United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon continues to deal with increasing pressures from UN member-states who are dissatisfied with his decision to lump the Office of Special Adviser on Africa with another less known office at the United Nations headquarters.

 

After Ban explained at a press conference at the UN headquarters earlier in the week that he was taking the decision in order to better manage scarce resources, a letter written to Ban by the UN Group of 77 and China -consisting of China, African countries and other developing countries of the world, has been released publicly, showing the group's unacceptance of the Secretary-General's decision to technically abolish the Office of Special Adviser on Africa, OSAA.

 

According to the letter the G77 is "deeply concerned at the decision to abolish the post of the Special Adviser on Africa." The group, which is dominant in the UN General Assembly warned the UN Secretary-General Ban that "it is the prerogative of the General Assembly to modify or terminate its legislative mandates," adding that any change in the structure of the UN Secretariat "should be done with the prior approval of the UN General Assembly."

 

The G77 in its letter, said the idea of lumping the OSAA with the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States is against the spirit and intent of that office's creation by the General Assembly. The group argued that such lumping ignores the UN's resolve to pay special attention to Africa's development as an established priority of the UN.

 

As the letter states clearly, "Africa's development is an established priority of the United Nations. Given the serious challenges faced by the African continent in poverty eradication and in achieving other MDGs, the continent should continue to receive special attention and resources from the United Nations.

 

Furthermore it was recalled that only last month, the General Assembly's Committee for Programme and Coordination at the UN restated "the urgent need to fill the position of Special Adviser for Africa" which had been vacant since April after Secretary General Ban accepted the resignation of the immediate past occupant of the post, Botswana's Legwaila Joseph Legwaila. That office was held previously by Nigeria's former External Affairs Minister, Prof. Ibrahim A. Gambari, who was named to set the office up by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

 

Calling for greater resources to be channeled by the UN to Africa's need, the G77 and China told Mr. Ban, it does not accept the 'limited resources' argument used by Ban to justify the lumping of OSAA under another office."

 

The G-77 then expressed its "overwhelming desire" that OSAA and the other office-Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States remain distinct, and added that a new Special Adviser for Africa be appointed by the UN scribe.

 

 

This reporter had asked the UN scribe the question at the press conference last Monday and this was the exchange:

Question:  The Office of the Special Adviser on Africa was a mandate of the General Assembly, and in the last few days, or over a week, it seems to have been relegated under another office.  There is concern, you know, among Africans that this might cause some kind of turbulence between the Secretariat and the African Group, if not with the G-77.  My question is: Why did you choose not to appoint a USG directly for that Office and rather preferred to lump it with another office in the United Nations Secretariat?

The Secretary-General:  I am fully aware of the importance of this post, Office of the Special Adviser on Africa -- which has been taken by Mr. [Legwaila Joseph] Legwaila.  I am now in the process of reconfiguring all these positions, including this OSAA.  If you look at all these organizations and appointments in Africa, we have a number of Special Representatives and Special Envoys who are working on African issues.  African issues, the African challenge is the highest priority on my agenda, as I have said from day one.  That is why I have appointed an African woman, a very distinguished woman, Dr. [Asha-Rose] Migiro, as Deputy Secretary-General.

As a part of the reconfiguration of this whole Organization, I am going to delegate this -- assign this work on NEPAD [the New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development], which has been done mainly by OSAA, to the Office of the High Representative of Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Countries and Small Island Developing [States], for whose post I have appointed Ambassador [Cheikh Sidi] Diarra of Mali recently.  He’ll be in charge of all this.  And, at the same time, reflecting all these concerns raised by African countries, I am going to appoint him as a focal point at the United Nations Headquarters dealing with African issues.  At the same time, I am going to concurrently appoint him as my Special Representative to UNCTAD.  This least developed countries position has been established in connection with the activities of the UNCTAD; I have discussed this matter with Mr. Supachai [Panitchpakdi], Director-General of UNCTAD.

Therefore, what I am doing as a part of reconfiguration is to strengthen the United Nations focus and attention on African issues.  This is part of integrating and consolidating United Nations efficiencies, as well as resources, to better address African issues.

Question:  Yeah, but the follow-up:  The concern among Africans is that you have lumped up this Office, and they see it as a relegation of their Office.

The Secretary-General:  I think it may look so, but again, you have Mr. Gambari, who is a very distinguished African, who was appointed as a Special Adviser [for the International Compact with Iraq and other Political Issues].  And he [had] been also taking care of all these African issues and any other important political issues.  If you look at what and how this Office has been managed during the last several years, I think we need -- there may be a better way to use limited resources and limited posts for overall African issues.