In Cambodia, As UN Ban Silent on Evictions, UNICEF Denies It Funds Prey Speu

By Matthew Russell Lee
Inner City Press

UNITED NATIONS, November 3 -- When UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was in Cambodia, people facing mass eviction tried to get a letter to him. This resulted in police beating Suong Sophorn unconscious.

On November 3, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky what follow up, if any, the UN had done on the issue. Nesirky replied that the letter had gotten to the Deputy High Commission for Human Rights, and would be analyzed in Geneva.

Also on November 3, the new chief of UN - HABITAT Joan Clos took questions from the Press. Inner City Press asked him about the Cambodia mass evictions. Such evictions violate human rights, Clos said. But he added that all the UN and HABITAT can do is give advice to governments.

In this case, the evictions are being done for a development by a company controlled by a government official, Cambodian People’s Party Senator Lao Meng Khin. So much for advice.

UN Ban and the King: Prey Speu not shown

As Ban approached Cambodia, Inner City Press is told by sources, homeless and street children were swept up to the Prey Speu camp, described as an internment camp where rapes and killings take place. Ban never spoke about this camp, and now UNICEF has sent Inner City Press this further washing of hands:

Subject: Re: Answers re Cambodia/Prey Speu AND Choam Chao
From: Christopher de Bono @unicef.org
Date: Wed, Nov 3, 2010 at 8:04 AM
To: "Matthew R. Lee" at Inner City Press

The UNICEF Cambodia Country Office strictly complies with UNICEF's financial requirements as they relate to the disbursement and tracking of cash assistance expenditures, including the assistance provided to the MoSA. It is a UNICEF requirement that all UNICEF partners, including governments, must file reports on the funds they receive. UNICEF also employs a system of assurance activities to guarantee that the funds disbursed to partners are used for the purpose intended and based on the approved work plans. This system includes field visits, spot checks, financial liquidation accompanied by receipts, activity reports certified by partners, quarterly performance discussions and coordination meetings with partners and relevant NGOs (not all of which are UNICEF partners). As previously stated, none of UNICEF's resources have been used to fund the Prey Speu centre.

[Inner City Press Q] - Also, confirm that UNICEF did fund the Choam Chao center (closed in July), and, re the above, provide any documentation to show UNICEF money is not used for Prey Speu.

As previously advised, we did not withdraw funding from Choam Chao centre but engaged the Government to change its strategy, which it did. This resulted in the subsequent closure of the centre.

While UNICEF provided this answer in less than 24 hours, it has now sat for five days on questions about UNICEF corruption elsewhere in the world. Watch this site.