDP, with direct on-the-ground presence in more than 160 countries - and thus better equipped - spend in the range of $200 Million in IT FOR DEVELOPMENT and have already committed themselves into e-Governance in partnership with private and non-profit sector (381 Staff) ?
  • Do you know that UN as a whole (specialized and non-specialized agencies) spend $800 Million USD a year in the same areas of e-Governance where you are trying to lead DPADM?
This overlap instead of supporting UN goals will destroy them. Instead of lifting people from poverty and making their governments more accountable, will increase the gap (read UN/OIOS report on IT for Development).

Finding a job for Haiyan Qian should not be an impediment for real change. Haiyan Qian might not have experience in substantive policy advise and real on-the-ground formulation within the mandated areas of our Division, but Haiyan has shown tremendous leadership in turning UNPAN into a fantastic outreach tool for the Division, Department as well as United Nations as whole in the area of Public Administration. UNPAN has become a real focal point for many governments, NGOs and political actors out there, whom have been using its info, databases and more importantly the fantastic on-line training tool (introduced recently).

Her operational, coordination and IT skills should and can be useful to our Division. Frankly - compared to Bertucci, she can do a much better job. But all this should not come at the expense of our main Mandate, the one that UN Member States expect us to deliver for.

At this moment Mr. Sha - we need a leader who knows how to take tough decisions and translate and implement to-the-letter the constitution of the United Nations (in-form of individual mandates). If you have a problem with the constitution/mandate, go back to the parliament (General Assembly/ECOSOC/CEPA) they are the real constituency with whom you should deal and find appropriate grounds deciding on what will be our future work.

We are UN employee and work for the UN Member States to achieve their goals - not for ourselves.

Tuesday, 21 October 2008

OIOS damning report on DPADM/Bertucci scandal

for over four years, investigators of OIOS have pored over questions of mismanagement and corruption at the Division of Public Administration and Development Management of UN-DESA. The latest reports of OIOS, revealed this week to the General Assembly, produced their firmest - and most painful - conclusions to date. 

Procurement Task Force, a specialized arm of OIOS has found that Guido Bertucci (Italian National), Director of DPADM since 1997, "corruptly benefited" from projects while he was in charge. Another UN-DESA official, the Head of Executive Office, Catherine Peluso (Italian-American) is accused of contract and procurement mismanagement together with the Head of DESA's Technical Cooperation Division Furio De Tomassi (Italian National). The investigator found 100 of contracts missing and files related to those destroyed.

A harsh light began to shine on Guido Bertucci after his name appeared on documents in the Greek Parliaments, and when Greek Parliamentarians and Minister of Interior fingerpointed him for mismanaging the Greek Trust Fund and a project called Thessaloniki Center. Under the programme he ran, seem that Guido Bertucci, intentionally undermined the thessaloniki Center to swing contracts for his friends and ensure that Greeks would not achieve any tangible results, leaving this way another DESA center in Naples/Italy the right to "succeed" in Balkans and Mediterranean.

The investigation is going on and seem that among those alleged to have been bribed from Guido Bertucci are several european, latin american and central african politicians...

Sunday, 10 August 2008

Letter to Secretary-General: Corruption and missmanagement at the United Nations

LETTRE OUVERTE AU SECRETAIRE GENERAL DE L’ORGANISATION DES NATIONS UNIES

Monsieur le Sécrétaire Général,

Je viens par la présente vous exposer ce qui suit:

La situation des fonctionnaires en général et en particulier celle des Africains est dramatique . Les africains sont victimes d’une discrimination au sein du système en général et en particulier dans le DPKO/FDS/PMSS . Cette discrimination est orchestrée par deux fonctionnaires à savoir : Mme. DONNA MARIE MAXFIELD sa collaboratrice CATHERINE ROLLAND et cela avec la bénédiction de leur Chef hiérarchique et la complicité de certains de mes collègues ici dans le DFS. Il y a environ 16 ans que je travaille au DPKO avec aujourd’hui son nouveau Departement DFS . Chaque jour qui passe devient insupportable et un calvaire de constater l’injustice, la brimade sans que personne n’ose faire quelque chose.
Il y a plusieurs mois de cela je causais devant le bureau de Mme. DONNA MARIE MAXFIELD avec sa Sécrétaire qui est ma collègue. Je l’ai entendu dire à son interlocuteur au téléphone que si tout dépendait d’elle , les africains n’allaient jamais avoir des postes de responsabilités au sein du système. Je dois aussi vous confesser qu’à plusieurs reprises j’ai reçu des instructions de Mme. DONNA MARIE MAXFIELD d’établir la liste des candidats pré-selectionnés favorisant ainsi les candidatures des blancs dont les pays sont contributeurs. C’était quand elle était encore Chef au DFS .Tous regrettons le départ de Mr. Luiz Da Costa du DPKO.

Ces deux fonctionnaires font la pluie et le beau temps au DFS aujourd’hui elles sont à l’origine de la destruction de plusieurs foyers et familles . Plusieurs dossiers sont bloqués par le DPKO/DFS/PMSS tout simplement parce qu’ils sont des candidats Latinos et africains dont la plupart sont francophones.
Les interviews à ces candidats sont faites en anglais avec le simple objetif d’empêcher les candidats potentiels francophones et faciliter l’hégémonie des anglophones dans le système .
Plusieurs postes sont vacants il y a environ deux ans. Ces postes exigent le recrutement les candidats qualifiés qui parlent français pour servir en Côte d’Ivoire, au Tchad, en République Centrafricaine, au Burundi, en Haiti etc….Jusqu’à présent, il est inadmissible de croire que le DFS est incapable de recruter les francophones, donnant comme argument qu’ils ne sont pas valables. Cela constitue un grand mensonge car Mme DONNA MARIE MAXFIELD et Mme. CATHERINE ROLLAND ont toujours compliqué le recrutement des africains et facilité celui de leurs connaissances, des personnes qui n’ont parfois aucune experience ni dans la substance ni dans la logistique . C’est le cas du Canadien MARCEL SAVARD . Ce dernier était Chauffeur de camion retraité dans l’armée canadienne , il a été recruté aux Nations Unies comme Chef de l’Administration pour servir dans les Missions de Paix . Toutes les missions où il a travaillé , il a fait le bordel en recrutant non seulement ses compatriotes mais aussi ses connaissances, ses amis et proches qui n’avaient aucune experience pour servir dans les missions et passaient leur temps à l’Internet à visionner les films pornographiques. Cela s’est passé à la Mission des Nations Unies en RDC et au TPIR ( Tribunal Pénal International pour le Rwanda ) . Au TPIR , les enquêteurs Canadiens inventaient même les missions juste pour se faire des sous , tout se faisait avec la bénédiction et la complicité du Chef de l’Administration Mr. SAVARD .

Quels bons résultats peut-on s’attendre d’une mission quand la médiocrité et l’imbécilité priment sur la connaissance et le savoir? Quels bons résultats peut-on espérer quand tout se passe à base du Q.I. c’est-à-dire Qui Indique. Aux Nations Unies en général et en particulier au DFS il faut être indiqué pour faciliter le recrutement .

Juste pour citer un autre exemple à DESA, lors de la sélection d’un candidat au poste de P4, le postulant retenu par le panel était un français nommé BRUNO. Vous avez intervenu en imposant à ce Département le recrutement d’une Koréenne nommée KIM qui venait en 2eme position et pourtant elle n’était pas la meilleure candidate .Le français lui s’est contenté d’un contrat à compte-gouttes c’est-à-dire 2 à 3 mois. Le cas d’injustice contre un français dont le pays est membre Permanent au Conseil de Sécurité démontre clairement que s’agissant d’un africain le problème est plus grave car il n’aura personne pour plaider son cas. On note que l’africain est la risée de tout dans le système.

Je tiens à vous rappeler que tous les Français et autres francophones qui travaillent dans le système y sont par leurs mérites.

Je sais qu’en tant que Sécrétaire Général de cette organisation, vous avez le droit de nommer qui vous voulez à un poste mais, vous n’avez aucun pouvoir d’aller à l’encontre de la décision d’un panel mis en place pour décider sur le recrutement d’un candidat. En agissant ainsi vous avez violé un des principes élémentaires du règlement sur le recrutement des fonctionnaires. Votre attitude constitue un abus de pouvoir.

Il important de souligner qu’il existe aujourd’hui dans le système plusieurs reseaux organisés par pays à savoir: l’Inde, le Japon, la Chine, les Philippines, L’Angleterre, le Cameroune, le Sénégal, les USA et la Korée du Sud évidamment ce dernier a gagné du terrain ces derniers temps avec votre nomination à la tête de cette organisation. Vous avez parfaitement raison car, on dit qu’on gouverne mieux qu’avec les siens. Aujourd’hui nous assistons à une Koréanisation du système en général et en particulier du 38eme étage. Quant aux restes c’est-à-dire certains africains non organisés, arabes et latinos etc….eux, tiennent la queue de la vague . Ils sont traités par le DPKO/ DFS/PMSS comme des chiens qui sont à côté des patrons à table et attendent qu’ils finissent pour manger les restes.
Comment ces reseaux opèrent? Par exemple: Dès qu’un poste se libère dans un Département ou une Division, le Chef de ce Departement ou de cette Division fait tout le possible pour que le poste vacant soit occupé par un candidat de la même nationalité que celui qui l’occupait . L’occupation du poste est plus facile si le candidat est un compriote du Chef du Département ou de la Division.

Un cas flagrant d’injustice vient à peine de se passer au Bureau des Affaires Juridiques (OLA) Section des Traités . Le règlement dit que chaque stagiaire ou consultant doit attendre 6 mois après la fin de son contrat pour postuler. Il s’avère qu’un Consultant externe de nationalité Indienne nommé HEMMETT travaillant à OLA a été récruté sans que le delai requis soit respecté ; tandis que l’Africain nommé CYRILLE MOMO qui occupait ce poste lui avait été limogé pour soit disant manque de budget, argument avancé par le Chef de ce dernier. Il n’y a pas eu de budget pour payer un africain mais, tout de suite le budget a été trouvé pour payer l’Indien . Toute cette magouille a été faite avec la complicité de Mme. PADMA de nationalité Indienne . Elle est Directrice Exécutive au Bureau des Affaires Juridiques.( Deux poids deux measures )

A la Mission des Nations Unies au Tchad par exemple le Chef du TRAVEL UNIT est un Palestinien et le CCPO est une Libanaise. Nous assistons aujourd’hui à une LIBANISATION et à une PALESTINISATION de cette mission; on compte du doigt les africains francophones. “La mise en place d’une mission en Afrique sans les propres africains , c’est aimer l’Afrique sans les africains”. Ne soyez pas surpris si un jour cette mission est infiltrée par des extrémistes . Ce qui pourra resulter à des attentats terroristes contre les locaux des Nations Unies. Juste pour vous rafraîchir la mémoire souvenez-vous de l’attentat contre l’Ediffice des Nations Unies en Iraq qui a causé la mort de plus de 20 personnes parmi eux Mr. SERGIO VIERRA DE MELLO qui était cogité pour être le successeur de KOFI Annan.
Situation aussi écoeurante est celle qui s’était passée à la Mission des Nations Unies à ONUCI-Côte d’Ivoire. Le DPKO avait envoyé comme Chef du Personnel Mr. HECTOR FUENTE de nationalité Vénézuelienne. Mr. FUENTE faisait semblant de parler et d’écrire français. Il était incapable de rédiger une phrase correctement tant en français qu’en anglais tout le travail était fait par son Assistante Administrative une Ivoirienne. Quelle honte pour le système. ( C’est juste un cas parmi d’autres ). Tout cela démontre la légèreté patente avec laquelle le DPKO/DFS/PMSS traitent les dossiers . Mme. DONNA MARIE MAXFIELD et Mme. CATHERINE ROLLAND savaient très bien les lacunes et les faiblesses de Mr. FUENTE mais, comme ce dernier était l’un des leurs, aucune décision n’avait été prise pour remédier à cette situation.

Il est important de se poser la question de savoir pourquoi ces deux fonctionnaires détestent tant les africains et d’où vient cette haine viscérale ?

Mme. DONNA MARIE MAXFIELD a commencé dans le système comme simple Sécrétaire, aujourd’hui elle est D2 ( de G2 à D2 ) comment a-t-elle fait , Dieu seul sait . Elle n’a aucun diplôme supérieur pour occuper ce poste , elle n’a pas fait de longues études. Elle a gravi les échélons en piétinant ses collègues. En réalité Mme. DONNA MARIE MAXFIELD sortait avec un fonctionnaire des Nations Unies qui était P4 , ce dernier l’aurait aidé à passer de G2 à professionnelle. C’est incroyable et inadmissible de constater ce genre pratique sordide au sein cette organisation. Ne cherchons pas trop à savoir ce qu’elle a fait et comment elle a fait pour atteindre le grade D2. En tant que femme je sais que nous avions une force qui se trouve entre nos jambes. Plusieurs fonctionnaires très qualifiés et ayant fait des études supérieures sont partis à la retraite avec des grades de P4 , P5 les D1 sont rares. D’autres sont même sous-employés c’est le cas de ma collègue Haitienne qui est juriste de formation et Avocate de profession, aujord’hui elle se retrouve comme Sécrétaire ici au DFS 9eme étage. Elle noire et non blanche. Mme. DONNA MARIE MAXFIELD était même dans ses débuts de carrière aux Nations Unies au centre d’un scandale car, elle était la petite maitresse d’un diplomate Iranien qui était marié . Ce dernier ne voulant plus continuer la relation avait décidé de mettre fin . Ce rejet a provoqué une grande déception et une haine envers les africains et les arabes. Quels leçons de morale peut-elle donner à d’autres fonctionnaires? Comment quelqu’un qui a un passé aussi dégueulasse dans le système a pu devenir D2 . Il est aussi important de souligner que Mme. DONNA MARIE MAXFIELD est très arrogante et détestée par ses proches qui font semblant d’accepter et supporter ses états d’humeur . Même ma collègue K.Pierre qui était sa Sécrétaire était oubligée de changer de Division car elle ne supportait plus le mauvais traitement que l’inflgeait Mme. DONNA MARIE MAXFIELD. Elle n’a aucun respect envers ses collaborateurs . C’est une sournoise qui détruit les fonctionnaires . Aujourd’hui elle vient d’être nommée Chief of Staffs servant de liaison entre le DPKO et le DFS. J’observe que de cacophonies en cacophonies ce departement avance .

Mme CATHERINE ROLLAND n’a pas aussi fait des longues études . Elle est très connue pour ses magouilles qui consistent à favoriser ses proches. Elle a aussi la réputation d’avoir un homme à chaque Mission où elle travaille. A la mission des Nations Unies en Haiti elle sortait avec son collègue de mission WALLACE DIVINE d’origine camerounaise mais de nationalité americaine marié et père de famille. Il est actuellement le Chef de l’Administration de la mission des Nations Unies en Côte d’Ivoire-ONUCI. Le propre WALLACE DIVINE me l’avait confirmé quand nous étions en Haiti où j’avais aussi travaillé pendant un an . A la mission des Nations Unies en RDC elle sortait avec un autre africain qui avait aussi décide de mettre fin à leur rélation. Ce rejet a provoqué une haine vis-à-vis des africains. On observe que cette française avait un penchant pour les Blacks.

On note clairement que les problèmes de sexe, de fesses, de romance etc… sont à l’origine du malheur de plusieurs africains au sein du DPKO/DFS/PMSS. Je suis d’accord quand on dit l’amour n’a pas de frontières mais, je ne partage pas le fait que la rupture d’une rélation devienne un motif de haine contre une race, un peuple, une communauté.

Que dira-t-on de Mr. SIMON MUNZU marié père de famille, actuel Chef de la division des droits de l’homme à l’ONUCI- Côte d’Ivoire qui a enceinté sa collègue de mission

Où se trouve l’Intégrité, le professionnalisme, le respect à la diversité que cette organisation a toujours prônée? On note un manque de décence, de scrupule et on observe une forte présence de crapules dans cette organisation.

Concernant cette Mission il est important de rappeler qu’elle a un budget annuel de 600 millions de Dollars pour payer des fonctionnaires qui ne font absolument rien . Des vacanciers qui passent leur temps aux plages d’Abidjan.

S’agissant toujours de cette mission, vous avez supplié le Président LAURENT GBAGBO pour qu’il accepte la nomination de votre ami Mr. YOUNG-YIN CHOI à la tête de cette mission en remplacement de Mr. CHORI, alors que Mr. ABOU MOUSSA faisait du bon travail. Mais comme il fallait placer votre ami qui était Ambassadeur de votre pays aux Nations Unies ( la Korée ) et s’était retrouvé sans rien chez lui, vous lui avez trouvé une place. Aujourd’hui qu’a-t-il fait de plus qu’ABOU MOUSSA n’avait pas fait ?

Le comble est que ni Mme. DONNA MARIE MAXFIELD et son acolyte Mme. CATHERINE ROLLAND ni les fonctionnaires chargés d’analyser les dossiers des candidats n’ont pas fait des études très approfondies par conséquent n’ont aucune notion de ce que représente un doctorat , une maitrise etc…Quelle évaluation peut-on s’attendre de ces fonctionnaires qui sont chargés de faire le TC .

Les postes sont parfois publiés juste pour la forme . En réalité ils sont souvent déjà occupés avant même la publication. Les candidats externes non avisés continuent toujours à postuler pendant des années sans le savoir.

Certains candidats qui, ayant déjà servi le système et postulant pour revenir, sont aujourd’hui marginalisés parfois sur base d’erreurs subjectives, parfois sans aucune justification valable. Il sont victimes du fameux drapeau rouge ( Red Flag ) sur leur dossier ce qui empêche leur recrutement .

Au DPKO/DFS/PMSS et dans bien d’autres departments ou divisions, les fonctionnaires sont tenus d’observer certaines règles et notamment d’obéir aveuglement aux ordres qui leur sont donnés, même si ceux-ci paraissent totalement arbitraires. Beaucoups préfèrent cependant se taire soit par crainte de réprésailles, soit parce qu’ils estiment n’avoir aucune chance d’obtenir gain de cause.

La nouvelle procedure de recrutement adoptée par le DPKO stipule que c’est la Misson qui prend la décision finale pour recruter un candidat mais, elle ne peut que décider qu’en se basant sur la liste qu’elle reçoit du DPKO. Faudrait-il encore que votre nom soit sur la liste. Même si votre nom y figure et si dans la Mission vous n’êtes pas apprécié pour une raison ou une autre par l’un des fonctionnaires des services du personnel ou de l’Administration, votre candidature est rejetée. Tout passe par le Chef de l’Administration qui souvent agit de connivence avec le DPKO/DFS/PMSS pour faciliter le recrutement de ses préférés. Certains fonctionnaires membres du panel orientent leurs candidats à gonfler le cv afin qu’il soit uniforme avec la description du poste dont ils font objet de candidature.

On observe qu’en dehors de la compétence exigée mais qui n’est toujours pas tenue en compte , le processus de recrutement est soumis à des pratiques frauduleuses qui vont à l’encontre des propres valeurs de l’ONU basées sur la transparence, l’équité, l’intégrité, le professionnalisme , le respect de la diversité.

Je pense qu’il est temps de trouver une solution urgente . Il y a lieu de revoir la situation de tous les fonctionnaires en général et en particulier de tous les Chefs de Departements ou Divisions qui passent leur temps à bloquer les jeunes fonctionnaires qualifiés . Il serait nécessaire d’injecter du sang nouveau, avec des nouvelles idées, une nouvelle conception du MANAGEMENT. Le monde a changé, nous sommes à l’époque de la globalisation.

Chaque année l’ONU reçoit des stagiaires venant de tous les coins du monde . Ils possèdent une grande diversité d’expertise et compétences. Ils travaillent comme des robots sans être rémunérés. Dans certains departments le travail qu’on les donne est de faire les photocopies des documents à longueur de journée.

Il est aussi important de souligner que les africains sont parfois à l’origine de leurs malheurs . Juste pour citer un exemple, contrairement à plusieurs Ambassadeurs qui interviennent auprès du Sécrétare Général pour le recrutement de leurs ressortissants dans le système, le Représentant Permanent du GABON qui a fait 20 ans à ce poste n’a absolument rien fait pour le recrutement d’un seul gabonais . Ces informations m’ont été livrées par l’un de ses proches collaborateur le Conseiller FRANKLIN JOACHIM MAKANGA qui se trouve actuellement au Gabon . Ce dernier se dit intouchable pour être très proche de la famille Présidentielle et pour avoir rendu beaucoup de services au Chef de l’Etat Gabonais. Quels sont ces services ? Le Gabon ne devait pas être fier de cet Ambassadeur. Il faut aussi souligner que Mr. MAKANGA est très connu dans son milieu comme un fiéffé menteur.

Il existe dans le système des africains noirs blancs, blancs noirs. C’est le cas de KOFI Annan. qui a eu deux mandats mais n’a rien fait pour ses frères. C’est aussi le cas de bien d’autres comme: Djibril Diallo ( Sénégal ), Patrick Hayford ( Ghana ), Raul de Mello Cabral ( Guinée Bissau ), Nyaguthie Ngetha-Mungai ( Kenya ) etc... ces derniers passent leur temps à détruire les africains dans le système.

Je fais ici un appel pressant à tous les amants de la paix qui aiment cette organisation, à tous ceux qui militent contre la discrimination raciale, à tous les responsables de l’Union Africaine, de l’Union Européenne etc… qu’ils agissent afin de trouver une solution du problème sur la discrimination raciale, l’injustice au sein l’Organisation des Nations Unies.

Les cas d’injustices cités dans cette lettre vont nous permettre de tirer des leçons . Lorsque les règles démocratiques sont ignorées et qu’il n’existe pas de justice capable d’assurer la protection, les personnes qui en souffrent le plus sont celles qui peuvent le moins se permettre de perdre. La création d’une infrastructure de lois, de droits, d’une mise en application et d’une justice n’est pas seulement un projet abstrait qui interessent seulement les rhétoriciens, les sociologues et les politologues. La mise en place de telles institutions peut faire la difference entre la vulnérabilité et la sécurité, le désespoir et la dignité pour tous.
Je voudrais à travers cette lettre attirer votre attention et tenter de vous sensibiliser afin de sauver cette organisation. La création d’un sens de responsabilité mutuelle répresente l’une des clés de la lutte contre l’injustice au sein de notre organisation ce qui constitue un défi pour tous. J’espère que cette lettre permettra avec ses recommandations de montrer la voie vers un but et un avenir meilleur et plus équitable pour tous.

Aujourd’hui, vous savez très bien aussi de la situation qui porte sur la MAFIA au sein de DESA. Le scandale de corruption dont trois fonctionnaires de ce departement sont impliqués, à savoir: Mr. BERTUCCI, Mr. KAUZYA et Mr. SUCRE-CIFFONI. Je tiens à vous rappeler que j’ai toutes les informations nécessaires concernant ce cas .

Je profite de cette occasion pour tirer mon chapeau à tous les Lusophones qui travaillent dans cette Organisation et s’expriment très bien tant en français qu’en anglais, bien que le Portugais ne soit pas encore une langue officielle des Nations Unies.

Sur ce je crois que vous conviendriez avec moi que la situation des fonctionnaires en général et en particulier africains dans le système est critique et qu’il y a lieu de trouver une solution urgente afin de remédier à la même et éviter le pire. Comme on dit, “le linge sale se lave en famille” . Je vous prie de prendre au sérieux toutes ces informations. Je ne suis pas une ennemie du système mais une amie. L’ami c’est celui qui vous dit les vérités .

Recommandations:

1-Démission de Mme. DONNA MARIE MAXFIELD et CATHERINE ROLLAND etc..
2-Mise en examen de Mr. SIMON MUNZU

3-Mettre en place un bureau special chargé d’analyser les dossiers et cela en tenant compte de la répartition géographique qui n’a jamais été respectée par les Nations Unies.

4-Retrait inconditionnel des drapeaux rouges qui se trouvent sur les noms tous les candidats qui ont été écartés du système sans aucune justification valable.

5-Recrutement de tous les candidats potentiels francophones pour servir dans les Missions dont la langue officielle du pays est le français .

6-Pas question de faire des interviews aux candidats francophones en anglais. Les interviews doivent se faire en respectant les langues officielles de chacun surtout si elle est aussi la langue officielle des Nations Unies.

7-Respect à tous les fonctionnaires africains, latinos, arabes etc….

8-L’ouverture d’une enquête sur le comportement discrimitoire au sein du système.

9-Revoir la situation des stagiaires, il n’est pas question de les faire travailler comme des robots sans aucune rémunération. Il faut voter un budget special afin qu’ils puissent au moins garantir leur loyer, transport, logement et restauration. Si les Nations Unies gaspillent plus 600 millions pour payer des vacanciers de l’ONUCI en Côte d’Ivoire, ce n’est pas un million de dollars qu’on peut utiliser pour payer ces stagiaires qui feront tomber l’organisation en faillite.

10-Démission de tous les fonctionnaires qui sont impliqués direct ou indirectement dans le scandale de corruption à DESA .

11-Démission de Mme. PADMA Directrice executive au Bureau des Affaires Juridiques.

12-Rcrutement urgent de Mr. CYRILLE MOMO qui a été victime d’une injustice.

Très haute consideration.


Alice Gervais
Personnel Assistant DFS
9th Floor room 0928 DC 1


Copies:
Ms. Migiro Asha-Rose
Vice-Sécrétaire Générale
Ms. Susanna Malcorra
Under-Secretary General
Mr. Mulet Edmond
Assistant du Sécrétaire Général
Mr. Titov DIMITRY
Mr. Duarte Sergio de Queiroz
Haut Répresentant pour le Désarmement
Mr. Sha
Sécrétaire Général Adjoint des Affaires Economiques et Sociales.
Mme. Catherine Pollard
Mr. John Holmes
Sécrétaire Général Adjoint pour les Affaires Humanitaires
Assistant du Sécrétaire Général
Mr. Won-Soo Kim
Mr. Menkerios Haile
Mr. Ngonlardje Mbaidjol
Directeur OHCHR-New York
Mr. Sammy K. BUO
Directeur Division Afrique II
Union Africaine.
H.E. Mrs. Lilia Hanitra Ratsifandrihamanana
Ambassador
Communauté Europeenne
H.E. Ms. Sanja Stiglic Permanent Representative of Slovenia
H.E. Mr. JEAN-Maurice Ripert Permanent Representative of France
H.E. Mr. Ismael Abraào Gaspar Martins
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative
of Angola .
H.E. Mr.Antonio Pedro Monteiro Lima.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative
of Cape Verde.
H.E. Mr. Alfredo Lopes Cabral
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative
of Guinea-Bissau .
H.E. Mr. Moussa Makan Camara.
Ambassador Permanent Observer.

Friday, 25 July 2008

Greek Parliament discuss U.N.-DESA's corruption and requests restituion of funds

In response to the Question (No 1333) presented by the Member of Parliament Ms. Chryssa Arapoglou on the subject of the “Operations of the Office of the United Nations in Thessaloniki by the Honourable Representative for Thessaloniki” we report the following:

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In 1999, the Greek Government signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement1 with the United Nations with a view to the establishment of the United Nations Thessaloniki Centre for Public Service Professionalism (UNTC) and the financing of a Trust Fund.

The objectives of the Centre were as follows:

  • [a] to reinforce the role, performance and professionalism, ethical values and standards in the public services of the countries of Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS);
  • [b] to strengthen institutional capacity for public service reform and to enhance professionalism in the countries of Eastern Europe and the CIS;
  • [c] to strengthen the institutions, which contribute to good governance and to combat corruption in the countries of Eastern Europe and the CIS;
  • [d] to promote cooperation for the improvement of the machinery of government, for good governance and social progress among the Member States of Eastern Europe and the CIS;
  • [e] to provide a constant flow of information in support of the abovementioned objectives, activities and outcomes; and
  • [f] to promote decentralisation on the basis of the principles of devolution of authority and support for non-governmental organisations which support public service reform.

The creation of the Centre signalled the passage of Greece from a recipient country to being a donor country in the framework of the United Nations Technical Cooperation Programme. It also sought to turn the city of Thessaloniki into the hub of a network for information-sharing on issues which relate to Public Service Reform and for dissemination of relevant Greek know how in the countries of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and the CIS. This goal has not been achieved and very few of the objectives of the Centre have been fulfilled because the Centre and the Trust Fund became victims of serious mismanagement on the part of DPADM/DESA2.

This mis­management of monies of the Trust Fund was not detected immediately, on account of obstruction from the responsible Division (DPADM/DESA) which consistently refused to comply with provisions in the Trust Fund Agreement requiring it to account on economic matters. An intervention was needed, from Mr. Christopher B. Burnham, to set in motion the process of an internal audit and to secure replies, albeit with great delay, to some questions which the responsible Minister of IPAD had asked as early as June 2004, by letter to Mr. Ocampo and Mr. Bertucci, senior officials in charge of the management of the UNTC and the Trust Fund.

We are talking, in effect, of a process which was first initiated in 2004 and 2005, but has yet to be completed.

Analytically, we report the following:

The Greek Government, by letter of the Minister of IPAD3, Professor P. Pavlopoulos, requested the conduct of an external audit of the Programme and the Fund. This, the Minister put forward to Mr. Guido Bertucci, Director of DPADM/UNDESA. He repeated the request to Mrs. Inga-Britt Ahlenius, Under-Secretary-General for the OIOS4.

After the passage of several months, an answer was received from the Under­Secretary-General of the Department of Management Mr. Christopher B. Burnham5. Mr. Burnham expressed regret for this delayed response to the Minister’s request. He added that, after consultations with Mrs. Ahlenius, an internal audit had been launched, which was expected to reach its conclusion towards the end of July.

In the framework of this audit, two Auditors visited Greece during the third week of July. They met with the former professional staff of the UNTC, Dr. Panos Liverakos, Chief Technical Advisor, and Ms. Anne Caroline Tveoy, former Public Administration Officer and Officer-in-Charge. They also met with a member of the responsible Division (D1) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Alexandros Rallis, with the Minister of IPAD and the Secretary-General of the same Department of government. At the close of the working session, the Secretary-General gave the auditors a list of questions6 on which the Government wished to receive detailed replies.

This mismanagement and misuse, have been corroborated by the Under­Secretary-General Mr. Christopher B. Burnham in a letter which he addressed to the Minister of IPAD7. In this letter, Mr. Burnham briefly referred to the progress of the audit and also thanked the Minister for his cooperation, noting that his insistence had helped to bring to light a number of deficiencies not of the UNTC – this should be stressed - but of the UNDESA Division charged with its supervision, and headquartered in New York.

The deficiencies in question, which the Hellenic Government had repeatedly underscored and brought to the attention of the United Nations, could be summed up as follows:

  • [a] Non-compliance with the terms of the Trust Fund Agreement, as ratified by Parliament on 17 July 20028; specifically:
    - submission of detailed financial data on an annual basis;
    - submission of progress reports on a six-monthly basis;
    - provision of the requisite administrative and technical support (backstopping) to the Programme; and
  • [b] Lack of any consistency and transparency in the actions of the Division (DPADM) tasked with the supervision and management of the Centre.

These rendered it impossible for Centre’s professional staff to implement its Programme and to accomplish goals to which Mr. Bertucci himself had agreed in December 2004 after his consultations with the Minister of IPAD9.

The complete lack of consistency and transparency in the actions of the Division entrusted with the management of the UNTC became abundantly clear during the final months of the Centre’s operation – or to be more precise, deficient operation. Specifically, on 5 December 2005, Mr. Guido Bertucci, Director of DPADM, sent a letter10 to the Minister of IPAD, which announced his intention to close the Centre down on 31 March 2006. This intention, Mr. Bertucci repeated in a letter11 to Ambassador F. Verros, Director of the responsible Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Indeed, in this second letter, Mr. Bertucci confirmed, not only the removal of the UNTC’s Chief Technical Advisor, which had already taken place on 31 December 2005, but also his intention to inform the landlord of the building housing the Centre that he would take all measures in order to surrender the building in due form by 31 March 2006.

However, as stipulated, in a subsequent letter12 of the Secretary-General of IPAD, the Centre did not close on 31 March as stated, but continued to be open though idle for six months, at a monthly cost of US $ 16,000 approximately. The Secretary-General demanded immediate remedial action to put an end to this situation. He added that, if the Centre remained open past 15 October 2006, the corresponding expenditures would burden DPADM exclusively. In response to this ultimatum, the Director, Mr. Bertucci instructed his subordinate to go to Athens immediately and close the Centre down on 31 October 2006.

In addition to lack of transparency, accountability, consultation and cooperation on the part of DPADM (New York), the management of the Centre consistently exemplified obstruction and lack of any continuity in the pursuit of the objectives of the Centre, as well as systematic passing the blame for failures on its successive heads (Chief Technical Advisors), i.e., Mr. Tsekos (2000-2004) and Mr. Liverakos (2004-2005). In retrospect, it is manifest that obstruction was intended to maximize the funds of the Trust Fund and Centre, which would remain available for totally extraneous purposes, which only now belatedly have surfaced: payment of numerous “consultants”, who never produced any output related to the Centre; whose employment did not have either specific goals or outcomes.

The above corroborates the view that the Trust Fund became the victim of very grave mis-management. This view was clearly expressed, at a very early stage, by the Minister of IPAD in a letter13, which requested the return and restitution not merely of the remaining balance of the Trust Fund, but also

In conclusion, it is necessary to emphasise the following:

  • [a] From the very early start and assumption of his duties in March 2004, the Minister of IPAD despatched repeated messages to the responsible agency requesting the submission of the mandated reports together with details on assets and expenditures of the Centre14;
  • [b] The Director of DPADM, Mr. Bertucci consistently refused to account, as he was required under the terms of the Trust Fund Agreement. Indeed, he falsely claimed – in his letter of 5 December 2005 – that an audit could not be conducted. He further “threatened” closure of the Centre, by 31 March 2006. As stated, however, this closure did not take place in fact until six months later and only after despatch of an ultimatum by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of IPAD, Mr. Vassilios Andronopoulos;
  • [c] The claim to restitution remains in force. It demonstrates the country’s firm commitment to recovering the amounts which correspond to funds that were embezzled for reasons unrelated to the Centre, or money paid in return for support services which the Centre did not receive;
  • [d] Lastly, as might be expected for any further action, we shall await the outcomes of the audit, which the responsible Department of the United Nations is currently concluding.

Saturday, 19 July 2008

SCANDAL CENTRAL - MAFIA DON THREATENS U.N. "EVERY SINGLE UN MANAGER IS LIKE ME"

Commenting on a phone interview with Claudia Rosett, Bertucci himself said: he is innocent and that if anything he has done is a crime, then "maybe every single manager of the UN should be indicted."

This man, who in only one project was found guilty and asked to pay back the UN US$35,000, dares to call all other DESA and UN managers corrupt as himself, stating that whatever he has done, is same what others in DESa have been doing all along. 

How many millions have Mr. Bertucci and his corrupt italian staff diverted from DESA's 2,981 projects (two thousand nine hundreds eighty one) in 9 years as Director of DPADM  - If he owe to UN US$35,000 in only one single project???

Shame to Sha Zukang and Ban Ki-moon who continue to protect these type of behaviors and allow that these corrupt managers continue to serve and represent United Nations.

Tuesday, 15 July 2008

U.N. 'Good Governance' Official May Escape Penalties for Alleged 'Gross Negligence'

Tuesday , July 15, 2008
By Joseph Abrams

A top "good governance" official at the United Nations accused of dishonest practices may escape penalties despite a scathing internal report that faulted his "gross negligence" and mishandling of a $2.8 million trust fund donated by the Greek government.

Guido Bertucci, director of the United Nations' Division of Public Administration and Development Management, was supposed use the funds to promote transparency and good government in the former Soviet republics.

But a confidential report prepared by a U.N. anti-corruption task force paints a very different picture, accusing Bertucci’s office of nepotism, favoritism, falsifying documents and obstructing a U.N. inquiry — just the sort of practices his office was meant to help root out.

The Greek government is seeking around half a million dollars in restitution for the money remaining in the fund, estimated between $200,000 and $390,000, and for at least $182,000 in operating costs that it says Bertucci’s office wrongly spent.

The United Nations' own report, issued by its Office of Internal Oversight Services following an 18-month investigation, recommended that the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, or DESA, which controls Bertucci’s office, repay $34,000 in wrongly awarded contracts.

The OIOS further suggested that Bertucci, himself, might be held "personally accountable and financially liable" for any misspent funds.

But the 60-year-old Bertucci is unlikely to face those recommended penalties as the clock ticks down to his retirement by the end of July.

The report lies in limbo in the hands of Sha Zukang, the undersecretary-general for DESA and Bertucci’s boss.

"That is where it now sits," said Inga-Britt Ahlenius, undersecretary-general in charge of OIOS, in an e-mail to FOXNews.com. So long as Sha does not rule on the findings of the OIOS, investigation of the report may go unconsidered until Bertucci’s retirement.

The United Nations does not customarily pursue actions against employees who have left its service. With a little stalling, neither the requests of the Greek government nor the recommendations of the United Nations' own investigators will likely be considered.
Calls and e-mails to Sha and DESA were not returned, and questions about the status of the report and of the findings against Bertucci were not answered.

Bertucci, however, was defiant and defended his service.

"I will not resign," he told FOX News. "I’ve not resigned for these 18 months [of investigation] because I’ve done nothing wrong. ... "All the serious charges were cleared," he added. "There was no fraud, diversions, no misappropriation — nothing."

Click here to see a FOX News interview with Bertucci.

U.N. investigators disagreed, outlining a series of violations they say Bertucci and his colleagues committed, and called on his office to make restitution to the Greek government.
It’s a payment that Greece has been seeking since 2006 and has demanded repeatedly since the founding in 1999 of the U.N. Thessaloniki Center for Public Service Professionalism in Thessaloniki, Greece.

The now-defunct UNTC was funded by Greece and administered by Bertucci's department. Its role was to promote good government in Eastern and Central Europe — a goal that none of the interested parties say was met.

The U.N. report found that Bertucci hired consultants without judging their qualifications or confirming that they performed the work they were paid to do and often failed to inform the Greek staff of the UNTC that he had hired the contractors.

One consultant, Derry Ormond, was given a "fictitious consultancy contract" for $5,025 out of the UNTC trust for unrelated work he did for DESA months before, according to the report. Bertucci and a colleague also paid Ormond $5,000 for travel expenses, "despite the fact that the travel never actually took place," the report alleged.

Another consultant, Dimce Nikolov, was given contracts for $17,587 for work entirely unrelated to the UNTC because of Nikolov’s "need to pay for his daughter’s education," U.N. investigators found.

Favoritism wasn’t the only factor determining hiring practices, investigators charged; there was alleged nepotism, too. The report claims, for example, that one consultant, Kashif Abbas, secured contracts for $13,025 at the recommendation and request of his uncle, a senior adviser for DESA.

According to the report, Abbas was recruited because of his relationship with his uncle, who told OIOS investigators "that he was not related to Mr. Abbas," though he returned to the investigators' office hours later to tell them that he was, indeed, Abbas’ uncle.
Abbas’ work was certified and he was paid even though officials never checked for "what, if any, work had been performed by Mr. Abbas under his contract," the report found.

Bertucci told FOX News he didn't know why he would be held culpable for restitutions, maintaining that he did no wrong and was the victim of a witch hunt led by the government of Greece.

"I think this is a witch hunt, a political investigation dictated by political reasons," he said. "I really believe that in these 18 months [of investigation] I’ve shown that I’m faithful to my job."
But during those months, U.N. officials said he "consistently failed to provide meaningful cooperation with the task force investigation," repeatedly delaying the issuing of their findings.
Considering the findings, Bertucci told FOX News that if any funds were misallocated it was "because of the incompetence, the sheer incompetence of the local staff" — the Greek employees of the UNTC.

He specifically named Panos Liverakos, chief technical adviser of the center from 2004 until 2005 and whom Bertucci said he fired for being "incompetent."
Liverakos, in an interview, rejected that idea and said Bertucci fired him because he "blew the whistle on him" — that is, called the alleged mismanagement of the UNTC trust and offices to the attention of the United Nations.

He accused Bertucci of using the trust money "to do favors and exchanges with people around him," and he called the trust a "slush fund" for Bertucci.

Despite the findings of the report and accusations by Liverakos, Bertucci said he had not misspent any money.

"Not one cent of the Thessaloniki Center was wasted," he said. "It was not pocketed by me — not one cent." To back up the claim, Bertucci told FOX News he would "refute [the charges] word by word, with documents — not with innuendos or allegations."

Bertucci has yet to provide any documents, but as the end of July fast approaches and as he edges ever closer to retirement, he may soon have no need to defend himself to anyone.

DESA's STAFF SPEAK-UP: CONFLICT

F. Conflict (Summary of the issue raised by DESA Staff)

• Managers are expected to anticipate and resolve conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions.

• Staff have reported that personal conflicts or dislikes between chiefs and directors and/or heads of relevant UN agencies may seriously inhibit their staff's capacity to perform their work in the manner that would be most beneficial. This is again disappointing since - as a staff member puts it -"working at the United Nations, we have a serious responsibility to place the issues which our work addresses first and foremost".

• In the words of a staff member: "Some managers have no idea how to address conflict. I have witnessed the escalation of conflicts that could have been avoided, if staff were only allowed and encouraged to communicate. For some reason people talk about one another here, but never to one another, when there is a problem. Basic negotiation skills all start with open communication".

• Issues that need to be addressed through management and interpersonal skills are perceived as being left to fester until they create a disempowering and depressing work environment for a number of people. Staff working in unhappy environments tend to produce less and to be less effective.

DESA's STAFF SPEAK-UP: - INTEGRITY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND EQUALITY

C. Integrity, accountability and equality/non-discrimination (Summary of the issue raised by DESA Staff)

• Managers are perceived as being allowed to take decisions based on their own and often short-term interests versus the broader long-term interests of the organization.

• As better detailed in the sections covering staff selection, career development and other human resources management issues, many staff report discriminatory practices, or the perception thereof, specifically dealing with recruitment and promotion of staff. In particular, matters related to hiring of short-term staff and consultant services are questioned.

• In relation to the management of human resources in the Department, many of the contributions reiterate the expectation that all staff be treated with due respect, regardless of grade and position. Some staff expressed their desire to see the Department, and the Under-Secretary-General himself, reaffirming full accountability as well as a no tolerance policy for discriminatory treatment, especially with respect to staff selection and career development matters.

• Managers are perceived as having been allowed to treat some staff unfairly to the point of professional harassment and discrimination. Supervisors are perceived as being allowed to discriminate among staff based on personal likes and dislikes. Staff expressed a clear perception of lack of oversight for managers and supervisors; particularly the lack of an impartial and effective entity to turn to in case of perceived discrimination. Staff also expressed lack of faith in the willingness of superiors to address the fundamental problems in the staff-management relations, i.e. lack of motivation and the perception that other staff being favored.

• A significant number of staff members expressed concern regarding the lack of accountability at the senior management level. Some have suggested the introduction of managerial reviews/audits. In particular, management styles of certain division chiefs have been described as "tyrannical" or authoritarian.

• Some staff members asked why the integrity survey was not repeated or followed up on since 2004, give the significance of the results and the resources invested. Others asked why the results of a survey by the USG-DM, as part of a project to review the Secretariat's Accountability Framework (see http ://i seek. un. org/webpgdept1357_28 . asp) were not publicized.

• The senior management is perceived as being particularly non-accountable in terms of human resources management. As a staff member put it "We are happy to see that the SG is encouraging transparency, honesty and integrity but unfortunately we do not see the Directors, Chiefs and Deputy Chiefs in DESA following suit". The Executive Office is perceived as providing options by the rules but not tackling issues of staff wellbeing and fairness.

• The managers' decisions, style and practices do not appear to be overseen and/or questioned. This often leads to a very strong perception of favoritism, especially in relation to the long permanence on temporary positions of external candidates who are not selected with due process, or of retirees who are also kept on board at length. In some of the units concerned, such perceptions are strongly linked to the Directors' role, as Dls and lower grade managers are perceived as executing the Directors' unchallenged decisions including those relating to training options, or career development opportunities. (Note: This issue also appears under "Career Development -- Investing in Staff').

• In a few cases the contributions describe unbalanced and informal power-sharing systems, strongly centralized in a small group of people, often alienating most of the remaining staff members. In such settings, basic transparency concerning how priorities are set and decisions are made appears to be lacking. Favoritism, lack of consultation and delays in filling of vacancies and in designing and sharing work plans are also complained about. Staff contributions on this matter highlight the prominence of allegiance to superiors instead of to the organization itself.

Monday, 14 July 2008

Kofi Annan's Legacy of Failure



by Nile Gardiner, Ph.D.
WebMemo #1283


United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan delivered his swan song today at the Truman Presidential Library in Missouri.[1] It was a thinly veiled parting shot at U.S. foreign policy delivered by an embittered U.N. leader seething with self-righteous indignation and resentment. Annan's Missouri speech will go down in history as one of the most blatant assaults on a U.S. administration by a serving U.N. official.

In his condescending remarks, Annan warned, with Washington clearly in his sights, that "no nation can make itself secure by seeking supremacy over all others." In reference to the U.S.-led war on terror, Annan stated that America's position in the "vanguard of the global human rights movement…can only be maintained if America remains true to its principles, including in the struggle against terrorism. When it appears to abandon its own ideals and objectives, its friends are naturally troubled and confused." In a clear jab at the Iraq war, he warned that "no state can make its own actions legitimate in the eyes of others. When power, especially military force, is used, the world will consider it legitimate only when convinced that it is being used for the right purpose—for broadly shared aims—in accordance with broadly accepted norms."

Annan's speech followed his recent interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, in which he suggested that Iraqis were worse off today than they were under Saddam Hussein.[2] The interview sparked outrage in Baghdad, and Annan's comments were condemned by Iraq's National Security Adviser Mouwaffaq al-Rubaie, who pointedly asked, "Doesn't Kofi Annan differentiate between the mass killing of Iraqis by the security and intelligence apparatus of Saddam Hussein and the present indiscriminate killings of civilians, Iraqi civilians, by the al-Qaeda terrorists in Iraq?"[3]

Annan has a long track record of opposition to the U.S.-led war to remove Saddam Hussein from power, as well as to the wider conduct of the global war on terror. The people of Iraq owe no debt of gratitude to Annan, who consistently ignored their suffering, opposed their liberation, and actively undermined Coalition efforts to establish security and rebuild the country. As Iraq's interim defense minister Hazem Sha'alan remarked, "Where was Kofi Annan when Saddam Hussein was slaughtering the Iraqi people like sheep?"[4] The Iraq war undermined Annan's own position as a world leader and exposed the U.N.'s growing impotence in the post-9/11 era. It also exposed the huge degree of corruption and mismanagement involving the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food Program, an epic scandal that continues to unfold.

Annan's departure from office has not come soon enough. His 10 years in power have been a monumental failure, and he leaves behind an institution whose standing could barely be lower and a legacy that is a testament to mismanagement, corruption, and anti-Americanism. Over the past 12 years, the U.N. has been dominated by scandal, division, and failure. From the disaster of the U.N. peacekeeping missions in Rwanda and Bosnia in the mid-1990s to the U.N.'s slow response to the Sudan genocide, its recent track record has been spectacularly unimpressive. His successor will inherit a U.N. whose image has slipped to an all-time low.

The Oil-for-Food and Congo peacekeeping scandals have had a devastating impact on the U.N.'s reputation and have reinforced the view that the world body is riddled with corruption and mismanagement, as well as undisciplined in its peacekeeping operations. The failure of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights—now the U.N. Human Rights Council—which was populated with some of the world's worst human rights violators, has added to the U.N.'s poor image. In addition, the tensions between Washington and Turtle Bay over the war in Iraq have contributed to bringing U.S.–U.N. relations to their lowest point in a generation.

Human Rights Failures

Under Annan the U.N. has shamelessly appeased dictators and tyrants, from Baghdad to Tehran to Khartoum, and has stood weak-kneed in the face of genocide and ethnic cleansing. As head of United Nations peacekeeping operations in the mid-1990s before he rose to Secretary General, Annan never apologized to the victims of the Rwanda genocide, whose slaughter was the consequence of the U.N.'s failure to intervene, or to the families of Muslims massacred at Srebrenica while under the protection of U.N. soldiers. Annan's lack of humility in the face of great human tragedy has been one of his greatest shortcomings as a U.N. leader. Nor has he ever apologized to the people of Iraq, whose former president he described as "a man I can do business with."

The U.N.'s new Human Rights Council, touted by Annan as a breakthrough for the U.N., is an unmitigated farce, and the United Nations has largely jettisoned the principles of liberty and freedom. The Council's lack of membership criteria renders it open to participation and manipulation by the world's worst human rights abusers. Tyrannical regimes such as Burma, Syria, Libya, Sudan, and Zimbabwe all voted in favor of establishing the Council, in the face of strong U.S. opposition. The brutal North Korean dictatorship also endorsed the Council. When Council elections were held in May, leading human rights abusers Algeria, China, Cuba, Pakistan, Russia, and Saudi Arabia were all elected.

Peacekeeping Abuses

A series of peacekeeping scandals, from Bosnia to Burundi to Sierra Leone and Haiti, occurred under Annan's watch. The largest concentration of abuse has taken place in the Congo, the U.N.'s second largest peacekeeping mission, with 16,000 peacekeepers.[5]

In the Congo, acts of barbarism were perpetrated by United Nations peacekeep­ers and civilian personnel entrusted with protecting some of the weakest and most vulnerable women and children in the world. Personnel from the U.N. Mission in the Democrat­ic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) stand accused of at least 150 major human rights violations, and the scale of the problem is likely to be far greater.

The crimes involved rape and forced prostitution of women and young girls across the country, including inside a refugee camp in the town of Bunia in north­eastern Congo. The alleged perpetrators include U.N. military and civilian personnel from Nepal, Morocco, Tunisia, Uruguay, South Africa, Pakistan, and France.

The sexual abuse scandal in the Congo made a mockery of the U.N.'s professed commitment to uphold basic human rights. The exploitation of some of the most vulnerable people in the world—refugees in a war-ravaged country—was a shameful episode and a massive betrayal of trust, as well as an appalling failure of leadership.

Corruption and Mismanagement

The scandal surrounding the U.N.-administered Oil-for-Food Program has also done immense damage to the world organization's already shaky credibility. The Oil-for-Food scandal is undoubtedly the biggest financial scandal in the history of the United Nations and probably the largest fraud of modern times. It shattered the liberal illusion that the U.N. is an arbiter of moral authority in the international sphere.

Established in the mid-1990s as a means of providing humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people, the Oil-for-Food Program was subverted and manipulated by Saddam Hussein's regime, with the complicity of U.N. officials, to help prop up the Iraqi dictator. Saddam's dictatorship siphoned off billions of dollars from the program through oil smuggling and systematic thievery, by demanding illegal payments from companies buying Iraqi oil, and through kickbacks from those selling goods to Iraq—all under the noses of U.N. bureaucrats.

Despite widespread criticism, Kofi Annan has never taken responsibility for a scandal that has irreparably damaged the U.N.'s reputation. A huge cloud remains over the U.N. Secretary General with regard to his meetings with senior officials from the Swiss Oil-for-Food contractor Cotecna, which employed his son Kojo from 1995 to 1997 and continued to pay him through 2004.[6]

Questions also remain regarding Annan's appointment of German activist Achim Steiner as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) just months after Steiner helped award Annan $500,000.[7]Steiner, whose four-year term of office began in June 2006, was part of a nine-member jury chaired by a senior U.N. official, which gave a cash gift to Annan last December. Annan's initial decision to accept such a huge prize (eventually given to charity), as well as his subsequent appointment of a man who had played a key role in the award of that money, gave the appearance of a major abuse of power. Both were extraordinary acts of political recklessness by the Secretary General and gave the impression that jobs at the world body may be traded for financial favors.

As an international public servant, the Secretary General should not accept money from a U.N. member state or a private foundation, either as an award or gift. He should also completely disclose his personal finances, as many Western politicians do. He should also abide by the same strict ethics and disclosure rules that apply to political figures in major democracies, such as in the United States and Great Britain. Annan has talked about accountability and transparency and the supposed winds of change sweeping through the U.N., but his own leadership has belied his words. Unfortunately, a secretive culture of impunity still dominates the upper echelons of the U.N. Secretariat.

A Broken Institution

In a recent interview with the London Daily Telegraph, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton described the U.N. as hopelessly out of touch and stuck in a Twilight Zone-style "time warp" where "there are practices, attitudes and approaches that were abandoned 30 years ago in much of the rest of the world."[8] Many Americans would agree with Mr. Bolton. In a March 2006 poll conducted by Gallup in the United States, 64 percent of respondents said the United Nations was "doing a poor job", the most negative rating for the U.N. in its history. Just 28 percent had a positive image of the U.N.'s job performance.[9]

Today's United Nations is a broken institution in fundamental need of wholesale reform. That is Annan's legacy, and the United States and the world looks forward to new leadership at Turtle Bay—leadership that is untarnished by the taint of scandal and actually lives up to the ideals of the U.N.'s own Declaration of Human Rights. The U.N. needs a Secretary General who will seek real reform of the U.N. bureaucracy and aggressively stand up for democracy, human rights, and freedom.

Nile Gardiner, Ph.D., is the Bernard and Barbara Lomas Fellow in, and Director of, the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, a division of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, at The Heritage Foundation.

U.S. Requests U.N. Watchdog Office Probe Contracts Issue in Controversial Good-Government Unit


NEW YORK — The message that came from the United States mission at the United Nations on Monday was dramatic. Addressed to the head of the U.N.'s watchdog Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), Inga-Britt Ahlenius, it warned of "alleged improprieties relating to the award of consulting contracts," and "reports of threatened retaliation against staff members who had brought those improprieties to light."


The letter asked OIOS to conduct a "comprehensive review" of the issue in a little known division of the U.N. that claims to be helping combat corruption and build good government — but is now wallowing in turmoil over the contracts issue and over its alleged abuse of nearly $5 million in Greek government funds that were originally intended to help in the anti-corruption fight.


It is a special challenge for Guido Bertucci, the director of that U.N. body, known as the Division of Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM), who has been accused In the past, in secret U.N. documents, of being "fully aware" of the failings of the Greek-funded project, and doing little about it.


Bertucci's division is part of the U.N.'s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), and at the time the charges against Bertucci were made by U.N. auditors, in draft versions of their report, DESA officials strongly rejected them. The charges never became public, and disappeared from the final version of the auditors' report.

Now Bertucci is involved in another controversy, after FOX News last week posted a document that U.N. sources said was evidence that the director had violated internal rules to award a consulting contract worth more than $30,000 to Catherine Elizabeth Gazzoli, a freelance Internet designer. DESA officials, speaking on background, have strenuously denied FOX News' interpretation of the document.

Until she suddenly erased the specific dates from her personal Web site, Gazzoli had publicized the fact that she was currently working on five different U.N. projects virtually simultaneously, including three with Bertucci's division. The total amount Gazzoli has earned from Bertucci's division is unknown, but one payment record obtained by FOX News showed she received more than $118,000 on Feb. 25, 2005, in a lump-sum payment for short term consultancy.
Bertucci's management of his division is back in the spotlight. This week, the watchdog OIOS was expected to issue a report on the original Greek project, known as the United Nations Thessaloniki Centre (UNTC) for Public Service Professionalism. That report would go to top U.N. officials and will also be available to the Greek government. But now, FOX News has learned, the anticipated report will not be delivered as scheduled, since DESA has failed to respond to its findings.

But already, in an official letter to a Greek Cabinet Minister written last month, the U.N.'s outgoing Under Secretary-General for Management, Christopher Burnham, agreed that the Greek protests "had raised important issues and significant questions about the management practices of the United Nations."

Burnham, who has since left the U.N. for the private sector, added his belief that the audit would provide the Greek government "with the ability to pursue accountability for the misuse or mismanagement of resources" entrusted to the U.N.

Originally created in 1999 by the U.N. and the Greeks, the Thessaloniki project, known in U.N. parlance as UNTC, was originally intended to strengthen public administration in various Balkan countries, and help to combat corruption. The U.N.-Greek agreement, however, was not ratified for three years. By 2003, the Greeks were already demanding an investigation of the way the first $1.1 million of their money was being spent.

FOX News has discovered that UNTC then went through a 46-day investigation by U.N. auditors in early 2003. In their subsequent draft report, the auditors were at times scathing about the work carried on by UNTC's chief employees in Thessaloniki, and declared that "80 percent of the Project's financial and staffing resources were spent on activities, publications, training materials, and presentations related to the spread of e-government," which was never part of the UNTC objectives.

Many of the costs for the e-government work were born by the European Union and various unspecified private companies — and no records were kept of the funds. Some of the money was later tracked into personal bank accounts.

The auditors found that much of UNTC's spending involved expensive efforts such as unauthorized junkets — 19 in all — to such places as Venice, St. Petersburg, Shanghai, the Iranian city of Shiraz, and Orlando. Other money went on conferences, such as a July, 2002 "Capacity Building Workshop on governance and Public Administration for Sustainable Development," which cost $112,000.

UNTC also hired a variety of consultants, and the auditors later declared in the draft report that more than 50 percent of the consulting agreements "could not be directly linked to specific project activities or objectives."

In an internal draft document dated Nov. 1, 2003, U.N. auditors concluded that "it was possible for DESA to detect the irregular character of the Project's cooperation with third parties at an early stage." In a subsequent request that the U.N. open a fraud investigation, auditors declared that DPADM director Bertucci himself was "fully aware that the project staff were not performing, the objectives of the project were not being met, and DESA were not providing the Project with adequate backstopping."

The auditors also said Bertucci did nothing about the activities of his top Thessaloniki employees even after staffers told him how badly the project was being mismanaged. Bertucci himself was not charged by the auditors with anything fraudulent.

In their petition for a U.N. fraud investigation, put forward in January 2004, the auditors declared that the potential risks they saw in the UNTC case could involve "financing illegal activities, financial fraud and money laundering, abuse of the U.N. name, logo and seal; smuggling using U.N. travel documents, damaging the political reputation of the U.N. and of the government of Greece."

After a delay of months, DESA officials responded to the draft audit report by declaring that they had not, in fact, known what was going on in Thessaloniki, and that proper oversight of the project had been impeded by an extensive turnover in headquarters supervisors. They also rejected one of the auditors' key suggestions, that Greek government officials be seconded to the project to help ensure that it finally met its aims.

A subsequent U.N. fraud investigation declared that it found no basis for criminal charges in the case. The U.N. investigations unit at the time was headed by Barbara Dixon, who left the U.N. under a cloud this summer after a U.N. tribunal found that she had pursued the firing of an employee with "malice" aforethought, and suggested that she be made personally responsible for paying the employee two years worth of back wages.

The so-called "finalized" version of the OIOS audit, incorporating DESA's observations, was finished in May 2004. It found that the top U.N. employee in Thessaloniki (who was not named in the report) had siphoned more than $145,000 into a personal bank account and spent another $145,000 on junkets and contracts for third parties, while wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars in other funds.

(By that time, the U.N. had fired the employee, by declining to renew his contract when it expired In March 2004.)

The "finalized" version of the U.N.'s audit, when completed in May 2004, made no specific mention of Bertucci. It included DESA's claim that it was "completely unaware" of the project's unauthorized activities, added e-government to UNTC's goals, rejected the incorporation of Greek government officials in the project, and signaled that UNTC would continue in operation.
But eventually, all sides agreed that the project should be shut down by March 31, 2006 — except that it apparently wasn't. In its current complaint, the Greek government has charged that UNTC kept operating for nine additional months, at a cost of $16,000 per month, and demanded money back. DESA officials told FOX News on background that the project had definitely ended in October.

But another DPADM project, this one based in Italy and named the Center for Administrative Innovation in the Euro-Mediterranean Region, or CAIMED, is still going to this day. The Greek government has charged that CAIMED was launched in 2002 to compete with the Greek project at Thessaloniki, and that rather than oversee the Greek project properly, the effort of Bertucci's division went into supporting the Italian project. DESA officials have denied that charge.
CAIMED says on its Web site that its Web operator is Gazzoli. Gazzoli also cites her role in the project on her personal Web site, but recently erased the dates of her most recent personal consultancy with DPADM involving CAIMED.

Gazzoli has not yet answered a series of questions about her contracts with DPADM, sent by Fox News via email more than a week ago.

According to her Web site before its recent alteration, Gazzoli's consulting relationship with the U.N. began in 2001.

DPADM Director Bertucci has not yet answered a series of questions sent to him by FOX News.

On background, however, DESA officials have taken issue with a FOX News report that the appearance of Bertucci's name as "advisor" — a DESA term signifying direct oversight by a staff member who provides technical backstopping — on a project involving contract payment to Gazzoli for web portal work In Africa was in apparent violation of U.N. rules concerning such payments.

According to the DESA officials, the document in question was merely a "tracking document" to monitor budget and expenditures by project, and the appearance of Bertucci's name was "meaningless." According to one of the officials, the director's name was merely a default designation common to DPADM projects that signified when no adviser at all had been assigned to them. By implication, Bertucci himself would be unaware of its use.

Other officials familiar with DPADM procedures, however, scoffed at that explanation. The document, known as a Project Annual Work Plan (AWP), is "fundamental" to establishing accountability in the division, one official said. Moreover, as director of the division, the official added, Bertucci's name had "over-ride authority," meaning that he could supersede other officials in his department. Consequently, his name normally could not be used without his permission, and indeed normally required countersigning by other senior DPADM officials.
The contract bearing Bertucci's name as "adviser" was entitled "Implementation of the Peace and Security Agenda of the African Union." Given the nature of the contract referred to in the work plan, the FOX News sources said, the normal "adviser" on Internet projects in DPADM is a senior division official named Haiyan Qian, who is entitled "Chief of Branch." In a brief telephone interview with FOX News, Qian confirmed that her area of responsibility in the department Involved "knowledge management and development."

What will happen next In regard to DPADM is unclear. At the time the U.S. mission sent its note of alarm to her regarding the "alleged Improprieties" in the division, the head of OIOS was traveling abroad. It remained to be seen if the U.N. watchdog would consider the latest troubles in that division to be, as the U.S. put it, "an important and urgent matter."