(July 21, UN, New York, Sri Lanka Guardian) The staffing needs of the UN Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka are being handled by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, spokesperson Martin Nesirky was quoted as saying today.
Nesirky said Richard Bennett, who until now was the Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal, will be the panel's chief of staff.
Nesirky said the top staffer will not be Ms Pillay's friend Jessica Neuwirth, as reported by Inner City Press earlier.
“Score one against nepotism,” one of the source ambassadors told Inner City Press after Tuesday's noon briefing.
Inner City Press said it was previously told by both well placed UN staff and ambassadors of both Permanent Five Security Council members and impacted member states that Jessica Neuwirth will be the top staffer.
The news agency also raised concerns about delays in the UN panel's work.
According to the UN News Centre, the spokesperson added:
"The Chief of Staff of the Panel of Experts, which is under the umbrella of OHCHR [Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights], is Richard Bennett, who until now was the Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal.
"He also held a similar position in Afghanistan before that.
"The Panel members will be meeting the Under-Secretaries-General for Political, Humanitarian and Legal Affairs, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Chef de Cabinet, and as you also already saw or guessed, the Political Director in the Office of the Secretary-General," said the UN spokesman.
He said: "It’s a small staff, they will be working full-time for the duration of the Panel, and it includes people who obviously have the appropriate experience in relation to the topic at hand."
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