IN RESPONSE TO BRAHIMI REPORT, COMMITTEE ON STAFF SECURITY

Press Release
3 July 2008

Hopes Brahimi Panel recommendations will be implemented more effectively
than those issued after Baghdad bombing


The Independent Panel on Safety and Security of UN Personnel and Premises World-wide, headed by Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, has released a sobering report which while it indicts the Organization for failing “to develop a culture of accountability in security management,” appears to insulate “the higher echelons of the hierarchy, including the Secretary-General from the System’s passivity observed by the Panel.

The report shows that the UN and particular individuals failed to do their duty, and in ways somewhat similar to the circumstances leading up to the 19 August 2003 attack against the United Nations in Baghdad. While the Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security took the honorable course of action by resigning, the Staff Union’s Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service does not believe that fault solely lies with one person.

In the name of accountability, the Committee calls on the Secretary-General to take fully responsibility for the insufficient implementation of the security management system approved by the General Assembly. It further calls upon him to immediately take action to prevent future tragedies from occurring and staff from being endangered; to immediately remove any individuals that failed in their duties; and to swiftly implement the reforms and recommendations of the Brahimi Panel. The Committee urges – for the safety of all staff – that more effective reforms be instituted that will prevent loss of life on the scale experienced in Baghdad or Algiers.

The Committee is not enthused by the appointment of Mr. Ralph Zacklin—an insider who has served as a legal counsel of the United Nations peacekeeping operations—to head an “independent” accountability group that will review the responsibilities of the key individuals and offices connected with the attack on the UN premises in Algiers. The apparent conflict of interest of some members of the group, and their track record at the UN, does not portend a restoration of confidence and morale among the staff. Reliance on senior UN officials to conduct a peer review on accountability issues has proven to be a failure in the past, a situation which the long overdue reform of the internal justice is expected to rectify.

The Committee welcomes the bulk of the recommendations of Mr. Brahimi’s panel, especially with regard to ensuring adequate and sustainable funding for security and safety; establishing the principle of “no programme without security; the urgency of reorganizing the constituent security management structures into a single unified system; the importance of having a reliable, appropriate, and robust information technology (IT) support system to develop information and knowledge, critical to security analysis and threat assessment; and the Panel’s reiteration that safety is half the mandate of DSS and that a dedicated Safety Unit should be established within DSS with competent staff and resources to enhance the safety of UN personnel and to develop a system-wide guidance on air safety.

Letter to UNDP Watch on Algeria bombing

It has been 3 months now since the last posting to UNDP Watch to air the blood soaked laundry of UNDP and its negligence in Algeria which cost the lives of 13 of our colleagues and the gross mismanagement of the Security Unit for UNDP. 3 months to take action to prevent another Algeria. 3 months to make the changes in the Security Unit to make sure that rules and regulations are followed in hiring and that the falsely titled deputy chief is removed. But what has happened?

UNDP executive board has given over 30 million dollars to the Security Unit to provide for our safety after Algeria. Of course Mr. Jab Swart has been placed in charge of managing this fund again, even following his inability to give funds to Algeria when it was needed most. Each region was asked to prioritize the needs for using these funds. each responsible regional security unit focal point reviewed and approved these requests. The security unit budgeting manager reviewed and validated these requests.The Administrator and Associate Administrator have reminded everyone that security is the highest priority and that the funding is available to help protect us. But what has happened in this 3 months? NOTHING.

Mr.Jab Swart sits on his deputy chief's throne and 'manages' this fund. If you ask anyone they refer to this fund as "Jab's fund". Funds for some moving of UNDP offices have been proposed but not a penny has been issued. Almost every UNDP country office where you and I work every day far from Mr. Jab Swart in his private ofice in New York have asked for funds. What have we received NOTHING.

Mr. Jab Swart was keen to use "his" fund last year to give funds to projects he personally endorsed such as thousands for countries in Europe where his friends worked. Many thousands for other countries where there was a lesser threat than in Algeria, where again Mr. Jab Swart's friends worked or where he had worked himself. But Algeria was given funds for only some radios. How did Mr. Jab Swart think that a few radios would help against a bomb? In Mr. Jab Swart's management of security it is more important to but an armoured truck for his friends in Somalia where the staff worked from a safe hotel most of the time. For Algeria Mr. Jab Swart did virtually NOTHING.

With the blood of 13 UN colleages on his hands it could be expected that Mr. Jab Swart would be eager to make right and do for us what he refused to do for Algeria. But he has done NOTHING.

In Africa we have a saying: Rain beats a leopard's skin, but it does not wash out the spots. The rain of our colleagues' blood was not enough even to wash out Mr. Jab Swart's spots of incompetence. His background is not security and he is an incompetent manager and UNDP administration has not seen fit to remove him. Again my friends, what has been done NOTHING.

Perhaps Mr. Brahimi and his investigating team will see the truth behind Mr. Jab Swart's spots. But I and many others expect the usual NOTHING.