Asia Sentinel

Oh my God! (a sequel)
written by Micheline , November 24, 2009

Beginning August I was shocked to know Raja Khalidi is one of Ian Richard's members of Sectoral Assembly bureau.

Oh my God! I was shocked again this afternoon in staff meeting when Khalidi was questioning openly against departmental focal point for women. This is too much!

Could it be that he has not digested the promotion of a woman candidate instead of his own promotion?

This sectoral assembly should be abolished. Staff, wake up! Pass the petition to abolish a joke of a staff representation which serves nothing but themselves.

unbelievable!
written by an outsider observer , August 06, 2009

I think we remember this Fabian Allen. How could UNCTAD have so much troublemakers and lazy bones in one department?

My friend, a P-4 HR manager from another UN department had applied for the vacancy of OIC of your Human Resources when it was advertised as temporary vacant in 2007. She didn't get a reply from UNCTAD administration. She didn't get interviewed either. She enquired from the chief of administration of UNCTAD. No reply. She later heard that this Fabian Allen (P-3 from somewhere) got appointed as P-5 OIC. Unbelievable!

We then asked some colleagues from New York if they heard about this Fabian Allen. They were as surprised as we were. He surely had come a long way!, was their reply! Apparently he was sorting mail as a G clerk in the basement at UN Headquarters some years ago.

How could UNCTAD administration violate the norm to appoint a P-4 or P-5 against a P-5 vacancy? Isn't it the rule?

Through reading from the comments in this website about UNCTAD, with troublemakers like Rahman, Kalidi and a former mail sorter who got appointed for a P-5 post of HRMS, no wonder you guys have troubles.

Get rid of some of them!

Silliness (2)
written by pecker (continued) , August 05, 2009

On the JAB appeal case of Mr. Raja Jerir Khalidi quoted by the 'quo vadis' writers, all the JAB panellists were UN staffers in Geneva. They were indeed peers. The JAB was never a judicial body, it did not make rulings, just recommendations, and was always known as a 'peer review' system. That was one of the major weaknesses of the old internal justice system.

In the Khalidi case, the JAB was in a hurry to complete pending cases before the new internal justice system came into effect as of 1 July 2009. In the hurry, there were glaring shortcomings. UNCTAD as the respondent department was never asked to testify directly, nor was it asked whether it would have any objection to the composition of the panel which is normally standard practice, both sides have to agree on the composition of a panel. In all past cases, administration of UNCTAD was respondent for UNCTAD, as was the administration of other departments and agencies when cases involved their departments or agencies. This time, UNOG had a P-3 legal officer do this work on behalf of UNCTAD. Apart from the appellant the only other UNCTAD staff member to provide evidence was the PCO, Mr. Heiner Flassbeck, who had recommended Mr. Khalidi for the post in the first place, and should more rightly have been considered as a co-appellant. Other individuals named, and indeed defamed, in Mr. Khalidi's submission were not asked for rebuttals. In the submission made by Mr. Khalidi and the testimony of Mr. Flassbeck, it was evident that the PCO shared with Mr. Khalidi the internal communications and exchanges in the selection process. That was blatant violation of confidentiality and integrity of the selection process itself. Perhaps these issues can be addressed by the new internal justice system.

At UNHQ, there was similar haste to clear the decks before the new system took effect. The P-4 staff member in the office of the UN-DSG assigned to review the case did not bother, even informally, to ascertain the views of the department concerned which is what is routinely done before preparing a written response from and decision by the UN-DSG on behalf of the UN-SG. Again, it was a question of quickly sweeping matters under the rug and throwing money at a problem.

The main differences between the old and new internal system of justice are:

1. The new system encourages the use of conciliation or informal resolution of cases (through Ombudsman, for instance). Formal litigation is very costly and time-consuming for the Organization.

2. The old system comprised of two bodies:

(a) First, the peer-review body which was the JAB (non-judicial since it comprised of members who were not legally trained and their impartiality was at times doubtful). Members of JAB served on voluntary basis. They were either appointed by management or from elected staff representatives.

(b) Second, the UN Administrative Tribunal which adjudicated on appeals when appellant did not accept the decision by UN-SG in light of JAB conclusions and recommendations. But even UNAT statutes did not allow UNAT judgements to be binding on the UN-SG (who has wide discretionary authority on promotion and assignment of staff). In the few cases where UNAT found merit on promotion cases, like the Megzari case, compensation was the only way because it could not replace a decision of the UN-SG with its own judgement.

3. Under the new system, the peer-review JAB is abolished. It is replaced by a UN Dispute Tribunal comprised of professional, full-time judges. If the judgement by the UN Dispute Tribunal is not satisfactory to the appellant, he/she could go to the UN Administrative Tribunal (supreme court) whose final judgement is binding on both the UN-SG and the appellant. Both the UN Dispute Tribunal and UN Administrative Tribunal are judicial bodies comprising professional full-time judges. The judgements will be strictly based on the prevailing rules, regulations, principles, and practices that are in effect within the UN.

Silliness
written by pecker , August 05, 2009

In the case of Mr. Fabian Allen, he is angry and frustrated from having been moved as OIC of HRMS to head the GSU - General Services and Travel Unit - which was cobbled together by the former director of management to justify a L-4 for a certain Mr. di Capua with sensitive 'procurement' functions. An OIOS audit observed that such procurement functions should be headed by a P rather than L staff member thus necessitating the move of both Mr. di Capua and Mr. Allen, a P-3 who had been recruited as OIC on a P-5 post. In fact this Unit is superfluous, procurement and room management functions can be performed more efficiently by UNOG since their approval has in any case to be sought, and travel functions can be put back under budget and finance section. Management and the Sectoral Assembly should re-visit this option to maximise usage of personnel and posts in the house. Mr. Allen, incidentally, has been with UNCTAD only a couple of years, but has already filed a number of complaints with external bodies against the organization (all of which were turned down). For a person whose main functions seem to be moving furniture around the house and rubber-stamping travel arrangements, and who does not attend any commission meeting, forum, working group, expert meeting or any intergovernmental gathering, it's surreal for him to be questioning the "accomplishments" of the organization.

Negative postings on this obscure Asian website (including my own) are becoming repetitive and tiresome, maybe even counter-productive. This website should now close further postings that are cluttering its site with things that are of no public interest. UNCTAD Sectoral Assembly could open its own blog site for staff to vent frustrations if they want to. At least it will be kept in-house. But since the 'quo vadis' writers say this website has become 'famous' in UNCTAD, staff members are entitled to some continued factual responses.

(to be continued)

silly season
written by woodpecker , August 05, 2009

they sure are coming out of the woodwork now, the baton's being passed around, why so much anger and frustration? must be the silly season, hope people can all get back to doing decent work after this long hot summer.

LOOK WHO'S TALKING?
written by AHRMIO participant , August 04, 2009

Look who's talking about travel here? people from unctad like a certain Fabian Allen when he was OIC of HR of UNCTAD used to travel on "training", every year to AHRMIO events. Guess what? Some participants were talking that this Fabian Allen was using his "training" travels to seduce women participants. didn't you know? Believe you me, I overheard some of those encounters rights in arhmio.

In one word, "disgusting".

unrepresentative
written by GS , August 02, 2009

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Raja Khalidi was not elected to the Sectoral Assembly. He was merely selected by the elected President, Ian Richards, to be on the board. Ian should have been more discerning. Staff members with their own promotion agendas should not have been put in a position where they can appear to be speaking on behalf of the whole staff. Sectoral Assembly can still be very useful in speaking with management and explaining new rules to us. But who is representing the interests of all the GS staff, not to mention short-term contract holders and consultants? If Sectoral Assembly representatives, as happened so many times in the past, just pursue issues that will help them bargain for their own promotions, then Sectoral Assembly will very soon once again lose all credibility.

OH MY GOD!
written by Micheline , August 01, 2009

And this Raja Khalidi is representing staff in UNCTAD? Oh my God!

Staff wake up! Pass a petition to abolish the Sectoral Assembly if this Raja Khalidi stays as staff representative.

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written by sami , August 01, 2009

nah, visit a snake farm and take out the venom ...

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written by fatima , July 31, 2009

yeah, just take the money and go on a cruise ...

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written by a colleague , July 31, 2009

Raja, ("quo vadis?"), I know you like winning arguments, but for the sake of the institution, it's time to move on.

fact not fantasy
written by The Real Old-timer , July 31, 2009

Bravo, young-timer!! It's time to talk fact not fantasy.

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written by Young-timer , July 28, 2009

The Khalil Rahman-Raja Khalidi-Dan Deac network of collaborators rises again!! Raja Khalidi joined Unctad through the backdoor, as a consultant in September 1985 without going through competitive exams and was later regularized and hired as permanent U.N. staff by a fellow Mid-Easterner, Mr. S. Kazemi. As for Khalil Rahman, he got himself employed initially as a consultant with Unctad for six months from April 1990 to September 1990 while still serving and drawing pay as a delegate with the Bangladesh Mission to the U.N. in New York. On his job application, Rahman claimed to be a Doctorate from Harvard University while in reality he attended nearby Tufts University. The less said about Mr. Deac who has finally retired the better. Are these credible whistle-blowers?

Lets talk facts here. The truth is often hidden and not what people might presume it to be. Yes, by all means lets have investigations. Might as well cover all the 35 years claimed by the 'oldtimer' !!

On compensation payments, some U.N. staff are adept at getting compensation from the system when they are not selected for promotion or for a post. Raja Khalidi has just milked the system for $100,000 when an equally qualified woman was selected instead of him. The compensation largesse was made possible under old U.N. appeal procedures and mechanisms such as the Joint Appeals Board that essentially operates through a "peer review". The JAB that adjudicated his case had a staff representative, Arabic translator Abdeljabar Chaouch, said to be a pal of Khalidi. Rather than a "peer review", it was more of a "pal review", and of course $100,000 can go a long way. These are some of the reasons why the U.N. appeals and justice system has now been completely overhauled as of 1 July 2009 with the establishment of an Administrative Tribunal comprising professional legal experts and judges, rather than "peer" staff members. The loopholes had been exploited by leeches and their cronies in the system for personal gain for far too long.

For Unctad such cases are not a recent phenomenon. For instance, the $100,000 pocketed by Khalidi pales in comparison with the $300,000 awarded to Abdelaziz Megzari for not getting the post of director of the trade division in 2002 - - long before Supachai came on the scene. There are many other cases not only in Unctad but other U.N. agencies and departments. Indeed the payments come out of a central account administered by New York. The loopholes in the U.N. justice system are just now being plugged up. Shady characters were abusing the procedures through crony connections built up over 'long times' in the system. Real 'oldtimers' should know this, unless they just want to mislead, or want to pressure for promotion for their cronies, or just want to get more money out of the system. Shame!!! These funds should be spent helping the poor and less privileged.

And, dear 'oldtimer' do you really want to talk about previous UNCTAD SGs? Seriously, do we really want to go there? Do we really want to drag skeletons out of the closet? Lets just limit ourselves to noting that the immediate past SG, dear Mr. Reubens Ricupero of Brazil, spent 9 years at Unctad but was always ready to jump back into Brazilian politics, preferably as Foreign Minister, still habours that ambition if not for something even higher, and has not set foot back in Unctad since. His immediate predecessor, the late Mr. Kenneth Dadzie of Ghana left to become High Commissioner in London. Nothing wrong in any of that. They were all and are personalities in their own right in their own countries and had to be alert to when a call to serve might come. People move on, better than clinging to a post irregardless. Important thing is that they perform and deliver whats expected of them while on the job. For me and many of my more fair-minded colleagues, Supachai has put in the effort, performed and delivered no less than any of his predecessors, either administratively or substantively, and perhaps even somewhat more in terms of due recognition for Unctad. But no Unctad SG will ever have enough posts to promote and satisfy everyone.

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written by young-timer , July 16, 2009

Raja Khalidi is flushed out again !!! .... altho "sense of humor" is a misnomer, his is usually American gallows humour.

Rise Above It
written by Oldtimer , July 15, 2009

Dear Secretary-General Supachai,

First of all, congratulations on your appointment to a second term!! There was no valid reason to deny you.
If you have been informed of some of these postings, I urge you not to be disheartened. Speaking from experience of more than 25 years, it has always been thus at UNCTAD -- and many other UN agencies. Fights among staff for promotions instead of concentrating on their work assignments and the mandates of the organization is what has given UNCTAD a bad name. Although very seldom have such squabbles got put into the press, even this nasty incident will pass and will be handled properly by UN procedures.
I would like to urge you to rise above all this nastiness and not be put off your stride. As an oldtimer, I can tell you UNCTAD is better now than it was 4, 8, 12, or 16 years ago. But there is still much work to be done to restore the old pride and spirit and to strengthen UNCTAD. This can only be achieved with solid outputs and dedicated staff. Please leave this as your legacy at the end of the next four years.

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written by Betclic casino , July 15, 2009

Great post, thanks.

Blind Ambition
written by vigilante , July 08, 2009

So finally it has become clear. Its KR -- Khalil Rahman -- and RK -- Raja Khalidi -- causing all this storm in a tea-cup. What a combination!!! A pair of self-serving promotion-seekers.

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written by another fly , July 07, 2009

Please add "katyusha" to the list of Raja Khalidi pseudonyms!!

unmasking the whiner
written by fly on corridor wall , July 07, 2009

Ladies and gentlemen:
- - - news flash - - -
'Messenger', 'Messanger', and 'Seriously' below are all one and the same. It's Raja Khalidi. He's been saying the same things in the corridors for months. Just a frustrated P-5 denied promotion to D-1 who has a very high opinion of himself and poses as guardian of UNCTAD while milking the system dry.

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written by Viva Perestroïka , July 07, 2009

Unfounded and miserable criticism below by some frustrated parasites. Obviously, some UN staffer who have been denied promotion are angry.

I congratulate Mr.Supachai and wish him all the best to continue improving this organization.

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written by Frustrated rats amuse us all , July 07, 2009

I agree, just move on.

“move away from idle gossip and name-calling".

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written by Turth always wins , July 07, 2009

Who the hell is this guy below talking about corruption and making such outrageous comments?

get a life and move on.

tough job
written by commentator , July 06, 2009

From the many postings here, seems Messrs Supachai and Kobsak have a tough job whipping a moribund U.N. bureaucracy into shape. Have courage, the experience of having gone through the rough and tumble of Thai politics should stand both of you in good stead.

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written by afrikaan , July 06, 2009

Mr. Messenger, please do not try to bring others into your plotting and scheming. I know Mr. Taffere Tesfachew. He does not do silent, he does not do fear.

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written by Vigilante2 , July 06, 2009

There you go again, 'Messanger', throwing mud at everyone else but not looking at yourself. Fraud and corruption at highest levels in UNCTAD? Supachai is a well-known personality back in his homeland and receives countless invitations to speak and attend events. He accepts the barest minimum, at most 2 or 3 a year. All of them are paid for by the hosts at no cost to UNCTAD. This is much less than trips to Palestine by a certain Palestinian staff member over the past fifteen years, for example, all at the expense of U.N. regular budget and donor contributions meant to help poor Palestinians. This staff member has by now been paid millions by the U.N. in salary, benefits and expenses for 'work' on Palestine, but what have the Palestinian people gained? They are worse off than before. This is the real fraud and corruption at the U.N.

Do not invoke "people of UNCTAD" so readily, you do not speak for them, especially when you were soundly clobbered trying to run for the staff assembly.

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written by white shirt , July 06, 2009

Mr. Messenger know very little Thai politics, no way UNCTAD position help return to Thailand, nobody know UNCTAD, only few Bangkok people, if WTO maybe good, U.N. people know little when speak other country.

'cause messengers are often crooks
written by vigilante , July 05, 2009

The UN is full of poseurs. Take the case of a Palestinian holding American citizenship posing as a radical Third World anti-American left-wing intellectual while at the same time getting US diplomats to pressure the UN for his promotion. Its mostly about promotions and hanging on to jobs in the UN. Any promotion will do, even in fields where the person has no expertise.

New UN rules coming into effect Jan 1st next year will require those seeking promotion to high-level posts to have done a tour of duty in a hardship station. No more sitting in cushy jobs in Geneva or Vienna and getting paid more and more every year for doing essentially the same thing for two decades.

We're going to see from now till end of year a mad scramble to get promoted before the deadline by those who'll be disqualified. No holds barred. Everything including the kitchen sink will be thrown. First thing is to attack and try getting rid of anyone seen as obstacles to their promotion.
Self-styled 'messengers' and 'whistle-blowers' will be popping out of the woodwork. They're hypocritical self-servers, ain't no messiahs.

That's why the system has constantly to shoot down the arguments of these phony 'messengers'.

dubious dander
written by insider exposer , July 05, 2009

Why is this organization so full of malcontents? They should spend their time helping developing countries rather than complaining and fighting for posts and benefits.
On June 30, a certain Romanian by the name of Dan Deac finally reached retirement age. He went from "inside" to "outside". He became a malcontent when denied monthly trips to New York from Geneva flying via Bucharest! Could the comment "Did Deeper" by "inside out" actually be this malcontent spending his retirement trawling the web and venting his frustration? "Did" instead of "Dig" and "Kopsak" instead of "Kobsak" certainly gives a Romanian flavor.
People in glass houses should hesitate throwing the first stone.

dishonorable fraudster
written by debbie , July 04, 2009

are you folks talking about Khalil Rahman? went to school with him at Tufts University, the guy did one course at Harvard and ever since has posed as a Harvard grad; before coming to Tufts had been fired by AMEX office in Dhaka for suspected fraud; seems this Bengali tiger cannot change stripes; wonder how he ended up in the UN.

intifadah
written by moshe , July 03, 2009

au contraire, katyusha, looks confident and honourable to me; don't seem like apology for transgressions, but for harm done to the collective by subversives taking pot shots.

garbled gaffe
written by true colors , July 02, 2009

The gaffe in your headline appears to be likely doctored copies of emails sent around by an angry UN staffer denied promotion.

The perpetrator - - Khalil Rahman -- is a well-known schemer in UN circles.

And quoting Inner City Press? - - gimme a break.

Hey guys, just some UN staff silliness. No big geopolitical story here. Not worth the spin.

No one will believe this.
written by Fio , July 01, 2009

From any views and for any man with a brain, we could tell the story is vague and full of ambiguous accusation to Dr. Supachai and his supporters. Moreover, the story obviously has an ulterior motive. For it didn't have some accurate evidence and put negative judgements to everyone in such a rush. It seems more like a complaint from a person who tasted the bitterness of depression and frustration. A wise man will never take this seriously.
Such activities should be condemned during re-appointed and no one should assault the others in such a way! The one who really cares about how the UN could operate well and proper will not put much attention on blaming the others ,although there is no one perfect. Such activity is where the so-called "improperty" lies ,I think.

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written by janus , June 30, 2009

What's this rubbish about Africans not being taken seriously for top jobs at the UN?

After 10 years with Kofi Annan as Secretary-General, Rose Migiro of Tanzania was appointed Deputy Secretary-General.

Several Africans head prominent, prestigious UN agencies such as FAO, UNIDO, UNAIDS, OHCHR, HABITAT.

The knife can cut both ways, you know.

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written by sticky wicket , June 30, 2009

oh Michelle Obama, you judge in haste, lynching before a trial? due process not part of UN ideals? what's all this holier-than-thou posturing? you're employing the same stealth tactics as the disgruntled UN staffer spreading the stories; ever think such a person can stoop to doctoring and falsifying emails?

Michelle, please reveal your true self -- you're giving the name a bad reputation !!! Or are you in fact Khalil-ur-Rahman?

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written by David Knapp , June 30, 2009

This story is vague and confusingly written. Who precisely is accusing Supachai's aides of impropriety? "In response to a note sent to the non-aligned mission" by whom? Our Correspondent needs some help from Our Editor, if there is one.

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written by Surijaya , June 30, 2009

Agreed totally with Torch. I know this guy. He's a snake. Never believe what he says. Ask anyone in Bangladesh MOFA. How can this guy fool international press?!!!!?

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written by torch , June 30, 2009

There's another side to the story. All the misinformation reported in the press comes from a disgruntled Unctad staff member - - Khalil-ur-Rahman - - who was not selected for promotion at the end of May by Ban Ki-moon despite being proposed by Supachai. He's a serial offender and had been eased out of positions in the past including by his own foreign ministry for double-dealing and rumour-mongering. He's on a revenge mission. Not all self-styled whistle-blowers are clean. His information is tainted; responsible press must check them out before reporting them as facts.