In UN Forest Week, Maathai Dodges on UNDP, Sri Lanka Dispute

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 2 -- Alongside UN inaction on Egypt, and lack of follow through on Darfur and Cote d'Ivoire, it's forest week at the UN. Wednesday the UN Food & Agriculture Organization's forestry expert Eduardo Rojas-Briales told the Press that, as a region, Asia is doing well. He named as Asian countries going the wrong way on forests Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Timor Leste.

When Inner City Press asked him for details, he tied the forest backsliding to conflict, in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. There he said the conflict came to an end, but only recently.

Later on Wednesday, however, Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the UN Palitha Kohona took issue with the FAO report. He said that because on the conflict, forests “just grew” and “no one could go hunting.” Then he cut away to speak to President of the General Assembly Joseph Deiss.

The venue was a reception by Croatia presenting photos and even a video of its forests. The country's deputy prime minister, speaking in Croatian, said people should come not only for Zagreb and the coastline, but the trees. He handed out hearts carved of wood and painted red and green.

Speaking for the UN was China's Sha Zukang. Afterwards Inner City Press asked him about China's role in logging in the Congo, where huge trees are ripped out for cheap furniture. “Some trees have to come down,” he said, described massive replanting in China.

Wangari Maathai planted tree at UN: where is it now? REDD+ not shown

Sha Zukang's staffer disputed that the Amazon rainforest is shrinking. Inner City Press asked her about EarthFirst, putting metal spikes in trees that face the chainsaw. People who only say no, she replied, are stuck in the 1950s.

Above her the ceiling of this UN General Assembly entrance hall was peeling. There were salmon sandwiches, red and white white, the forestry ministers of Turkey and other countries. The 13 year old boy famous for his photos of “Stop Talking, Start Planting," Felix Finkbeiner, was there.

Earlier on Wednesday, Wangari Maathai of Kenya spoke. Inner City Press asked her about criticism of the REDD and REDD+ programs. She said that indigenous people were being taken into account.

When an enterprising reporter asking about a UNDP study saying the green jobs are not being achieved -- a position echoed by former UN climate envoy Yvo de Boer -- the UN moderator cut the question off, saying that of course Ms. Maathai couldn't answer for UNDP. Why not let a Nobel Peace Prize winner speak for herself? But the UN protects itself. as some forests are ravaged. Watch this site.

Norway lambasts Ban Ki-moon

A confidential memo from the Norwegian UN ambassador fails Ban Ki-moon as Secretary-general of the United Nations.

A confidential memorandum from Norway’s United Nations Ambassador Mona Juhl to her government delivers a hefty broadside at UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon saying that he is ‘battling to show leadership’ and that he is conspicuously absent in discussions about broad solutions to global crises.

The confidential memorandum, which was given the Highly Confidential stamp at Norway’s foreign ministry, has nonetheless been leaked to and published by one of Norway’s leading newspapers, Aftenposten.

Burma
Juhl says that the United Nations is having difficulty in entering the environmental agenda and that Ban’s leadership has been minimal during the global financial crisis.

“At a time when the United Nations and the need for multilateral solutions to global crises is greater than ever, Ban and the United Nations are conspicuous in their absence,” says Juhl.

Political crises are not Ban’s cup of tea either, says Juhl adding that his recent visit to Burma was a clear example of a lack of leadership and inability to deliver on behalf of the United Nations.

“ After a seemingly fruitless visit (to Burma) by the Secretary-General, the United Nations ‘good offices’ will be made even more difficult. (United Nations Special Representative) Gambari will have major problems after ‘the top man’ has failed and the generals in Rangoon will no longer meet him,” says Juhl.

Sri Lanka
Juhl says that another example of Ban’s weakness was the war in Sri Lanka, where she says Ban was a helpless observer as thousands lost their lives and were driven from their homes.

“The authorities in Colombo refused to receive the Secretary-General during military operations, but he was invited – and accepted an invitation – as soon as the war had been ‘won’,” Juhl says adding that Ban’s ‘moral voice and authority’ have been lacking.

Bland one-term SG
“Common to all of these issues is that a bland Secretary-General lacking charisma cannot be compensated for by high-profile and visible aides. Ban has general chosen special representatives and secretariat chiefs who don’t make much of an impression either – apart from Afghanistan,” Juhl says.

“As you know (Ban) was a conscious choice by the then American administration that did not want an active secretary-general, nor has the current U.S. administration signalled a changed attitude to Ban – although there are rumours that people in Washington are now calling Ban a ‘One-term SG’,” Juhl says adding however, that China is happy with Ban and holds the key to his possible re-election, while Russia is displeased with his handling of Kosovo and Georgia.

General displeasure
The Norwegian ambassador says that most other nations are increasingly negative towards Ban, who is half way through his term.

“Of the many who felt he should be given more time, that he’d get better after warming up and that comparisons with his predecessor’s charisma were unjust, the tone is now that the learning potential has been used up and that (his) lack of charisma is, in fact, a problem,” Juhl writes adding that Ban is given over to fits of rage that even sober-minded and experienced employees are finding difficult to tackle.

No comment
Norway’s Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has declined to comment on the memorandum.

“It is something that we have noted,” Gahr Støre tells Aftenposten.