October 7, 2017 Today’s UN is becoming less and less transparent and accessible. Some examples: when Secretary General Antonio Guterres met the Foreign Minister of the Philippines on September 29, despite the issues obviously to be discussed, there was no UN read-out. (Press was even hindered from capturing the photo op by UN Security, which increasingly blocks access.) After the September 22 Cameroon meeting, the UN belatedly claimed the read-out was incomplete. And when Egypt’s al-Sisi read more [...]

September 9, 2017 - For UN General Assembly 72, the UN says it will be restricting access in Headquarters, including limiting walk-around passes for the Conference Room basement to those to which it gives office space. This two-tier system is UNjustifiable. When it was announced on Sept 8, for the first time in years no UN Security official was there to be accountable; nor was new DPI Under Secretary General Alison Smale present or answering questions. This is UNacceptable, as is the weakened wi-fi read more [...]

At United Nations headquarters more than 220 days into 2017 there has still been only one sit-down press conference involving the Secretary General, who went away for two weeks without announcing it in advance nor saying where he was, in the midst of a crisis on the Korean peninsula. What will be the situation when he belatedly has a sit-down press conference on September 13? The trial and six guilty verdicts for UN bribery against Ng Lap Seng, sole funder of South South News, show the UN, its read more [...]

June 5, 2017 --At United Nations headquarters 150 days into 2017 there has still been only one sit-down press conference involving the Secretary General. There are few to no read-outs of meetings with Foreign Ministers or even conversations with heads of state, only selective denial of others’ read-outs afterward. This is UNacceptable. The proposals for reforms have not been made public; even the budget speech to ACABQ was not released, despite a direct request. Notices of travel and stop-overs read more [...]

March 20, 2017:  At United Nations headquarters 80 days into 2017 there has been only one sit-down press conference involving the Secretary General. There are few to no read-outs of meetings with Foreign Ministers or even conversations with heads of state. Notice of travel is not given and, as is complained of in Washington, media are handpicked to cover particular legs of trips. The UN still has no Freedom of Information Act, no content neutral standards for media accreditation and no rights read more [...]