Posted on 04/05/2005 3:15:15 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan went before thousands of employees in a rare staff meeting Tuesday to defend the United Nations against what he called "relentless" attacks, and told them they should feel proud to work for the world body.
The meeting was billed as a chance for Annan to spell out his plans to reform the United Nations and address staff concerns at a time when the organization is enduring fierce criticism over a host of scandals, from allegations of corruption in the oil-for-food program in Iraq to sex abuse by peacekeepers and claims of harassment by senior managers.
Annan dwelled briefly on the oil-for-food scandal and a recent report from investigators led by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker. It faulted Annan's management, saying he did not properly investigate possible conflicts of interest surrounding a U.N. contract awarded to the Swiss employer of his son Kojo.
"I know it has cast a shadow over all of us, and you have no idea what a personal pain it has been for me as secretary-general and as a father having to deal with this situation," he told the staff.
Employees who filled the giant General Assembly hall were generally supportive, giving Annan a standing ovation when he walked in and applauding him heartily as he wrapped up after giving his speech.
He took 10 questions, some of them quite pointed. Bachir Al-Okla, an Arabic translator, asked what the United Nations was doing to address staff concerns that they face retribution if they speak out against corruption or malfeasance by managers.
"If these people come to you, Mr. Secretary-General, as their last resort and they ask you to interfere, will you take it upon yourself to conduct a thorough investigation?"
Annan replied that he would make sure such complaints got to the right people.
"If you have the facts, do come up with the facts, but also be prepared to accept that there has to be due process," he told Al-Okla.
Annan told another questioner the scandals would help him push U.N. reforms rather than bring about the U.N.'s demise, and acknowledged that some criticisms were warranted.
But he cautioned employees not to believe everything they see or hear in the media.
"To see the institution you devoted your life to being hammered and attacked, in most cases unfairly, was very difficult to digest and I can imagine what impact it had on you and on staff morale," Annan said. "We are dealing with people with enormous resources who are organized, coordinated, and it's relentless."
"There is lots of talent in this organization," he said. "Don't let anyone knock you and say the U.N. is filled with dead wood."
Many staff have joined in the criticism of the United Nations - something reflected in an integrity survey last year, which revealed widespread disillusionment with the performance of senior managers and displeasure about the lack of a comprehensive whistleblower policy. U.N. officials have been working on a draft for months, and are expected to put it before the staff soon.
Perhaps underscoring those fears, some employees were unwilling to go on the record to say what they thought of the meeting. Others claimed the atmosphere had not changed.
Mario Cianci, an administrative officer in the Office of Human Resources and a Staff Union representative, said he had recently filed a complaint alleging wrongdoing in his department and he was already being singled out for punishment.
"We hear that we should speak to the press and be honest and be transparent, but I have done that and I've always been told to shut up, basically," said Cianci, a 23-year U.N. veteran.
As Cianci spoke, his boss, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management Rosemary McCreery, listened nearby. When asked to comment on Cianci's remarks, she said she wasn't authorized to do so and walked away.
"You just saw here the head of human resources, my own boss, standing there, listening very carefully with her two assistants and trying to see every word that I said because later on I will be called into her office," Cianci said. "If you suffer from idealism, you come here. It's cured very quickly."
Oh, go ahead, knock on wood.
BTW, where is everybody....this is about the funniest article posted on FR all day! I wonder if Annan had any clothes on when he gave this talk.....
Kofi epitomizes incompetence. From the Rwanda debacle, to Srebrenica, to his mishandling and near total absence from the Asian Tsunami disaster he has proven himself totally and irredeemably inept. From his have presided over the UN during the Oil-For-Food scandal and his nitwit son's involvement in it; as well as the UN sex scandal, he has proven himself completely useless and there is no reason for the imbecile to even have a job.
How can this moderately retarded stuffed suit be taken seriously by anyone? What the hell drugs are the global leaders taking? Why aren't they screaming for his removal?
The UN is hopeless. Kofi is the sign, symptom and chief pathogen.
LOL.. It does have an air of a "Silliness" thread about it, huh? ;-)
I wonder who was in charge of bringing the doughnuts?
I guess that's what they call it when the MSM takes a couple of minutes off from bashing conservatives and Republicans to say something critical of a liberal.
If you can't stand the heat, Kofi, . . . you can always go back to Africa.
We know that the MSM is biased to the left, but they usually use correct language.
It looks like Nick Wadham’s “dwelled briefly” got by the numerous editors at both the Associated Press and the Bakersfield Californian.
LOL. And Oil-For Food's the least of it....
It looks like Nick Wadham’s “dwelled briefly” got by the numerous editors at both the Associated Press and the Bakersfield Californian.
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Only the AP editors.. the paper 'source' is just an intermediary ., and operate in auto feed mode for the most part.
They usually just toss up the title and content out there automatically, most of the time anyway,, which makes for some fun sometimes.
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