CTV's 'Canada AM': $23 Million UNHRC Art Controversy, UN Watch's Hillel Neuer

http://www.unwatch.org Hillel Neuer interviewed by CTV on art, abusive spending, and human rights.

UN Human Rights Council accused of wasteful spending on art

CTV Television, CANADA AM 7:43:55 ET, November 20, 2008 Thursday

ANCHOR: SEAMUS OREGAN
GUEST: HILLEL NEUER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UN WATCH

OREGAN: Its a spectacular and controversial new work of art. The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva has unveiled its new mural on the ceiling. Its a 16,000-square-foot piece featuring hundreds of colourful, dangling icicles. The controversy comes from the price tag. The work cost $23 million, a good portion of which came from the Spanish government.

And for more on whats at issue here, were joined on the line from Geneva by the executive director of UN Watch, Hillel Neuer.

Mr. Neuer, thank you very much for joining us. First of all, whats your reaction to this?

NEUER: Well, Seamus, Ive just been to see the chamber right now. And you talked about icicles. Frankly, I prefer the beautiful icicles that we see in Montreal and Toronto around this time of year, rather than ones that I just saw with a price tag of $23 million. Look, as a regular speaker at the Human Rights Council, I can confirm that we needed a better chamber.

The old one needed repairs. But $23 million, from money that was supposed to go into the Spanish foreign aid budget to starving children in Africa, is just an extravagance that in these difficult financial times for families around the world makes the United Nations seem frivolous. And it just sends absolutely the wrong message.

OREGAN: Mr. Neuer, the Spanish government says, they said, look, you know, this money may have been in the foreign aid budget but it was separate from any poverty-alleviation budget. But, I mean, you know, no question, $23 million by any stretch of the imagination is quite a lot, I mean, for a work of art.

NEUER: Well, look, there are two separate issues here. One is what the Spanish taxpayer wants to pay for. And in Spain today the opposition parties and the leading newspapers are sharply critical of the governments decision. And thats really for the Spanish taxpayers.

But its up to the United Nations to decide what kinds of purchases it allows. And this kind of a thing is really symbolic of whats happened with the Human Rights Council which, unfortunately, has become a lot of colourful rhetoric but little real action for the victims who need it most.

OREGAN: Yeah, and a big controversy in Spain at the moment.
Mr. Neuer, thank you very much. We may check in with you later on this. Thank you.

NEUER: My pleasure.

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