The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today\u2019s noon briefing by St\u00e9phane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.<\/p>\n
Good afternoon.\u00a0 I have a note starting on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees\u00a0(Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA).<\/p>\n
**United Nations Relief and Works Agency<\/u><\/p>\n
A short while ago, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s Commissioner-General, Pierre Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl, informed the Secretary-General that he was resigning, effective immediately.\u00a0 The Secretary-General thanked Mr.\u00a0Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl for his commitment and constant dedication to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA and to Palestine refugees.\u00a0 The Secretary-General reiterates his appreciation to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA for their excellent work, which is essential to the well-being of Palestine refugees.\u00a0 Christian Saunders was named Officer-in-Charge of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA earlier today.\u00a0 At this time, it is vital that Member States and other partners remain committed to the agency and the services it provides.\u00a0 It is also critical for the international community to support the crucial work performed by the Agency in the areas of health, education, and humanitarian assistance, which is a source of stability in a volatile region.\u00a0 This note will be emailed around shortly.<\/p>\n
\/…<\/p>\n
**Questions and Answers<\/u><\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Yes, a few questions about the announcement that you\u2019ve just made about the Commissioner\u2011General of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, because it\u2019s clearly an update on what we were told earlier on, that he was stepping aside.\u00a0 Can you please update us, because I am confused, of where the process is now? \u00a0There was the initial ethics report, and then there was the report by the OIOS [Office of Internal Oversight Services], which I believe is completed and the Secretary\u2011General has.\u00a0 So, the earlier Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA statements, he was resigning, said he was stepping aside until the completion of the process.\u00a0 Please tell us what the rest of the process is.<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 So, obviously, there was\u2026 the Note to Correspondents that we issued this morning reflected the situation as it was.\u00a0 This latest development happened in the\u2026 a short while ago.\u00a0 So, let me just\u2026 I\u2019m not going to comment on the leaked ethics report, because that was a leaked ethics report.\u00a0 Earlier, the SG had received the OIOS report relating to allegations against the Commissioner\u2011General.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s also important to reiterate that the preliminary findings of this OIOS report exclude fraud or misappropriation of operational funds by the Commissioner\u2011General.\u00a0 There are, however\u2026 there were, however, managerial issues that need to be addressed.\u00a0 Based on having received that report, the Secretary\u2011General had taken the decision, as Chief Administrative Officer, to place Mr.\u00a0Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl on administrative leave, which is sometimes done in these cases.\u00a0 Subsequently, in the last few hours, after we released the statement, Mr.\u00a0Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl took the de\u2026 his own personal decision to submit his resignation letter to the Secretary\u2011General.<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 So, contrary to the earlier Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA statement, is the process now complete?<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Well, Mr.\u00a0Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl has taken the decision to resign.<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Are there ongoing inquiries?<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 So\u2026 okay.\u00a0 So, obviously, the OIOS report will continue to be examined and looked at, and I will leave it at that for the time being\u2026<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 But there are no further\u2026 no other investigation taking place on\u2026?<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I can\u2019t comment on that.<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 And, finally, final question on this: \u00a0What is the procedure now for the appointment of a new Commissioner\u2011General?<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 The regular procedure, which involves\u2026 if I\u2019m not mistaken, also involves the Secretary\u2011General and the General Assembly, will take place in due course.\u00a0 Again, this happened within the last 30\u00a0minutes.\u00a0 So, it was important for me to update you on the latest.\u00a0 Fathi and then Maggie.<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Okay.\u00a0 Thank you, Steph.\u00a0 Just a follow\u2011up.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t understand your answer to James.\u00a0 The initial report that came out this morning that says there was no misappropriating of funds or any misconduct, but it was managerial issues, does\u2026 the oversight department is going to carry further investigating these managerial issues?<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 The report on Mr.\u00a0Kr\u00e4hen\u2026 that looked at Mr.\u00a0Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl was completed by OIOS and then handed in to the Secretary\u2011General\u2019s Office.\u00a0 It will continue to be looked at.\u00a0 What we said in the earlier statement, because I think there had been some rumours out there, and we wanted to address them, that the OIOS report was not about fraud or misappropriation of operational funds.\u00a0 It was looking at managerial issues that needed to be addressed.\u00a0 Maggie, and then Abdelhamid.<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Sorry.\u00a0 I think I\u2019m getting more confused as you explain it.\u00a0 Okay, but, in the statement this morning, it repeatedly said preliminary results.\u00a0 Which indicates that there\u2019s more investigating to do.\u00a0 Correct? \u00a0It\u2019s not the final results, the final report.<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Right.\u00a0 It\u2019s the preliminary findings, and I don\u2019t anticipate things changing in terms of this report.<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 So, the investigation will continue is what I\u2019m trying to understand?\u00a0 He\u2019s not the only individual that was in question.<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 No, there\u2026 the\u2026 well, that\u2019s what I\u2019m\u2026 we\u2019re talking about Mr.\u00a0Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl right now.\u00a0 I\u2019m not\u2026 I have nothing to add, and I\u2019m not at liberty to talk about any other issues that may be going on.\u00a0 This is\u2026 right now, we\u2019re talking about Mr.\u00a0Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl.\u00a0 Abdelhamid, and then I\u2019ll come back to you.<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Thank you, St\u00e9phane.\u00a0 Following on the same issue, first, what do you think of the timing? \u00a0I mean, the General Assembly is ready now to consider the mandate extension for three more years.\u00a0 Would that hurt the easy passage of a new resolution to extend the mandate of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA?\u00a0 The second\u2026 that\u2019s most important for me to have an answer from you to confirm or deny that the Secretary\u2011General, one year ago, had met with two pro\u2011Israeli officials in his office, and I have their names, according to an Israeli paper \u2014 it\u2019s called\u00a0Israel Hayom<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 and he said that he con\u2026 he asked his assistant to follow up with the discussion to find new ways and means to change the work of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA.\u00a0 And David Bedein and Abraham Cooper had met with the Secretary\u2011General to find ways to get away with Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA and change it and make it part of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] office.\u00a0 Do you deny or do you\u2026?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I have no\u2026 A, I don\u2019t really understand what pro\u2011Israeli officials\u2026 what that term means.\u00a0 Second of all, that\u2019s, frankly, ridiculous that the Secretary\u2011General would try to change a mandate given by the General Assembly.\u00a0 We know the history of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, which, in fact, predates the general\u2026 the creation of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵHCR.\u00a0 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA has its own separate mandate.\u00a0 What we very much\u2026 what impact it will have on the mandate renewal, that\u2019s an analysis that it\u2019s not for me to make.\u00a0 What I do very much hope, what the Secretary\u2011General very much hopes, is that Member States will keep the interest of the people that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA serves first and foremost.\u00a0 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, as you know, is present in a number of areas in the Middle East.\u00a0 We believe that the services they provide in terms of health, in terms of education, social services are vital, not only for the people that receive them but also for the stability of the region as a whole.<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 So, just to be clear, this report of\u00a0Israel Hayom<\/em>, that means it is false; it is unfounded.\u00a0 Why you\u2026?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I can\u2019t speak for these two people I\u2019ve never heard of.\u00a0 I can tell you\u2026<\/p>\n Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 No, I can tell you\u2026\u00a0 I think\u2026<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 What I\u2019m telling you is what the Secretary\u2011General\u2019s position is.\u00a0 Ibtisam, yeah?<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 A follow\u2011up on Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA.\u00a0 So, could you tell us more regarding how did you\u2026 how did he resign? \u00a0Like, did he call the Secretary\u2011General?\u00a0 How things happened and more about the reasons, whether he gave also re\u2026 beside the\u2026 the\u2026 what you read, why is he resigning, whether he feels\u2026<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I can\u2019t\u2026 it\u2019s not for me to go into\u2026 to speak for him and go into the details.\u00a0 He sent a letter to the Secretary\u2011General late this morning.<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Okay.\u00a0 I have a follow\u2011up on the same country but a different subject or maybe related.\u00a0 Do you have any comments regarding the Supreme Court\u2026 Israeli Supreme Court decision to\u2026 on 5\u00a0November to uphold the Israeli Government Authority to deport Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director of Human Rights Watch?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Look, I haven\u2019t seen the details of the ruling.\u00a0 As a matter of principle, we very much support the work that human-rights organizations do throughout the world.<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Yeah, no, but you are familiar with the case.\u00a0 This is not new.<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 That\u2019s\u2026 I understand, but that\u2019s what I will say at this point.\u00a0 Yeah?<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Thank you.\u00a0 It\u2019s another Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA question.\u00a0 Does the resignation of Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl and the questions of transparency and accountability that it ra\u2026 that it has raised about the way that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA operates, combined with concerns raised by major countries, the United States and other donors to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, does all of this add together so that, in the SG\u2019s opinion, perhaps it\u2019s time to take a look at how the agency operates and re\u2011evaluate?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Look, a couple of things.\u00a0 I think, when we announced Mr.\u00a0Saunders\u2019 dispatch to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA in August, I believe, it was around 1\u00a0August, he was sent with a task of implementing a management plan to strengthen the agency, particularly in the areas of oversight and accountability.\u00a0 That is ongoing.\u00a0 The agency is going through a process of putting out measures to strengthen its work in the face of financial difficulties.\u00a0 I know if you contact Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, they will be happy to give you much more detail of the kind of management strengthening that they have put in\u2026 that they are putting in place.\u00a0 Ali?<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Thank you, Steph.\u00a0 I understand that yesterday there was a meeting with the\u2026 organised by the Chef of the Cabinet with the donors\u2026 representatives from the donors\u2019 countries to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA.\u00a0 Can you shed some lights on what was the message from the Secretariat to those countries\u2026?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 It\u2019s not\u2026 I mean, it\u2019s not mysterious.\u00a0 The Chef de Cabinet briefed the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA donors\u2019 group on basically what we then put in the Note to Correspondents for you today, that we had received the report.\u00a0 The Secretary\u2011General had asked for Mr.\u00a0Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl to be put on administrative leave.\u00a0 I mean, it\u2019s basically\u2026 the talking points are basically the Note to Correspondents.\u00a0 It was a courtesy to inform those Member States who provide the backbone of the funding to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA to make sure that they understood exactly what was going on or they could report back to their capitals.<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 [Inaudible] to the point to where there were countries that suspended the support to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA upon the investigation.\u00a0 Is there any special message to these countries\u2026?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Well, we very much hope that they will resume their funding to the organization and that those who are continuing to fund the organization will, in fact, continue to do so.<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 And one more\u2026 last thing on\u2026 is the report going to be\u2026 on the investigation going to be made public for us?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Not at this point, as far as I\u2019m aware.<\/p>\n \/…<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Yes, a few more questions on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA situation.\u00a0 You have said you are not prepared to talk about the ethics report from July because it was leaked.\u00a0 You are not releasing the OIOS report that the Secretary\u2011General\u2026?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 At this point.\u00a0 As far as I know, at this point, yeah.<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 But do you not have a duty, because of transparency and accountability and the serious allegations, not just against Mr.\u00a0Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl but against the former Deputy Commissioner\u2011General, Sandra Mitchell; the Chief of Staff, Hakam Shahwan; and the senior adviser, Maria Mohammedi, who still remains in post, to my knowledge, to at least give us a summary of which allegations were proven against these people?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 We will do our utmost to share as much information as we can but also need to balance that out with due process of ongoing processes.\u00a0 We will do our utmost to keep you and also, especially, those Member States who support\u2026 who fund Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA.\u00a0 But, at this point, this is what I can share with you, but\u2026<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 One other point of clarification, if I may.\u00a0 You said that no misappropriation or fraud was involved.\u00a0 Some of the allegations involved travel and the class of travel.\u00a0 I mean, would that be covered under misappropriation and fraud or not?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 What I said \u2014 and I will reread what I said \u2014 exclude fraud or misappropriation of operational funds by the Commissioner\u2011General.<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 [Inaudible] you that what the definition of\u2026 if travel, someone was bumped up to business because they had a very favourable relationship with the Commissioner\u2011General, would that amount to misappropriation or fraud, in your view?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I cannot go into further detail at this point.\u00a0 Abdelhamid?<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 First, can you tell us more about Saunders, if you have anything from\u2026 do you have his CV in your office?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Yeah, we released his CV.\u00a0 I mean, we can share it with you in\u2026 on a note on 1\u00a0August when we announced his appointment.\u00a0 He\u2019s had and continues to have a long and distinguished career in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, notably serving the Department of Management, running the plant here.\u00a0 But if I recall properly\u2026 he\u2019s British, and if I recall properly, he\u2019s not only married with three children, he also started his career at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA.<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Thank you.\u00a0 And my other question, do you have any knowledge of this report of\u00a0Israel Hayom<\/em>? \u00a0Had it come to your knowledge, this report?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I have not seen the report, but from what you tell me of it, I am dismissing it.<\/p>\n \/…<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 It\u2019s my brother\u2019s first name, too.\u00a0 To be very clear, the investigation into Mr.\u00a0Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl is now completely over because he has resigned?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 OIOS\u2019s job was completed.\u00a0 Right? \u00a0They submitted a report to the Secretary\u2011General.\u00a0 That report will be looked at and will be studied.\u00a0 Obviously, the fact that Mr.\u00a0Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl has resigned impacts whatever decisions the Secretary\u2011General has to\u2026 will have made.\u00a0 But the content of the report will be studied and will be studied very carefully.<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 But the\u2026 so\u2026 okay.\u00a0 Because there was no fraud and whatever, that\u2019s\u2026 the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ is done with it, but then there were these managerial issues to be addressed.\u00a0 There\u2019s some, sounds like, personal appropriate relationship issues to be addressed\u2026?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Well, whatever other issue\u2026<\/p>\n Question<\/u>:\u00a0 \u2026but that\u2019s a moot point because he\u2019s not here anymore?<\/p>\n Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Listen.\u00a0 I\u2019ll say this, I have not seen\u2026 I\u2019m not privy to the report, but whatever the content of the report that could be used\u2026 you know, that\u2026 will be, obviously, studied and studied to make sure that there are lessons learned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today\u2019s noon briefing by St\u00e9phane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General. Good afternoon.\u00a0 I have a note starting on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees\u00a0(Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA). **United Nations Relief and Works Agency A short while ago, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s Commissioner-General, Pierre Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl, informed the Secretary-General that he was […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"template-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2573],"document-source":[5352,6169,1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1945,1745],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-223620","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-highlights-of-the-noon-briefing","document-source-secretary-general","document-source-united-nations-department-of-global-communications","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/223620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/223620\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=223620"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=223620"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=223620"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=223620"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=223620"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=223620"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=223620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}