Tag: Secretary-General of the United Nations

EXCLUSIVE -- U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley is demanding the U.N. Secretary General take action against the Bolivian and Cuban delegations after they disrupted a U.S. event to draw attention to the plight of political prisoners in Cuba -- damaging U.N. property in the process. In a letter to Secretary General Antonio Guterres, sent Friday and obtained by Fox News, Haley said the behavior by the Cuban and Bolivian diplomats was “outrageous” and called for action from Guterres. “Due to the outrageous behavior of the Cuban and Bolivian U.N. delegations, this diplomatic event became a mob scene, and resulted in significant damage to U.N. property,” the letter says. “I respectfully call on you to condemn this extremely unprofessional conduct and require the Cuban and Bolivian delegations to pay for the property damage they caused.” Haley said that the U.N. initially said the U.S would be contacted to pay for the damage to desks and earphones, but U.N. officials eventually said that the U.N. itself would bear the cost. He said the U.S. had done so with regards to Tuesday's event. Haley welcomed the Cuban call for an investigation and said that the the U.N. should also investigate the damage and the misconduct by the Cuban and Bolivian delegations -- include removing access to the U.N. for those responsible. Dujarric told Fox News that the Secretary General’s office had received the letter and was looking into it. The event on Tuesday still went ahead, with speakers yelling over the protesters, but the U.S. said the event was delayed after the Cuban delegation refused to allow security to conduct a sweep of the chamber. U.S. ECOSOC Ambassador Kelley Currie, who led the event and herself had to yell over protesters to be heard, told reporters after the event.

Decrying a recent trend toward authoritarianism in western politics, Kofi Annan on Monday afternoon urged mainstream politicians “to stop thinking of the next election and think of the next generation.” The former secretary-general of the United Nations was the keynote speaker at a reception celebrating the 30th anniversary of Books for Africa, a St. Paul-based nonprofit that collects and ships books to that continent. Annan attended the event at the University Club with his wife, Nane Annan, and former vice president Walter Mondale. “People will tell you that democracy is receding and we are seeing autocrats come into power all over,” Annan said. “I would hope that the pendulum will swing back — swing back to the sensible middle.” Annan said economic inequality — such as after the 2008 financial crisis — left many people susceptible to easy promises from strongman leaders, but he added that he hopes this will be a passing phase. “I would also urge mainstream politicians to have a bit of courage,” he said. “I would urge them to stop thinking of the next election and think of the next generation.” In prepared remarks, Annan also stressed the importance of literacy and education in promoting global stability, praising the progress made by Books for Africa, which ships more books to the continent than any other organization. A 1961 graduate of Macalester College, Annan was also in town for the dedication of the Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship at his alma mater earlier in the day. “It started here in 1959 when I came as a student. “I have believed for a long time, and I’ve repeated it time and again, that you’re never too young to lead,” he said at the University Club. Related Articles