Kemal Dervis your time is UP - Get out !

UNDP Watch is beginning a series of reviews of past UNDP Procurement decisions. Please be patient with us while we review each and every 2800 submissions to ACP. Since UNDP decided to put off-line all ACP submissions and their documentations - UNDP Watch will be publishing slowly everyday one full submission - for Public review, information and judgement. We know that it will take long, almost 1398 days, but don't worry it will be fun, and we all will learn from our own mistakes.

Today's Submission is : ACP/07/0520

Total Amount: 300,000.00 US Dollar
Status: Approved from Jocelline Bazile-Finley

On ACP Minutes that day - we read:

Additional details:

A short list of law firms from OLA was received and a direct RFP was sent to
the firms.
In in order to have wider coverage and transparency and due diligence, OLPS
made a search and looked for potential law firms on the law site, Legal500
for Law firms with relevant experience.
The RFP was also placed on the UNDP procurement notice. (See attached copy
of the notice)
While the direct email had the names of the parties involved, the
advertisement on the public site was done in a manner to avoid revealing any
information on the parties involved, the location and amount of the conflict
in order to avoid other legal issues.
7 proposals were received by the deadline from the following firms:

Warson Farley and Williams
Simpson Thacher and Bartlett LLP
Wilmer Hale
Baker Mckenzie
Dubarry Le Dourain
Shearman and Sterling
Reed Smith.

The evaluation criteria advertised in the RFP is the two staged evaluation
system whereby only firms who scored minimum of 80% in the technical
proposal will have their financial proposals opened.
At the end of the evaluation which was done by a team of Legal Experts,
3 firms, Reed Smith, Dubarry Le Dourain and Watson and Williams were rejected
as they did not pass the technical proposal.
4 Â firms, Simpson Thacher and Bartlett LLP, Wilmer Hale, Baker Mckenzie and
Shearman and Sterling who passed the technical proposals score of 80% had
their financial bids opened.
Out of the four responsive proposals, Baker & Mackenzie had the lowest cost
and was thus recommended by the evaluation committee for the contract. (See
attached evaluation report for details)

But the truth is different - thanks to UNDP Watch insiders at the Technical Evaluation panel on this bid - we got the table of technical evaluation which reads completely differently. And as per the table the winner is not even close a REAL WINNER.

Ahlenius and Appleton of (Procurement Task Force) are now very silent. They don't even dare to raise their voice. Because Appleton's contract is at stake.

How can you Ms. Ahlenius and you Mr. Appleton, call yourself Untied Nations Staff with ethical standards and you have no .....guts to investigate the UNDP. Well you might say that UNDP doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of OIOS. But in this case this submission was evaluated from the UN Secretariat's OLA.

Not only this - but as you can see the evaluation was only signed by half of the evaluation committee - making this evaluation and submission and approval - NOT VALID.

How can you Jocelline Bazile-Finley approve such a submission which has not even half of the signatures on the evaluation sheet ? How can you approve such submission where the winner is ranked third in both technical expertise and value. In what ethics you call yourself a UN staff - and approve this? We thought you were different - from the rest at BoM (Bureau of Management).

But this is not your fall - you are all under the pressure of Kemal Dervis and Peri Johnson. They are directly responsible of these crimes committed with tax-payers money. With our money.

What is disturbing is the fact that United States Mission to the UN (USUN) is still silent. It seem that Mr. UNTAI - Mark Wallace - has lost his tongue. The USUN has a constitutional mandate to watch and monitor the United Nations on how they spend the US Tax-payers money. The failure to do so, will have extreeme implications and can and is affecting the US national security as well.

At the end the UNDP Watch Calls upon Tuzla Tersanecilik ve Turizm A.S. and their lawyers to bring this case to Federal Court of the United States of America as well as in Switzerland. We believe that now is a time for all those victims of the UN to join forces in a class-action lawsuit against the United Nations. the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice should hear the voice of all those victims and allow the removal of UN Immunities so a Federal Court can hear these cases. Only then the UN can be held accountable and responsible - otherwise we should all stop out funds to this criminal organization.

Day Two Call: UNDP Watch Calls for immediate firing of Kemal Dervis and Peri Lyn Johnson on the ground of incompetency, false testimony and forging public documents and corrupt behaviour!!!!

But this is far from over - we have 1398 days to go from the end.

Akiko Yuge awards 4.8 Million $ contract on IP-PBX without competitive bid and against all rules

UNDP Watch is begining a series of reviews of past UNDP Procurement decisions. Please be patient with us while we review each and every 2800 submissions to ACP. Since UNDP decided to put off-line all ACP submissions and their documentations - UNDP Watch will be publishing slowly everyday one full submission - for Public review, information and judgement. We know that it will take long, almost 1400 days, but don't worry it will be fun, and why not we all will learn from our own mistakes.

Today's Submission is : ACP-07-0845 - IP-PBX (BOM/OIST)
Total Amount: $ 4.8 Million
Status: Approved from Akiko Yuge

Tens of millions of dollars have flown from UNDP headquarters and country offices to Vendor-C from 2004, based on an LTA (Long Term Agreement) that was reached without a competitive biding and on a Direct Review basis.

What's more scandalous is that UNDP renewed C-Vendor's LTAs in 2005 (for one year) and 2006 (for two years) again without any competitive biding.

While is the job of OIOS and OAPR to immediately investigate all current LTA status within the UNDP, our story of today is about the latest award ACP-07-0845 which is among BOM/OIST and Vendor for the IP-PBX.


Akiko Yuge the Asisstant Secretary General and Director of Bureau of Management, approved the waiver of competitive Bid for a value of 4.8 millions $. The question is that how a Chief Procurement Officer, like Yuge approves a contract that is based on (a) a non-competitive LTA, and (b) on services that are not described and included under the original contract with the C-Vendor dated 2004.

But the story doesnt stop here during the Krishan Batra's absence, Ms. Yuge - pressured from Shirine and OIST went along and signed the approved the contract.

The Head of ACP - Krishan Batra thinks that Akiko shouldn't have approved it. But being an indian, Krishan doesn't know how to say this to his Boss.

Questions: (1) who is getting bribed from C-Vendor ? (2) Is it Akiko Yuge ? (3) Is it Shirine or is Elsie Laurence Chounoune the head of CAP of OIST ?

UNDP Watch sent an email to OAPR and OIOS to request an immediate investigation on C-Vendor and OIST latest bid.

If Mr. Khoury and Ms. Ahlenius will not consider to investigate the ACP-07-0845 within 48 hours from today, the UNDP watch will make public all documents about this submission including all contracts with C-Vendor dated back to 2004.

Questions for Kemal Dervis: How many contract UNDP HQs have awarded to C-Vendor since 2004 ? How many contract UNDP COs have awarded to C-Vendor based on the fake LTA signed at HQs? What would be the market & public reactions if they would know the (a) totality of all contract awards to C-Vendor and (b) the modality under which the contract was awarded to C-Vendor?

** we will answer these questions on tomorrow's follow up story.

YOU ARE BEING WATCHED !!

Meanwhile UNDP Watch call upon all UNDP staff to clean-up all your C & D- Drives because BIG BROTHER is watching you since last monday. Kemal Dervis has installed a new software that goes thru every your email and search for meta-tags (words). Change your passwords every 3 days and dont use your childrens or wifes names - they have them on files.

Day One Call: UNDP Watch Calls for immediate resignations of Akiko Yuge on the ground of incompetency and corrupt behaviour!!!!

UNDP pulls the cord and delete $ billions from procurement accounts - no one's worried

This man - after serving for almost 7 years at the helm of United Nations, is now dictating the world body from his chair of the Minister for United Nations of Britain.

Yesterday the United Nations Development Programme has pulled the cord and disconnected the servers with data over billions of expenditure under the Mark Malloch Brown's watch. Exactly 3.6 billion dollars worth of bids saved under the servers of OLPS (Office of Legal and Procurement Services) are now vanished. Shirine (OIST) and Peri Johnson are busy preparing the legal grounds for the "action" and finding the right excuses for UNDP.

Even though all bids were public UN bids, internationally published and paid for from the UNDP budget which comes from Member states of the UN (like the US), now the public and the staff of UNDP will have no longer an opportunity to access those. While the procurement laws at the UN says that all official documents should be saved and stored for at least 7 years, these procurement which are from 2004-2007 will never again make it to become public knowledge.

It seems that this time Sir. Mark has found the formula - he has send an able negotiator and salesman, his former landlord, to negotiate with the US Representative at the UN a deal under which the US Government would not ask about the content of those files and let's say - "MOVE-ON".

But will the UNDP and Sir. Mark be able to defy the internal uprising in UNDP?? Would Khalilzad stad for the truth inside those files ??

Will see - the saga continue.

The landlord of Mark Malloch Brown met with Khalilzad: amids disappearance of his tenant's files from UNDP

a very very strange event took place early afternoon yesterday. Amids the disappearance of billions of dollars of UNDP's public bids and waivers of competitive bids, two very strange man with nothing in common met with each other to discuss ...what??

As reported this morning from FOXNEWS (click here) Sorros - the landlord of UNDP's Sir.Mark Malloch Brown and Chair of Open Society Institute met with George Bush's Representative at the UN, Khalilzad (not yet Sir.).

Question is what these two man - have to talk to each other ? ? Specifically yesterday ??

Will see..... we hope Khalilzad will tell the public what the too man discussed.

Extortion scheme at UNDP catapult Peri Lyn Johnson to the top of Legal pedestal

When Kemal Dervis came on board at UNDP from the Turkish government, one of the first actions he undertook (as a real Turk) was to revenge against all his Turkish adversaries. At about time when he came on board a Turkish company called TUZLA was hired from UNDP to clean-up the port of Basra from the remaining war wreckage. The Tuzla was represented from Mr. Oglu, a respectful Turkish businessman who happen to be as well a political adversary of Dervis back in his home country.

When TUZLA finished all work in Basra, they claimed their payments. But UNDP leadership denied them and dragged (to this day still) the right to get paid. All because Kemal Dervis didn’t want to pay his adversary. Some allege that Dervis is doing this because he wants Oglu to pay him a ransom for getting his payments. It’s a Turkish thing (it's a turkish thing don't get involved).

Anyhow this story is not about TUZLA, (we will come back to this one) but rather how Dervis manipulated the UNDP system and used (abused) staff in order to achieve his goal towards TUZLA.

At the time Dervis was looking how to block TUZLA’s payment the OLPS had already undergone thru extensive negotiations and arranged for final payments to be issued and the matter to be settled before going to arbitration. But Dervis wanted TUZLA not to get a penny. Therefore he ordered payments to stop. OLPS couldn’t stop. Angry with the then Director (Provenzano), Dervis takes all the files from him and appoints a junior officer at the time (Peri Lyn Johnson) to deal with the matter. Since Peri was from OLA, she was instructed to delay as much as she could the matter throwing it from OLPS (UNDP) to OLA (UN) in an endless discussion – only to please the High Priest – Dervis.

Dervis liked Peri’s subservient attitude and despite the fact that in the OLPS there were other staff senior to her (F.N) gave her full access to 21st floor, and made her personal legal advisor, bypassing all rules and regulations. Kemal Dervis and Peri don't give a damn that today the UNDP is paying out of their tax-payers contribution almost 400 Thousand Dollars for a private Legal Firm to represent UNDP in coming arbitrations with TUZLA. At the end UNDP will end up paying more - close to 5 times more than initial contract value. Some sick minded at UNDP even allege that this could be a scheme between Oglu and Dervis to raise up the price and make money out of UNDP once TUZLA get out of arbitration. But since no one looks inside UNDP - who gives a fuck !

When North Korea scandal broke in January 2007, he also used Peri instead of F.N (who was Legal HR). All this to justify his abrupt and unconstitutional decision to appoint Peri Johnson as Head of the newly constituted Legal Office in July 2007.

What is really strange is the fact that a so called lawyer like Peri Johnson, a proclaimed classmate of Barak Obama, allows herself to be used in an extortion scheme from Kemal Dervis.

Peri in 3 years jumps from P3-4 to L6. Even a Beatification process for becoming a saint takes at least 10 years. Maybe the Pope needs to talk to Dervis and get some lessons on how to fast track beatifications and cannonizations. Hopefully the newly appointed Ethics Officer Bhalla would look into this matter.

But who knows Peri – can testimony that she is not the person that will be used by others, rather the contrary. She is as mischievous as her boss Dervis. Just last week in order to get rid off of her old adversary in OLPS (F.N) she hired the wife of Head of Human Resources Ms. Rema Devi Purushothaman. (wife of Ramesh) Despite the fact that Ms. Rema Devi doesn’t have half of qualifications of (F.N), it doesn’t matter, Peri and Dervis have negotiated a deal - Ramesh takes F.N from Legal to Human Resources, and Peri takes Ramesh wives as her number 2 at Legal. So Peri's road to cannonization is clear now.


Ramesh be a man bro and tell your wife to get your last name - she might still qualify under spouse employement rules and regulations. Dont cheat the system, like Darshak Shah, you are definitely not as beautiful and shiny as Darshak is.



What a story - only at UNDP !

For your action - Ban Ki Moon !

Today Ban Ki Moon appeared from Annapolis, as if he was needed there and as if everything at the UN is in order and running smoothly.

Meanwhile, at the UN Kemal Dervis after reading the latest report of Claudia Rosett orders Steven Fridakis (UNDP's Chief Information Security Officer) to shut down immediately the UNDP's public procurement system (ACP online) where are stored 38000 documents corresponding to 2800 ACP contract awards from 2004 - 2007. Even staff at OIST (UNDP's Information Department), who's access was cut-off from Fridakis, found this decision as abrupt and non conform the UN rules and regulations.

From today the UNDP Staff worldwide and the public will be deprived from direct knowledge of what happen and how UNDP awarded 3.6 billion dollars worth of contracts (above 100 thousand dollars each). Out of these 3.6 billion UNDP's Mark Malloch Brown and Kemal Dervis have awarded 1.9 Billion in Waivers of competitive bids and Direct Reviews.

What's most disturbing is that United State Mission to the United Nations (USUN) is totally silent. Despite trumpeting UNTAI the USUN's Khalilzad has decided to not raise this issue and keep all the focus of the USUN to other important events. While Kemal Dervis is forging and deleting thousand of documents equivalent to 3.6 billion dollars of public funding, half of which comes from the US tax-payers, the silence of this diplomat cannot be explained.

How come the US Congress and Senate allow such crime to be committed. Why the US Government is not asking that within the next 48 hours (not a minute later) either the UNDP puts online all the ACP decisions in the past 3 years (with full documentation) or Kemal Dervis, Ad Melkert, Akiko Yuge and Krishan Batra to be expelled immediately for improper use (and abuse) of public funds.

If USUN or any other member-state of the UN would fail to demand such actions, than we are sure that UNDP staff will not tolerate this situation any further, but they would be obliged to find ways and means to let the public know where 3.6 billion dollars went.

UNDP Staff today call upon Ban Ki Moon and current President of General Assembly Srgjan Kerim to uphold the highest standards of UN Administration and denounce, investigate and enforce that Kemal Dervis and UNDP management immediately restore the UN property and give access to public to know what UNDP spend the money for in the past years.

The above doesn't require another Oli-for-food Investigation, but ACTIONS now or never.

FOX NEWS: UNDP Accused of Cover-Up in North Korea Cash Funneling Scandal

UNDP Accused of Cover-Up in North Korea Cash Funneling Scandal
Monday , November 26, 2007

By George Russell


ADVERTISEMENT
What’s happened to the trove of documents that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) promised to hand over to prove—or disprove— its innocence in funneling millions of dollars in hard currency to the North Korean dictatorship of Kim Jong Il?

Are they under UNDP safekeeping in North Korea? Or are they being picked over in a UNDP safe house in Beijing, before a sanitized version is offered up for inspection? And is that just part of a wider destruction of evidence?

Those questions became the subject of a storm of Internet accusations over the past week, as an anonymous blog associated with UNDP dissidents charged coverup, and then offered up photos of UNDP documents that it claimed were proof.

To see the accusations, go to undpwatch.blogspot.com.

For its part, UNDP has flatly denied the accusations.

The documents lie at the heart of a controversy that has reached boiling point several times since last January, when a U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Mark Wallace, used the conclusions of a series of UNDP audits to charge that the U.N.’s flagship development agency had funneled the hard currency to Kim regime officials in March in violation of its own rules, along with a variety of other major infractions. UNDP subsequently announced it had closed its office in March. A preliminary audit by the U.N. panel, without benefit of the documents, validated many of the U.S. charges last June.

The U.N. auditors were ordered at the end of June to make another attempt to investigate—and are still stymied. On Sept. 28, the chairman of the auditing board formally advised the U.N. that the Kim government had refused visas for his inspectors to examine the papers. He declared that the panel of auditors had been disbanded and returned to other duties.

To see the Board of Auditor’s letter, click here.

In response to Fox News questions a month later, UNDP spokesman David Morrison declared that his organization was "initiating steps" to bring the documents out of Pyongyang—something UNDP had long promised.

After that came silence—until the anonymous bloggers began posting their accusations. The first charge came on Nov. 21, when they claimed that Beijing staffers of UNDP said boxes of Pyongyang papers were "now located in the private residence of the UNDP Resident Representative in Beijing." (The Resident Representative is the highest-ranking U.N. official in a nation’s capital.)

The blog also claimed that a team of UNDP officials, as well as officials from the South Korean government, were on their way to vet the trove before any auditors saw it.

All of those charges were forcefully denied by UNDP spokesman Morrison in response to Fox News queries.

"No documents have arrived in Beijing or anywhere else," he declared. "We expect to be in a position to be in a position shortly to make all documentation available outside [North Korea]."

Over the weekend, however, the bloggers struck again, this time offering up cell-phone photos that claimed to show the contents of a small fraction of 59 boxes of UNDP papers in Beijing.

Only two photos were displayed. In one is a fragment labeled "Files Packing List Control Sheet," which carries a summary of monthly accounts from April 1999 to October, 2000. The control sheet carries the acronym for UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, and is dated April 13, 2007.

The other snapshot shows the edges of a variety of files, and pieces of paper showing various stamps, signatures and an address label for the Resident Representative in North Korea, along with letterhead of what appears to be a Korean trading company.

Nothing in the photographs, however, directly linked them to a location in China.

But in the meantime, hints at an even broader UNDP coverup appeared on Sunday in the blog of respected independent journalist (and Fox News consultant) Claudia Rosett. She offered up internal UNDP documents dating from Sept. 24 that recommended the disposal of 11 email and other servers, for reasons of obsolescence or wear and tear. Purchase of two of the "obsolete" servers dated from 1998 and 1999, but all of the others were undated.

To see the documents, go to http://pajamasmedia.com/xpress/claudiarosett

"We don’t know what’s on these 11 servers," Rosett declared. "But surely it’s worth finding out?"

UNDP spokesman Morrison issued yet another rebuttal. The equipment, he said in a written response to Fox News followup questions, had been used to host "UNDP’s virtual directory (phone book). They contained no sensitive information and nothing to do with UNDP’s operations in DPRK [the acronym for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]."

In any case, he added, "All data is backed up before the hardware is destroyed."

A spokesman for the U.S. mission to the U.N. said officials there would look into the issue.

George Russell is executive editor of FOX News.

COMMENTS ON: Stop Them Before They Shred Again

I was reading Claudia's portal and found a very interesting comment posted in there from an Alex Reed. Since his or her comments were posted as public under Claudia's page, and since those represent a very interesting view point from someone who seem to be an insider into IT and UN, am publishing this COMMENTS on as they are:


By ALEX REED

Were we to enquire, "Watchman, what of the night?" over at UNDP, what tales might be told.....

There are a few of things that come to mind after a quick look at the Asset Disposal Request, pages 1 & 2.

The bad news first -- before anyone gets into their ninja outfits or gets all lawyerly on UNDP......

• As you note, these documents date from September, 2007. I don't know at what stage in the UN disposal process the Disposal Request comes in. However, at some point, either before or after the Disposal Request is signed, any IT department would carefully wipe all hard drives before final physical disposal of such equipment. In the case of such presumably sensitive UNDP information (Ha!), I would expect them to overwrite the hard drives at least 7 times (this would meet the U.S. Department of Defense 5220-22-M standard for securely erasing disks). However, software is readily available that would overwrite 35 or 50 times. That many overwrites would be very, very time consuming -- but then, they've had since January, 2007, when the Cash-for-Kim story broke, to do the deed. Once the overwrites are done, for the very determined and thorough tidy-upper, there's the option of the old sledge-hammer technique for the hard drives. But if the UNDippies are truly professional about their disposals, after all the overwrites have been done, the final repose of the hard disks would see them make their departure Viking-style across the waters of the Hudson River..... to keep a rendez-vous with Tony Soprano's friend in the car compactor business who would send them through his metal grinder first, and then into the compactor to become one with a late model Escalade and other biodegradable sundries. If UNDP were this good, the hard drives, by now, would have been ground up/squished/melted/reformed, and currently would be rolling down Solano Avenue in the People's Republic of Berkeley as a Toyota Prius. In reality, they don't have to be that good because they have the luxury of operating in total secrecy. And since the mandarins in charge of our esteemed State Department appear quite unperturbed by UNDP chicanery, and are too busy selling out Israel at the moment anyway, UNDP looks to be able to continue on its merry secret way.

• It would be good to know when UNDP decided to replace all these servers en masse -- before or after Cash-for-Kim burst upon the world? When was the replacement equipment ordered? When did it arrive?

Now for some, perhaps, slightly better news.....

• Even if the original hard drives and their contents have been destroyed, there must be back-ups that were done, day by day, of all the information on all the servers.

• Now the UNDP administration (o.k., Dervis & Melkert) has proved itself to be world-class in at least one department: high-handed arrogance. But even they would not be stupid enough to destroy all the original backups just to destroy the documents that could give them problems. That would tear the lid off once and for all. That's one thing that would light a redhot fire under Congress -- and then say farewell to all UNDP funding from the U.S. and our allies.

• Perhaps the back-ups could be altered and some inculpatory documents erased, but this could be detected, and whatever was erased could probably be recovered. To irretrievably erase every damning document for a period that ran to many years, and to do so without destroying everything, would be a physical impossibility -- even with an army of IT guys working 24/7 since last January.

• Unfortunately, to go through all those back-ups and find the smoking gun documents would also require an army of IT people working 24/7 -- and knowing what to look for. But then, isn't that why we have a U.S. Government?

• Assuming that Dervis and Melkert are not suicidal, and that thus the original day to day server backups do still exist, the big question is, of course, how to get at them. Given the appalling lack of transparency in all other areas of the UNDP set up, I can't see them suddenly forking over the potential bombshell backups if we simply ask nicely and say please. Can some U.S. government agency, or Congressional Committee get hold of the backups? The Federal Prosecutors in Manhattan? This may be a job for the X-Men!

• I found a couple of details in the second UNDP document worrying. (This is the "Minutes OIST CAP Committee Meeting No. 018" Held on Wednesday, 12 September 2007.)

• In the first paragraph, they request the nice round figure of $500,000 (American taxpayer dollars at work!) for "various products and services, including but not limited to" Symantec anti-virus software, and Veritas NetBackup. The very vague "various products and services" and the very lawyerly "including but not limited to" could cover quite a bit of nasty terra incognita. It would be good to know just what exactly were ALL the "products and services" included in this $500K shopping spree.

• The second point of concern I have is about the proposed purchase of Veritas NetBackup software. Why, if they were about to dispose of the 11 servers (which originally cost about $265K), do they need the Veritas NetBackup software? To go with what equipment? What variety of server is replacing the old stuff? What was the Veritas NetBackup software supposed to back up? What was the backup software used with the old servers over all the years they were in use up until now? Where are all the old backups? Is part of the $500K in "services" being used to have the old backups somehow "translated" so they can still be accessed by the new servers? It would seem a necessary step in any such wholesale transition to all new equipment. If so, is there any "editing" of content from the original backups going on in order to purge the backups of any inconvenient paperwork? Again where are the original backups? -- this should be the first of all questions.

..................................................................... ..........

One note about the UNDP Pyongyang files. I seem to remember reading an aside buried at the very end of an Inner City Press report this last week that noted that 52 boxes of files/papers from the UNDP Pyongyang office have been shipped to UNDP in Beijing. Wait, here it is, On UN Accountability, Many Words But Few Answers, Growing Mistrust Noted from 20 November 2007: "Meanwhile, UNDP reported (sic) moved 52 boxes of documents from North Korea to its building in Beijing, but will not bring them to New York, on the theory that they could somehow be tampered with. By who?" Another source put the shipment at 59 boxes. Just what the 52/59 boxes of UNDP mystery files contain is not clear. A Beijing tourism note: it is said that Maurice Strong's office in Beijing is located right across the road from UNDP's Beijing outpost. Watchman, what of the night?

------------------

One thing that comes to mind when you read Alex's comments is that those makes you wonder if people like Alex should instead worked inside UNDP - how different the UNDP would have been.

Alex you are welcome to post any further comments and or additions to your thoughts if you wish to. Best UNDP Watch.

Stop Them Before They Shred Again

Flash Alert on the UN: Stop Them Before They Shred Again

Will anyone offer this man a home for his old computer servers?

You might suppose that with inquiries underway into the scandals surrounding the UN Development Program activities in tyrannies such as Burma and North Korea, the UNDP would be at pains to preserve its records for investigators. After all, when the UNDP Cash-for-Kim scandal broke in January, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon promised to get to the bottom of it, and the UNDP’s number two man, Ad Melkert, promised full transparency, saying “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Guess again. Shades of the grand shredding that went on three years ago in Kofi Annan’s executive suite as the UN’s Oil-for-Food inquiry revved up, it turns out the UNDP, flagship agency of the UN, has been quietly arranging to scrap computer equipment that might just contain some awfully interesting records. Internal UNDP documents show that in September the UNDP approved an arrangement to dispose of a batch of used computer equipment, including 11 servers, 4 scanners and 6 printers — all on grounds that the items were bought “in or before 1999,” could not be sold on the used market, and “it would take a lot of our resources to donate this equipment.” See item #2 in.

We don’t know what’s on these 11 servers, or what has flowed through the 6 printers over the years. Nor do we know what else, if anything, the UNDP in the name of housecleaning might be flushing down the Memory Hole. But surely it’s worth finding out? If this equipment holds any records whatsoever, it is highly relevant to any serious inquiry that these servers could have been used starting as early as the 1990s, and onward, which for the UNDP was a busy time in Pyongyang. For instance, that would cover at least part of the time frame in which the UNDP was shoveling money to its Pyongyang office via Macau’s Banco Delta Asia — a bank later designated by the U.S. Treasury as “willing to turn a blind eye to illicit activity, notably by its North Korean-related clients,” as detailed in March, 2007 by Treasury’s Stuart Levey, Under-Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

Even if these servers and related equipment had nothing directly to do with North Korea, it is worth keeping in mind that the UNDP runs a global network — in which many projects interconnect. Is it possible these aging computer servers might have been involved in any of the exchanges involving counterfeit U.S. $100 bills in the UNDP’s Pyongyang office safe? Or do they perhaps document any portion of the flow of resources, via the UNDP, to Kim Jong Il’s regime?
Or did these servers perhaps have some relevance to the period in which Kofi Annan’s special adviser and envoy to the Korean peninsula, Maurice Strong, was visiting Pyongyang and arranging energy-related projects with North Korea via his Kofi-Annan-approved backshop, the Costa Rica-based University for Peace?

It is of course possible that this computer equipment contains nothing but acres of tedious UN bureaucratese, and the UNDP is just trying to clear up some clutter. But is that a sure bet? There was something seriously wrong enough with the UNDP operation in North Korea that after Cash-for-Kim spilled into the media in January, the UNDP in March made the extraordinary move of closing down its Pyongyang office. Even more curious, North Korea — while wide open to UN aid — has refused to allow UN auditors in to investigate operations of the UNDP’s former operations in Pyongyang (or so the UN tells us). And somehow the UNDP has been unable to ship some of its office files out of North Korea so auditors can review them in New York. Instead, we are told by the UNDP that these files are now sitting safe and sound (and unaudited) in the offices of the UN’s World Food Program in Pyongyang.

Somehow, the UNDP seems incapable of extracting its own files from within the borders of North Korea, a UN aid client. That is especially weird, because there was apparently no problem about shipping (at exorbitant cost) U.S.-bashing books into North Korea, courtesy of the UNDP, even after the UNDP had closed its office in Pyongyang.

About the same time, the UNDP fired a whistleblower, former chief of its operations in North Korea, Tony Shkurtaj. He appealed to the UN Ethics Office, which determined that he had a legitimate grievance and deserved whistleblower protection. The UNDP rejected that finding, by way of rejecting any jurisdiction by the UN Ethics Office (which was supposed to have been one of Kofi Annan’s landmark reforms). Ban Ki-moon, who had initially promised a system-wide audit, and has been reneging all year on that promise, signed right on to the notion that the UNDP could blithely ignore the Ethics Office of the UN Secretariat. And the UNDP, in the grand UN tradition of Conflicts-of-Interest-R-Us, then announced it would hold its own inquiry into allegations of UNDP abuse.

Which brings us back to that UNDP computer equipment slated for quiet disposal. With UN auditors apparently barred from visiting North Korea to look into the UNDP’s former operations there, one might naturally hope the UN — and the UNDP management in particular — would be eager to preserve anything that might help provide a record of UNDP communications and office records going back to the 1990s.

But here we are, with the UNDP, while conducting its own inquiry into itself, arranging to scrap the servers of those years in which millions in hard cash were allegedly flowing through the UNDP — against UN rules — to Kim Jong Il, while counterfeit U.S. banknotes — against UN rules (and U.S. sovereign interests) —were reposing in the UNDP Pyongyang office safe.
If the UNDP’s problem is storage space, I’d guess there are any number of media outlets, not to mention congressional offices, that might be willing to clear some shelf space for those old UNDP servers. And if the problem really is, as the UNDP internal document says (linked above), that it would take a lot of UN resources to donate this equipment, surely there are a couple of tech-wizard bloggers out there who might be willing to help the UNDP warehouse its old servers? — and save what might be irreplaceable but evidently inconvenient UNDP archives from imminent destruction.

Or, if the UNDP has any reason to suggest that the equipment has been destroyed already, would Mr. Dervis like to explain to us why, with so many questions still unanswered, the UNDP found it so urgent to dispose of these items?

After 12 months of rehab: Gleeson get the blessing and is on the road to Libya

Exactly 12 months ago, the Highest Priest - Kemal Dervis, fired Brian Gleeson from Head of HR and sentenced him as an advisor without "future" in a dark corner of FF building at 304 E 45th Street in Manhattan.

For 12 months Brian was humiliated to see that most of his colleagues were not even talking to him, and staff were distant.

So he decided to write a book - the memoires of a UNDP. After finishing his book he sent a copy to Sir. Mark Malloch Brown, his mentor and supporter. When Sir. Mark finished reading the book, he called Kemal Dervis and told him that Brian has completely "rehabilitated" and he should no longer be considered a threat.

Therefore the High Priest, decided without any selection process to appoint Brian Gleeson as Representative of Secretary General in Libya.

Brian example shows that the only way to survive inside UNDP is to go to rehab and "clean" your self. The most important exercise is the morning prayers in which you have to say 87 "mia-culpas" and hit the wall at least 23 times.

Thank god now Brian has totally recuperated and his head and nose has healed perfectly.

Good luck in Libya ... Brian - you deserve it bro' !!! Just be careful with the General he is not part of the The High Priest Court.

The high priests of MDGs do it again......and again ...and again!!!

Like any masonic association, one aspect of UNDP that irks many is its secrecy, another one is the identity(s) and the documents it preserves inside its systems. These days the Head Priest, Kemal Dervis is running UNDP in total secrecy. For those who are "lucky enough" to get a blessing from the "inner circle" witness breath-taking career leaps, inside this secretive lodge. Like St. Peri Johnson or Brian Gleeson (Will have more on this separately)

After almost two years on the job, Kemal Dervis's "house of secrets" has started to leak, and leak badly. And the problem seem to be Kemal himself, with his desire to run the organization (if he could) with no fax-es, no cell phones, no emails or email - servers, no notes, no records and no interviews.

But let's review what happen during 2007 with this House of High Priests.


January 2007:

The United States Mission at the UN, demarched on UNDP in early January 2007, demanding answers on their activities in UNDP Pyongyang, Kemal Dervis and Ad Melkert immediately responded in downplaying and denying all allegations stating that: - "the world would see that UNDP does not operate in Pyongyang in CASH or in Hard currency, and UNDP had no counterfeit in their possession".

January 19:

Secretary General Ban KI Moon calls for a UNDP wide investigation and promises a final report in 90 days.

March 2007:

Barely two months later, Kemal Dervis was unable to continue to lie and he and his deputy were obliged to go themselves at the offices of United States Secret Service to deliver the US$ counterfeit notes that were in UNDP Pyongyang safe. Still when Secret Service demand to question a list of UNDP staffers, UN denies to waive their immunities and Secret Service Investigation is discontinued.

The same March, Kemal Dervis would announce (06 Mar 2007) that the UNDP is closing down the offices in Pyongyang because the North Korean government denied further cooperation and to follow UNDP's rules and regulations, as well as demanded continuation of hard currency payments.

April 2007 :

Despite the fact that the investigation of Board of Auditors was continuing, UNDP dispose all assets in Pyongyang giving it all to Kim Jong Il regime, as well as all project related documentations. In April 24th UNDP also dispose the email and data servers of UNDP Pyongyang. When asked "why" - UNDP responded that they had already downloaded all data and sent those to Board of Auditors. But Board of Auditors in their report claim they never received any data from UNDP.


May 2007 :

Board of Auditors declare that UNDP had in fact violated its own rules and regulations, and that UNDP had not provided any files nor evidences, nor access to North Korean offices to the auditors.


June 2007 :

Ethics office takes over a case of retaliation from a UNDP staff, and declares the staff whistleblower and that UNDP had in fact retaliated against.


August 2007 :

UNDP in cooperation with Ban Ki Moon declare the Ethics Office decision - non valid and demand to have its own external investigation, declaring though independence from the United Nations.


September 2007 :

Despite public and internal discontent, Kemal Dervis appoints the new "independent panel" and pre-judge its conclusions on its very first day. Meanwhile UNDP Management initiate (once again) the disposal of all UNDP Headquarters servers. Despite the UNDP and UN rules which states that no files or servers shall be disposed before 8 years, and independent inspection from Auditors to ensure that servers memories are properly stored in UN.

**No one understands why UNDP when in middle of Audits find the need to dispose of servers (email & data)

November 2007 :

UNDP hires Identyx.com to start an ID clean-up of all UNDP HQs and systems in order to ensure that no mapping of who-did-what during the years is ever traced.

Also in November FoxNews published an article on Syria and how UNDP have provided sensitive technology, circumventing US commercial laws and embargoes. Now the Congress and Senate are opening another investigation, this time to find out who inside the State Department and Commerce Department is helping the High Priests.


Thanks to tens of UNDP staffers from around the globe, UNDP Watch is now going to focus on substantial evidences of wrongdoing across the organization and bring that to the public. Would be up to Ban Ki Moon to follow it thru or not.

UNDP Pyongyang (red) and WFP Pyongyang(Yellow





















UNDP Beijing (Red) and Maurice Strong Office/Home (Yellow)

The File list of Box 20 out of 59

Cell-pics of the Boxes and contents located in second floor of the UNDP Beijing

David Morrison where is the NetAid money ??

on the first anniversary of NetAid, David Morrison was vaunting himself about this major achievement of UNDP's then Leader - Sir Mark Malloch Brown and CISCO.

As he putted it: " the launch of NetAid.org was really a launch of an idea about using Internet to fight poverty".

But 7 years later, Ban Ki Moon on March 2007, claimed that UN and Member States will fail to meet their millennium goal to fight poverty and reduce it by half by 2015. Because the western countries have been very stingy.

Today the UNDP staff looking at these kind of failed billion dollars enterprises, created by UNDP, cannot but express their deep dismay and concern where the MONEY went ?

No one is able to translate in UNDP or even give explanations of where are the Audits of the NetAid ? Some say there were no audits during the whole NetAid life under UNDP ownership. Billions of dollars, mega-million events for money raising world-wide, VIP and Hollywood Stars involved in raising millions that today no one knows where they are.

But the man behind NetAid, today is the UNDP's spokesperson. David Morrison continues to dodge questions on NetAid, while he is very busy to lie about what UNDP does and how it does it.

One thing is for sure, if the United States of America are serious about the transparency and accountability in the UN and UNDP, they have to demand Ban Ki Moon to waive the immunity of David Morrison and allow this cute-blondie to be interviewed by the prosecutors and give the public the anser they are waiting for - for 8 long years.

The UNDP staff want justice, the hungry and the poor in Africa as much as those in the South Bronx - want justice !!

Instead of fighting Bush Administration over Iraq Funding, the US Congress and Senate should put their attention into where the money of NetAid and other UN and UNDP initiatives went.

US Senate: United Nations are undermining US National Security !!

seven US Senators have written a letter on November 14th, to Ms. Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State, demanding that the current administration continue to pressure the UN to implement the reforms and institutionalizing internal control mechanisms and a system of justice for all.

In the letter the Senators, Coburn, Kyl, Brownback, Coleman, Vitter, DeMint and Ensign, applaud the United States latest Initiative in seeking greater transparency and accountability at the United Nations (UNTAI). While they remind the Secretary of State that : -"the US taxpayers invests over $5 billion annually to the UN without knowing how most of it is spent" and that her own department should be doing more to monitor and enforce that the UN at least be transparent with the Untied States on how they spend their $5 billion.

UNTAI is a flagship achievement of the United States Mission to the UN, which has been in the making since the times of Amb. John Bolton. If it wasn't for Amb. John Bolton and Amb. Mark Wallace (and his team), this initiative might have lost grip in the bureaucratic labyrinths of State Department, and be undermined by those within the State Department who think that the UN should be "left alone and do whatever they want with the US - $5 billion".

The initiative intends to re-energize the UN and its agencies and ensure that they establish internal mechanisms that would strengthen accountability towards the member states of the UN, as well as implement a new reporting mechanism that would make public all internal audits of the UN as well as programme and project budgets.

While the initiative has had a major impact outside the UN, the UN Internal News distribution system barred this initiative for being known from the staff around the world.

For those that wants to know more about it please visits this website: United Nations Transparency & Accountability Initiative

Ban Ki Moon and his mess in Lebanon ?

In the last 11 months Ban Ki Moon has shown that he not only has been a total failure in reforming the UN and increasing transparency inside the world body, but has totally failed as the top diplomat as well.

From Afganistan to Sudan and now in Lebanon, he has shown that he is/was selected to be just Ban Ki Moon - DO NOTHING.

Lately Ban got into a plane to try to solve the Lebanon matter. Before that he met with the French President at the UN and promised him that the United Nations would recognize unilateraly any "pro-western" president that would be able to get selected. He gave the French President the "hopes" that the UN body would do so even if the president is selected only from current majority, meaning without opposition.

When in Lebanon, Ban got mad that why his advisors have brought him there at the same time with the Ministers of Italy, France and Spain. He shouted saying that he: -"couldn't do much there if others were already messing the issue up". So he spent about 300 thousand dollars of tax payers money for a failed mission, and return back home in New York.

Meanwhile in Lebanon the situation is getting worse by the hour. After Lahoud left, the Government is trying to grab the Presidential powers.

Opposition leader Michel Aoun warned the Cabinet that "usurping the role of the presidency" would increase its "illegitimacy."

It was unclear if Lahoud sought to give the military any powers beyond security measures.
The military command declined to comment on the president's statement, but Suleiman, the military commander, told his troops earlier in the week to ignore the constitutional wrangling and "listen to the call of duty."

The anti-Syria camp has sought to capture the presidency to seal the end of Syria dominance of Lebanon, which lasted for 29 years until international pressure and mass protests forced Damascus to withdraw Syrian troops in 2005.

Hezbollah, which is an ally of Syria and Iran, and its opposition allies have been able to stymie the government's hopes by boycotting parliament, as they did Friday afternoon when the majority tried to convene a session to vote before Lahoud left office.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is aligned with the opposition, scheduled another session for Nov. 30 to give the factions more time to try to find a compromise candidate — something they failed to do in weeks of talks mediated by France's foreign minister and others.

Leaders from each side had been pledging not to take steps to provoke the other — though Lahoud's announcement raised the heat.

"We have no choice but to have a consensus," Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syria majority in parliament, said after the failed session. "It is not in Lebanon's interest that the (presidential) palace is left empty."

While the world should understand and create the conditions to the Lebanese people and politicians to come to an agreement, without interfering, Ban Ki Moon should understand that his presence makes things even worst. He should keep out of this places, otherwise will end like in Afganistan where millions were paid in ransome to terrorists.

South Korea transfer Trust Funds to UNEP and continues its pass-thru CASH to Kim Jong Il

Until March 26 2007, the United Nations Environmet Programme (UNEP) was represented in North Korea from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). UNEP had no offices in North Korea and for the past decade has been channeling its project contributions to Kim Jong Il thru the local UNDP, which would disburse all the above in CASH to Kim Jong Il staffers.

After accepting that it was operating in North Korea against its own rules and regulations, and not finding any common ground for further cooperation with North Korean Authorities, the UNDP closed down its offices in Pyongyang effective 06 March 2007. Last two UNDP staffers left North Korea on 1st of May 2007.

When UNDP acknowledged that it was operating against its own rules, it was representing at least 38 UN Agencies and Funds in North Korea, and making payments and managing projects on their behalf. (including UNEP)

Strangely enough though, none of the other UN agencies in North Korea left the country, even though all of them are currently continuing to operate under the same practices for which UNDP was obliged to close down its own operations.

Still closing down the operations of UNDP was a huge blow for South Korea Government which have channeled most of its PASS-THRU CASH thru UNDP and other UN agencies.

Immediately after UNDP left, Ban Ki Moon together with Lyn Pascoe prepared a secreet document in which they demand that all agencies including UNDP - return to Pyongyang, because this was very important and strategic for the "UN".

Now the South Korean's which cannot leave Kim Jong Il without cash, signed today an agreement with a non-existing agency - UNEP for an amount of 4 million dollars for projects between the two Koreas.

The only question though is how is UNEP going to operate in North Korea, when is known that UNEP has no offices in North nor in South ?

How are they going to channel the funds to Mr. Ri Hung-sik, the Secretary General and head of the National Coordinating Committee for UNEP (NCC-UNEP).

Will see - meanwhile sources tell that UNEP and UNDP China are arranging for a joint-programme implementation unit that will entail being focal points for North Korea as well. Vineet Bhatia (DRR) and Paul Brewah (OM) of North Korean UNDP, are in Beijing and lately have been shopping for a "triumphal" return to Pyongyang, after 6 months of night life in Beijing.

-------------------


Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Date: 22 Nov 2007
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South Korea contributes more than US$4 million to first environmental project between two Koreas
Nairobi/Bangkok, 22 November 2007-The United Nations Environment Programme and the Republic of Korea today signed an agreement for establishing a Trust Fund that addresses key environmental issues in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Republic of Korea will contribute US$4.4 million in total for this project. The first venture of its kind on the environment between the two Koreas, the Trust Fund will tackle forest depletion, declining water quality, air pollution, land degradation and biodiversity in DPR Korea. It will also support eco-housing initiatives as well as conservation and management of the Taedong watershed, environmental education, integrated environmental monitoring system, clean development mechanism and renewable energy technology.
"This multilateral cooperation with UNEP is of great significance for both South and North Korea and a huge step forward in addressing pressing environmental issues in DPR Korea,"said LEE Kyoo-Yong, Ph.D., Minister of Environment of the Republic of Korea.
The past decade has seen declining forests in DPR Korea due to timber production, firewood consumption, wild fires and insect attacks associated with drought, population growth and conversion of land to agricultural production. Pollution of rivers and streams has become severe in recent years, particularly in the Taedong River, which flows through central Pyongyang. DPR Korea's reliance on coal for power generation, industrial processes and domestic heating also led to serious air pollution, particularly in cities like Pyongyang and Hamhung.
To counter this, the country has encouraged community, youth and children's groups to establish tree nurseries and to participate in campaigns such as the National Tree Planting Day on March 2 every year. The government is currently strengthening legal control on effluent from factories by applying the"Polluter Pays Principle" and has initiated mass media campaigns to inform the public of the need for water conservation.
Environmental protection was also recognized as a priority issue and a prerequisite for sustainable development after a series of natural disasters in the mid-1990s led to a critical drop in yields of major crops. In 1998, DPR Korea revised its constitution and designated environmental protection as a priority over all productive practices and identified it as a prerequisite for sustainable development. National laws on forests, fisheries, water resources and marine pollution were also adopted.
"This agreement will build on the momentum that DPR Korea has begun. It will also go a long way in strengthening the spirit of cooperation between the two countries," said UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
Since 2000, UNEP has been working in partnership with the National Coordinating Committee for Environment and UNDP to strengthen the capacity of the national government for environmental assessment and monitoring and implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements. In 2004, UNEP and DPR Korea signed a Framework Agreement for Cooperation in Environment. The first DPR Korea State of the Environment report was also launched that year.
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Satwant Kaur, Regional Information Officer, United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, on Tel: +66 2 288-2314, email: Kaur@un.org.
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson, on Tel: 254 20 623084, Mobile: 254 733 632755 or E-mail: nick.nuttall@unep.org
Notes to Editors:
The population of DPR Korea was 22 million during 1996 and growth trends show that by 2020 the population will be around 29 million.
In DPR Korea more than 80 percent of the land area consists of mountainous terrain where suitable land for the cultivation is limited. Severe degradation of land resources has been closely associated with natural disasters like landslides, flooding and the incidence of drought in recent years had substantial impacts on sustainable management of land resources, in particular agricultural production. The inundation of arable land by flooding in 1995 inflicted damage estimated at US$925 million.
The bulk of remaining forests are in the mountains. Seventy percent of this forest stands on slopes above 20o. Forest degradation in DPR Korea leads to: decrease of timber resources and habitats, weakness in control function of the biosphere on atmosphere and hydrology, loss of biological species, flooding and soil erosion.
With expansion of industry and population growth, problems related to water conservation and management are emerging. The demand for drinking water, public water supply and water for industrial and other needs is increasing with economic development and the improvement in standards of living.
Together with industrial development and population growth, air quality is deteriorating, particularly in urban and industrial areas. The major causes of air pollution have been associated with industrial boilers, kilns, motor vehicles in and around cities and industrial areas.
DPR Korea meets its primary energy demand by using domestic coal resources, releasing sulphur dioxide, suspended particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen. These are the main air pollutants associated with coal combustion. Primary energy consumption is expected to double in 2020.
The volume of municipal solid waste generated from Pyongyang is estimated to be 420 thousand tonnes per annum.
Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP and LEE Kyoo-Yong, Minister of Environment, Republic of Korea, sign an agreement.

Playing God – UNFPA throw a millionaire party with tax payers money.

When you hear of Bill Gates or any Hollywood Star throwing a million dollar party, you seat in front of the TV, envying what these people have and how this people made their money and how come god doesn’t make you as reach as them.

But at the end, you go look yourself in the mirror and you understand that you have neither Bill Gates brain, nor Tom Cruise beauty nor you can play God and move furniture around your own apartment or even turn your boss into a turkey and eat him for thanksgiving.

The problem is that at the United Nations many managers and staffers have forgotten to check themselves in front of a mirrow and they are continuing to play Bill Gates or Tom Cruise or even playing God’s representative on earth.

From November 11 to 16, the “poorest” United Nations Agency, the United Nations Fund for Population spent more than 1.5 million dollars for their annual Global Meeting.

While CEOs of CITI and other top 500 hundred companies are loosing their jobs for miss-management, because they were not being diligent and saveguarding their company’s and investors interest, at the UN - its Agencies can afford to throw million dollars for a meeting a retreat. All this as if the United Nations doesn’t have at least 50 conference room, which more than half are free most of the time and can accommodate half of Manhattan, and currently are being used from Delegates as sleeping / relax rooms.

But with UNFPA the problem is not only the million dollar party. At UNFPA staff has to make their money too out of this deal.

On 21st August 2007, the UNFPA Contract Review Committee reviewed the submission for a waiver of competitive bid with Doral Forrestal Marriot Hotel and Convention Center. As if it wasn’t enough the UNFPA management increased the contract by an additional US$ 93,925.00 to US$ 620,759.94. The Committee approved the Submission Nr# 07/78 in the name of the poor and the “omnipotent” that seat in United Nations Population Fund. Two of those that think of themselves as Vatican Representatives in New York and sent by god to UNFPA, Bill Musoke and Mari Simonen signed the submission and thought that this would definitely help more people understand why they have to use condoms.

On top of that UNFPA realized that while the above amount was only for rooms, they also needed some food and why not telecommunication and why not porno movies in their rooms. Well since the main theme of the organization is distributing condoms, why not check out which are the latest techniques in modalities of use. So they added another US$ 700,000, and made the amount 1,3 Million.

One of the problems that were discussed in the meeting was to find those responsible for sending lately XXL (extra-large) condoms to North Korea, knowingly that that shipment was directed to Nigeria, which instead received the S (small) ones. Meanwhile the management praised the role of the UNFPA representative in China, for being diligent and not letting the XXL's getting to North Korea at all, they were spoted and kept in customs in China. At least they avoided a scandal. But at the end after doing some auto-critic and those responsible promised not to do it again, it was decided to switch the condoms for an additional cost of US$ 150,000 and bring the poor Nigerian’s their XXL version.

While Khalilzad of USUN is preparing his briefing to the US Congress and Senate to convince them why they have to consider giving additional funds to UNFPA, and ensure them that the Nigerians and North Koreans would no longer receive the wrong sizes, and how good UNFPA is and how they offered to throw in some "incentives" for their next programmes in Nigeria and North Korea.

Meanwhile - this morning, at his 60 million US$ house, Bill Gates is in front of his mirror asking god why he didn’t make him a United Nations Employee !!

UNDP tampering North Korean evidence in Beijing

UNDP has officially announced since January 2007 that they would bring out of Pyongyang the official documents of UNDP North Korea.

David Morrison, the UNDP Spokesperson reassured the public that Timo Pakkala, the Resident Representative of the UNDP in North Korea was on his way to New York (in mid March) with all the box-es.

But all of that was a total LIE !!! Auditors never saw the documents. Ethics Office never made it to the UNDP door steps.

UNDP and Ban Ki Moon never wanted the documents to make it to New York in the hands of the Auditors nor of those of the Ethics Officer (Benson). As Kim Woon-So of the Office of Ban Ki Moon reportedly said in a closed meeting with UNDP, in late May 2007: " The content of those documents is too toxit to come here in NY - please handle all out of the reach of the Americans".

Finally the boxes with the UNDP documentation made out of Pyongyang and are stored in UNDP Beijing, located on the outskirts of the third ring in a heavy military guarded compound. Staff from Beijing office say that the boxes are now located in the private residence of the UNDP Resident Representative in Beijing, a Pakistani and a long time protege of Hafiz Pasha, the Director of the Regional Bureau of Asia Pacific in New York.

But in Beijing, 300 ft from where the boxes are located, there is another one watching and making sure those boxes are "un-touched". This is Maurice Strong, from his home-office located in the Landmark Towers, Mr. Strong can see what is happening in the UNDP compound from the windows located in the rear of his bedroom. Strong wants to make sure that the content of those boxex- where are located hundreds of documents from his time when he was Annan's special representative for North korea, never makes it to the auditors. He is more interested on the Documetns located on the Project Box 38 - which contains Energy Related Documents and Deals.

Meanwhile, UNDP has taken all steps not to fail this time to make sure that the files are cleaned-up properly. On their way to China are Timo pakkala (RR), Vineet Bhatia (DRR), Paul Brewah (OM), David Lockwood (Deputy Regional Director), Napoleon Navarro (Desk Officer of North Korea in New York), and at least 5 more staffers from Darshak Shah's (Comptroller) and Julie Anne Mejia's (Treasurer) office in New York.

What strikes the most is that all the above travelers, appear on the list (Mar 2007) of the Southern District Attorney's and have been called-upon for their direct or indirect knowledge and involvement in the non-disclosing United States Dollars Counterfeit.

But since all of them are under UN immunity, they are untouchable and as an old Korean word says: " the secreet will rest with them".

Another team is also directed to Beijing - 6 koreans (2 from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 4 from Ministry of Reunification) are on their way to check the boxes before they make it to the Independent Pannel. The Koreans wants to make sure that nothing in the boxes will or can lead back to the pass-thru mechanisms used from the South Korean Government to funel CASH to the Kim Jong Il regime through the UN System. They want to delete any trace that might lead to the current candidate for Presidential candidate of UNDP - Mr. Chung Dong-Young in South Korea (Former Minister of Reunification) as well as any lead that might get to their former boss - former Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea - Ban Ki-Moon (UN Secretary general).

Meanwhile in New York the Independent Panel of Investigation, is trying to rap-up their 1-hour interviews, and rush into conclusion on what happen in North Korea in 15 years, in barely 20 days. It doesnt matter anymore if UNDP was found guilty from Board of Auditors and Ethics Office.

The involvement of Ban Ki Moon and Kemal Dervis on the deal, and ultimately of Mr. Chung Dong-Young - seem to makes it harder for the Americans to pursue and demand accountability on this story. The United States Mission to the UN (USUN) seem to have been ordered from high level officials in Washingtong to let this pass, and not pursue the matter further.

The question is who are these "high level officials" in State Department that have no interest on US justice to pursue the Counterfeit of the American Dollars ?? Are these the same officials who gave UNDP and CISCO in late 2006 the export Licences for the high-tech gadgets for Syria??

We will have more on this and UNDP Watch is further investigating this story.

On UN Accountability, Many Words But Few Answers, "Growing Mistrust" Noted

On UN Accountability, Many Words But Few Answers, "Growing Mistrust" Noted
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, November 20 -- When high UN officials give talks about accountability, expect extensive statements followed by the dodging or deferral of questions. This is one lesson taught by the UN University's public forum Tuesday at the African Union's office.

Under Secretary General for Management Alicia Barcena began the proceedings with a comprehensive 24-minute speech ranging from the protection of whistleblowers to the release of internal audits, which she said should only happen after discussions between auditors and their targets. Afterwards there was time, UNU said, for only five minutes of questions. Inner City Press asked for the Secretariat's position on whether whistleblowers at UN funds and programs should be able to go to the UN Ethics Office established by the General Assembly in 2005, or should be relegated to the in-house officers such as that recently set up the UN Development Program. Ms. Barcena said that UN Ethics Officer Robert Benson, on the next panel, would answer.

Likewise, when Inner City Press asked about a statement she made about making public the UN's financial disclosure forms for senior officials, Ms. Barcena said that Benson should be the one to answer. The only question Ms. Barcena did answer concerned when the "compacts" between the Secretary General and his USGs will be made public. "In 2008," she said. We'll see.

On the panel that followed, Robert Benson told an interesting story about his previous job in Canada, in which the office's budget was online. "The Internet has wider dissemination than the New York Times," Benson said, calling online disclosure the best accountability mechanism. The next speaker, Jane Holl Lute of the UN's Department of Field Support, did not seem to agree. She derided those who say that transparency means letting everyone know everything all the time. That's "gossip... which is also prevalent" at the UN, she said. Inner City Press asked her after her talk about the UN's $250 million no-bid contract with Lockheed Martin's subsidiary PAE, which documents show she began pushing on a sole source basis as far back at April 2007. She replied that this was not the right forum to discuss a particular contract, but that all rules were followed.

In fact, rules were waived to circumvent bidding. The outgoing chairman of the UN's Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions Rajat Saha, sitting next to Jane Holl Lute, publicly advised her that more planning should have been done, earlier -- that is, that that $250 million contract should have been put out to bid. In fact, Tuesday in the Fifth Committee Russia demanded an investigation into the no-bid contract and how it was awarded, adding its voice to those of the African Group, Egypt and even Canada the previous day. "I wasn't in the Fifth Committee yesterday," said Jane Holl Lute. Word to the wise: unless it's viewed as gossip, the session are taped, and are available in the basement just outside the meeting room.
Rajat Saha in the Congo, PAE contract(s) not shown


Mr. Saha, speaking in his personal capacity, said that in the past ten years he has seen a "breakdown of trust between the Secretary General and the member states." Saha specifically condemned the Secretariat's propensity to demand more money for more posts without even rationalizing or consolidating the posts that had already been funded. An audience member was reminded of Mr. Saha demanding answers from the head of the Office of Human Resources Management Jan Beagle, with ever increasing directness. "We need to address this concept of mistrust," Mr. Saha said. Indeed. His rare public speech should shortly be available, in edited form, on the UNU website.

After his panel presentation, Inner City Press asked Robert Benson about the release of financial disclosures. Benson explained that the Secretary General signed off a few weeks ago on a process by which he, Benson, will seek the consent of USGs to the release of their, but not the spouses' or dependents', financial disclosures. He said that the policy will cover UNDP's Administrator and presumably anyone else with USG rank.

He expressed a willingness to come and briefing the press. On the jurisdiction of his office, he stated that the recent Chief Executive Board meeting had decided that each fund and program will have its own ethics officer, but that whistleblowers who end up feeling that this is not independent enough may be allowed to appeal to Benson's office. He said this will be spelled out in a forthcoming Administration Instruction by the Secretariat. Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesperson Tuesday when this will come out. We'll tell you when it does, was the answer. And that's accountability.

Later in the UNU program, two officials from the UN Development Program spoke: controller Darshak Shah and Jen Wandel of UNDP "Center for Business Solutions." Meanwhile, UNDP reported moved 52 boxes of documents from North Korea to its building in Beijing, but will not bring them to New York, on the theory that they could somehow be tampered with. By who?

UNDP Orchestrates Danish-Led Ethics Evasion, Dangles Melkert Off the Record, As Legal Ruling Is Sought

UNDP Orchestrates Danish-Led Ethics Evasion, Dangles Melkert Off the Record, As Legal Ruling Is Sought

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 23, updated Aug. 24, 10 a.m. -- Six days after the UN Ethics Office urged the UN Development Program to stop blocking it 73-day old inquiry into retaliation against whistleblower Tony Shkurtaj, UNDP finally responded, if only indirectly. UNDP procured from the president of its Executive Board a statement "suggest[ing]," as a replacement of the Ethics Office proceeding, "a review, led by one or more individuals who are highly respected internationally, neutral, and external to UN system."

However, a statement not publicized by UNDP or the Danish mission is said to provide that this "respected" and purported "external" expert will be chosen from three names nominated by UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis. Tony Shkurtaj told Inner City Press on Thursday that this represents a retaliator choosing the person who will investigate him -- the fox investigating the hen house.

Shkurtaj's response Thursday came in the form of two letters, one to Dervis, the other to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Shkurtaj is asking that the legal dispute concerning the Ethics Office's jurisdiction over UNDP be put to the UN's Administrative Tribunal on an expedited basis.

Thursday at the UN's noon briefing, Ban's spokesperson refused to comment on the six-page letter from the U.S. Mission to Dervis, copied to Ban's chief advisor Kim Won-soo and Kim's chief of staff, Chris Coleman. "We do not comment on leaked letters," the spokesperson said. She later clarified that there would be no comment because "the letter was not addressed to the Secretary-General." It is unclear if by this logic she, on behalf of Ban, will provide a comment on Shkurtaj's August 23 letter to the Secretary-General, click here for a copy. The letter was also copied, among others, to OIOS chief Inga-Britt Ahlenius.

UNDP also ramped up its spin machine, gossiping darkly to journalists about the whistleblower, and quietly scheduling an "off the record" briefing by Associate Administrator Ad Melkert, not inviting those journalists who report the most on UNDP. Melkert is said to be slated to spin Friday at 10 a.m. -- at exactly the same time as Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Margareta Wahlstrom, whom Melkert knows, is to brief about the UN's response to natural disasters. This is the coordination of messages for which the UN is so widely known, thanks to the UN Communications Group.

Update of August 24, 9:51 a.m. -- The Melkert briefing this morning is off-the-record; Inner City Press is informed that it will be in Dutch, for Dutch journalists. Push-back at negative press Melkert's gotten in the Dutch press in the whistleblower retaliation case? We'll see. A Sunny story this morning about U.S. Amb. Khalilzad's surprising stance on the UN Ethics Office's jurisdiction over UNDP says it conflicts with Amb. Wallace. For now we note that it conflicts also with what Amb. Alejandro Wolff said earlier in the week at the Security Council stakeout, video here...

On Thursday, expecting that the Ethics Office stand-off would be discussed, Inner City Press attended an hour-long informal meeting of UNDP's Executive Board in the basement of UN Headquarters. (The meeting, with 117 closely-packed attendees, was in Conference Room 7, which dubiously says it has a capacity of 155.) The Board's chairman afterwards told Inner City Press that the Ethics Office was not discussed because "you'll see a statement by the [Board] president this afternoon."

Surprisingly, in the hour of the meeting, only four questions were asked, by representatives of Cuba, the UK, US and Colombia. U.S. representative Joel Malkin jokes with other participants, and asked only if the country reports shown from the first time in September will be voted on in June. (Yes, if you're wondering.) The UK's representative was keen to know if Kemal Dervis would make one or two presentations in the opening session of the UNDP Executive Board meeting.

UNFPA also spoke, but not about the buzz in the building that Thoraya Obaid has been asked to leave in October, or wait to December but receive fewer benefits. "Another post has been given to Saudi Arabia," an insider told Inner City Press, "and now Obaid is expendable."

Another UN program which has been mismanaged, having tarried in getting audited financial statements done and been opaque in relocation, is the UN Office of Project Services, UNOPS. Trying to avoid, it seems, the confrontation UNDP is in, UNOPS' chief counsel has highlighted to all staff information about the UN Ethics Office -- not that they are "100% applicable," of course:

From: David MITCHELS
Sent: Mon 8/20/2007 4:17 PM
To: UNOPS - ALL STAFF
Subject: Ethics: new documents from UNHQ Dear Colleagues,

New documents from the UN Ethics Office have been posted on the UNOPS Ethics Information intranet site. The above-listed documents each provide quick, excellent summaries of specific UN ethics policies and issues. They are not 100% applicable to UNOPS, because they are aimed at a Secretariat readership, but they are very useful, simple guides to these sometimes difficult subjects. The Intro to Ethics Office Brochure answers common questions about the UN Ethics Office and its policies. It also explains what exactly the Ethics Office does, and where the UN Ethics rules come from. The Conflict of Interest Brochure explains how to manage, avoid, and be aware of conflicts of interest. The Financial Disclosure Program Brochure explains which staff members the program applies to, and summarizes how the program works. Lastly, the Protection Against Retaliation Policy Brochure explains when you are/are not protected by the policy, and what/what not to do if you suffer retaliation as a result of reporting misconduct. I recommend that you take some time to review these materials.

There are many who ought to review before propounding on the policy. From the transcript of Thursday's noon briefing, with annotations --
Question: There is a letter from the US Mission to Mr. Benson of the Ethics Office, copied to the 38th floor [names inaudible] -- [Inner City Press note: it was clear, it was Kim Won -soo and] Chris Coleman and others, saying... urging once again that the Ethics Office asserts its jurisdiction, complete its... and citing actually the General Assembly resolution that took note of the Ethics Office that said that the Ethics Office should be system-wide. So clearly, however you characterize it, the stakes have been raised... Another argument has been made for Mr. Benson, but also the 38th floor, to reconsider whether the Ethics Office should complete this work. Has that been received by the 38th floor, and what is the status of the UNDP doing its own inquiry, given that I was just at the Executive Board meeting downstairs and the issue was not even raised, did not come up? What happens next?

Spokesperson: About that leaked letter to the Ethics Office: I will not comment on that letter addressed to Mr. Benson by an Ambassador from a Member State. I can only say that the US Mission has been in touch with the Secretary-General's office, that we have explained to them our position on the matter, and that the US Mission has expressed its understanding of the Secretary-General’s response. As I said yesterday, the Secretary-General is determined to have ethical norms applied throughout the system. However, at the moment, the Ethics Office does not have jurisdiction over UNDP. We are now waiting for the announcement by UNDP’s Executive Board of the complementary external review they have announced. I have nothing more to say on this. What I will say is that, if you have further questions please go to UNDP.

Not only has UNDP not answered questions since July 30, and kept silent about Melkert's August 24 "off the record" press availability -- Kemal Dervis has held only two press conferences in over two years.

Question: Is there going to be a briefing any time soon?
Spokesperson: Please talk to them.
Question: One last thing. I want to understand this idea of leaked letters. Often here we will ask you, saying a Government has called on the UN to do something. And you respond to it. You’ll say, yes, we have noticed that... and a call for action, and we say this.
Spokesperson: Well, this was not addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Neither are the pleas of internally displaced people in Somalia (Ms. Montas said, let them write to Nairobi.).
Question: But it was cc-edd to his...
Spokesperson: It was not addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

One reporter -- not this one -- muttered, but it was sent to the functional Secretary-General.
And then, the promised Danish statement, also annotated:

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF UNDP / UNFPAs EXECUTIVE BOARD
23 August 2007

"The UN Board of Auditors (UNBOA) is preparing to begin the second phase of an external audit of the operations of UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNDP in DPRK, as requested by the UN Secretary-General.

However, as noted by the UNBOA, the second phase of the audit will not cover the full range of issues and allegations that have been put forward regarding UNDP's operations in DPRK. As President of the Executive Board, I have, therefore, suggested the undertaken of a complimentary review, led by one or more individuals who are highly respected internationally, neutral, and external to UN system. The review would look into all of the issues that are not covered by the UNBOA, including allegations of retaliation against individuals who have raised concerns and other complaints. UNDP Senior Management fully supports the external review and has assured that it will cooperate fully and make sure that all relevant documentation and information are made available to the independent review team.

Note: This line makes it clear to some that "the fix is in;" moreover, UNDP admits to not having information is needed, information that Inner City Press is told will only be provided to the Ethics Office.

In addition to the allegations related to UNDP's operations in DPRK, the review might also examine UNDP's broader accountability and oversight policies, including protection of whistleblowers. The policies on these matters will also be discussed when the Executive Board meets in September.

The Secretary General has welcomed the plan to appoint such a team and proceed with an independent review.

This also says to some that the fix is in. Ban's spokesman continued to claim that he would have wanted coherence on this, but can't "overrule" Dervis -- while Denmark since he has already "welcomed" an end run against his own Ethics Office.

Preliminary discussions have been held in the Bureau of the Executive Board where support in principle for such a review has so far been indicated.

Together with members of UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board, I will continue to work on the details, including ensuring endorsement of the Terms of Reference for the review and the selections of the individual(s) to head the independent review team.

Carsten Staur, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the UN [of Denmark] and President of the UNDP/UNFRP Executive Board

The Terms of Reference circulated reportedly mention the Pyongyang counterfeit, call the whistleblower a mere "contractor," and say that Dervis would nominate the three final contestants for the (thankless) post. Make it a TV show: Who Wants to Participate in a Cover-up? Developing* * *