UNITED NATIONS, August 25 -- Alan Doss, the Special Representative of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in the Congo, is embroiled in a nepotism scandal at UNDP in New York. Meanwhile in Kinshasa, he has barred Guershom Nondo, the president of the MONUC staff union, from UN premises.
When on August 25 the Staff Union in New York sought to solve this labor problem, they were first told that the head of Peacekeeping's Department of Field Support is away from New York. Her deputy, Tony Banbury, was deemed too busy with other meetings to attend to this problem in the Congo. Finally a lower ranking official said that the "Special Representative" -- that is, Alan Doss -- would surely take care of the problem.
But how can the UN preach good governance, transparency and labor rights, particularly in the Congo, when the chief of its mission there explicitly asked the UN Development Program to bend its rules -- show him "leeway" -- and give his daughter the job of the assistant to the Deputy Director of UNDP's Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, who was subsequently pepper sprayed by UN Security after he displayed Doss' email asking for "leeway." He then allegedly bit Security Office Peter Kolonias, but that's another story.
UN's Alan Doss in Goma -- preaching?
And here is another story: a UN whistleblower who served in Liberia says that while it is a non-family duty station, Doss brought family members there, something prohibited to other UN staff, and tried to get them hired, for example by UN Volunteers. Inner City Press has been told this by several well-placed sources. The UN has still refused to answer questions posed in writing on August 14 to Ban's Spokesperson's Office and August 14 to Peacekeeping, "Please describe and account for -- including use of UN / Mission resources including air resources -- any presence by Doss family members along with Mr. Doss in DRC, and before that in Liberia (for that latter, including any effort to use UN Volunteers resources)."
For seven and ten days, no answers from the UN. Inner City Press has asked Doss for his side the the story and received a terse email that he began at DPKO on July 1, the rest is being investigated.
On August 24, Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's Spokesperson Michele Montas if, as has been said would happen, Ban has received a report on l'affaire Doss now that Ban has been back in New York for five days. No, the Spokesperson said:
Inner City Press: Marie had said … now it’s, I don’t know, about 10 days ago … that the Secretary-General took these allegations about Mr. Doss, the job that UNDP -- the whole nepotism issue seriously, and he expected to receive a report on his return to New York. I am wondering, has he received this report yet? And if not, when is he going to receive it?
Spokesperson: Well, you know, I asked the question today and the answer I got is that he has not received the report yet, and is still expecting it from UNDP.
Inner City Press: Because, the thing is, when she said it, she said it was somehow different than the UNDP one. She said he expected to receive it upon his return to New York. That’s why it sort of seemed to be maybe just an update on what had had happened, or why the investigation is taking so long.
Spokesperson: As far as I know, he has received nothing new about the case.
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