UN employees have voted ‘No Confidence’ in Top Leaders
A union representing United Nations staff has voted “no confidence” in senior management, including Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The vote is largely symbolic and has no effect over Annan’s job or anyone else’s. But it isn’t a good sign for his and other top officials’ effectiveness as leaders of the world body.
It is the first time in the labor organization’s history that it has cast such a vote, which happened behind closed doors Friday afternoon at U.N. headquarters in New York.
The move was in response to a series of scandals plaguing the United Nations under Annan’s leadership.
Shall we say… “The Whole World Is Watching!” (hat tip: Daniel Aronstein)
The cynic in me says that people in Europe, Canada and Australia will never hear of this.
Kofi could have solved this problem by referring it to the World Court. No fear of a verdict ever coming back during his lifetime.
The union members are upset not over the genocide in Sudan or the rampant corruption in the Oild for Food. No, they’re upset over his mishandling of the sexual harrasment issue that directly effect the members. Bottom line, there’s actually less here than meets the eye.
I think this could be an opportunity for change. This would be the perfect time to bring in Bill Clinton as his replacement. He’d do wonders there, you know he would.
Tim
Given that the unprecedented “no confidence” vote was triggered by a sexual harrassment case, do you really think its a good idea to put Bill Clinton in there in any capacity whatsoever?
It is a testament to the corruption of the UN staff that none of the corruption or failures to do anything about mass slaughter in the world bothered them enough to make a peep, but when one of their own can’t get no satisfaction they decide to act.
It is true that sexual harrasment charges are behind this but I think it also indicates an overall disenchantment with both the UN and Annan. There was a time when mum would have been the word, but now people are not afraid to criticize the UN.
And knucklehead is right, this is not the place for Bill Clinton.
Only money counts to these corrupt stooges. Wouldn’t it be nice if the US and any other country with the balls, (not mine Canadian, sorry), stopped UN funding untill Anna stepped down.
Considering that the story came from Agence France Presse, the French news agency, it will get worldwide distribution especially in South America and Asia where the news agency’s reach is strong.
The intriguing aspect of this story is that it more than suggests a cesspool reigns in Turtle Bay; cronyism, sexual harassment, not to mention outright, bribery. Not penny ante bribery I might add, not nickels and dimes, but the stench of a billion dollar bribery scandal . . . real gelte !!!
“Real” scandals – what Bob Woodward calls “holy sh** scandals” come along once every six years; the last occurred in January 1998. And, what a whopper that was !
They refused to name Kofi specifically, think he’s doing a fine job.
Powerline’s got more.
This was a New York thing. It wasn’t the Global Staff Association, but the UN Staff Council. They represent Secretariat staff in NY only.
Let’s hear it for labor unions.
But Roger, it looks like Fox has pulled a piece of the rug out from under this post: the story you link to now omits the “including Kofi Annan” line and later says that the union specifically think Annan is a super swell guy, that it’s the rest of the upper management that they are unhappy with.
I hate when news sites completely retract and contradict earlier claims without clearly acknowledging it. It tends to leave honest updaters like us bloggers out in the cold.
Still, this seems like an important (if half-assed) move by UN employees to switch the light on in the kitchen, as it were.
In tribute to the type of “leadership” shown by Kofi Annan and the UN (and with apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan):
I Am the Very Model of A Secretary General
You just knew things weren’t good over at the UN when they trashed the cafeteria several years ago. If you can’t control diplomats in a cafeteria you’re in deep kim chee.