Unlted Nations Nations Umes HEADQUARTERS - SIEGE NEW YORK, NY 10017 TEL.Z (212) 963.2912 - FAX: 1 (212) 963.4879 17 August 2018 Dear Mr. Lee, This letter refers to the accreditation granted to you by the United Nations Department of Public Information, Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit as a Non-Resident Correspondent for Inner City Press to the United Nations. Following an incident on 3 July 2018, your access to United Nations premises was suspended and your accreditation has been subject to review. This letter advises you of the conclusions of that review. As you are aware, members of the media accredited by the United Nations are holders of United Nations Media ID cards and are held to abide and adhere to the United Nations Media Guidelines (the ?Guidelines?), which set out the terms by which access to the United Nations is granted to them. In accepting a United Nations Media ID card, most recently on 18 April 2018, you agreed to the terms of the Guidelines (Introduction). Accordingly, in relation to the review of such accreditation, We would note the following relevant provisions of the Guidelines 0 Introduction: ?All UN Media ID Card holders acknowledge that the United Nations reserves the right to deny or'withdraw accreditation of journalists from media organizations whose activities run counter to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations or who abuse the privileges so extended or put the accreditation to improper use or act in a way not consistent with the principles of the Organization or established journalism ethics and standards. The UN grounds pass is non-transferable and misuse will result in its con?scation. In accepting a UN. Media ID Card you are agreeing to the terms of these United Nations Media Guidelines. 0 Preamble: he following agreement between the Department of Public Information (DPI), Department of Safety and Security (DSS), the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General (OSSG) and the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) governs all media access at United Nations Headquarters. During times of heightened security, additional restrictions may apply. The purpose of these guidelines is to grant as much access as possible to members of the media while safeguarding and protecting the United Nations Headquarters complex (UNHQ) and ensuring the safety, security and comfort of all its occupants: sta?f delegates and media alike. While ensuring safety and security is the starting point of policies at UNHQ, it is equally true that journalists play an essential role in the United Nations work and therefore their ability to cover United Nations activities must be facilitated to the greatest extent possible. All Correspondents who are granted access to UNHQ must abide by the policies in place. They are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner in their interaction with other members of the UN press corps, UN o?icials, and diplomats. Journalists shall have due regard to the dignity, privacy and integrity of all individuals. Where unexpected circumstances arise, the approach will be to avoid confrontation, maintain civility and ?nd the fastest, safest and most secure acceptable solution. Those Correspondents who violate the ground rules governing access, including the abovementioned standards of ethical behavior may have their accreditation withdrawn or suspended by the United Nations. UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES PAGE 2 0 Access for Various Categories of Correspondents, Non-Resident Correspondents, paragraph ?Non-Resident Correspondents can access UNHQ through the Visitors? Entrance at 46th Street and 1st Avenue between 0800-1900 hours from Monday through Friday. Non-resident Correspondents only have access to UNHQ on weekends or after hours accompanied by a resident correspondent or when a meeting is advised as taking place. Entry will be allowed two hours prior to the start of the meeting. At the conclusion of the meeting, the non?Resident correspondent must exit the premises within an hour, unless accompanied by a resident correspondent. Entry may be authorized through the 43rd Street Entrance only when the Visitors ?Entrance is closed and for the purposes of meeting coverage. 0 Media Access at UNHQ, Areas of General Access, paragraph ?In areas of general access, Correspondents are permitted to record interviews and conversations with diplomats, staff o?icials and journalists, subject to their prior consent. Photographing and ?lming, including smart phone video recording or live broadcasting, requires MALU approval. Hiding recording or ?lming equipment is strictly forbidden. 0 Media Access at UNHQ, Security Council Stakeout, para ?Interviews at the Security Council stakeout should be conducted with Correspondents behind the steel fence. No interviews are permitted on the stairs. Under no circumstances can the North ramp and South staircase, and the corridor leading to the Security Council be blocked. No ?lming/photography in the lounge south of the stakeout area. As referenced above, the Guidelines (Preamble) provide that ?all Correspondents who are granted access to UNHQ must abide by the policies in place In this regard, we would note the applicability of United Nations Administrative Instruction 3 O9/Rev 2 on the ?Authority of United Nations Security Of?cers? (the which was in effect at the time of the events referenced below 0 Paragraph 1 persons on the premises are expected to comply with the directions that may be issued by the security o?icers in the performance of their functions 0 Paragraph 3: ?Refusal to comply with directions issued by the security o?icers within their authority may result in removal from or denial of access to the premises As indicated above, your accreditation has been subject to review as a result of your prior breaches of the Guidelines and the AI, and following, in particular, an incident on 3 July 2018. On that date, you attempted to gain unauthorized access to a locked area of the United Nations Headquarters complex and subsequently refused to comply with repeated requests by United Nations security of?cers to leave the premises, in breach of the Guidelines and the AI. Following your continued refusal to comply with their directions, you were escorted from United Nations premises. Following this most recent incident, a full review of your accreditation has now been conducted by the United Nations on the basis of the Guidelines which, by reference, includes the AI. UNITED NATIONS g@ NATIONS UNIES This review has indicated repeated breaches of the Guidelines, including the following recorded breaches of the speci?c provisions of the Guidelines stated above: presence on United Nations premises outside authorized time periods as stipulated in the Guidelines; (ii) presence in locations of the United Nations premises not authorized by the Guidelines; condu0t towards Member State diplomats and United Nations staff, including recording and live broadcasting without consent or MALU approval and without due regard to privacy, in breach of the Guidelines; and (iv) conduct on United Nations premises towards other accredited United Nations correspondents and media outlets, including videos/live broadcasts using profanities and derogatory assertions towards them without due regard to their dignity, privacy and integrity, in breach of the Guidelines. In addition, following several of the breaches of the Guidelines referenced above, you refused to comply with directions issued by United Nations security of?cers. Your conduct at those times constituted breaches of the AI, as well as the express provision of the Guidelines (Preamble) requiring correspondents to conduct themselves in a professional manner towards United Nations of?cials, which includes security of?cers. Separately from the breaches of the Guidelines and the AI referenced above, we would also note your conduct at the entrances to United Nations premises and nearby, including the use of profanities and derogatory assertions and language towards individuals accessing the United Nations, in close proximity to them. Videos/live broadcasts of this are frequently published on Inner City Press? website and other media platforms. This conduct gives rise to potential safety concerns for Member State diplomats, United Nations staff, and other individuals accessing United Nations premises, and are a matter of serious concern given the United Nations? responsibility for the well?being of such individuals. The conduct described above has generated multiple complaints to the United Nations from Member States, United Nations correspondents, as well as United Nations staff. As you are aware, the United Nations has repeatedly noti?ed you of your breaches of the Guidelines and the AI with a View to providing you with opportunities to rectify and cease such conduct, including as follows: On 19 February 2016, the Department of Public Information noti?ed you by letter of breaches of the Guidelines. In View of those breaches, your accreditation was reviewed, and you were noti?ed that it had been revised from Resident Correspondent to Non?Resident Correspondent. You were also informed in that letter that ?any further incidents inconsistent with the Guidelines for accredited UN correspondents could result in your accreditation being permanently withdrawn.? On 30 March 2016, the Department of Public Information sent you a further letter recalling that you had received Non-Resident Correspondent accreditation on 25 February 2016 but, PAGE 3 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES PAGE 4 despite several reminders, you continued to occupy an of?ce on United Nations premises allocated to Resident Correspondents. Again, we note, a breach of the Guidelines. On 12 April 2016, in View of your continued unauthorized occupation of that of?ce, MALU wrote to you again by email to request that, as you had still not removed your belongings from the of?ce, you be present on 16 April 2016 during their packing, after which they would be forwarded to the headquarters address of Inner City Press provided on your media accreditation application. On 22 March 2017, MALU informed you by email of further breaches of the Guidelines resulting from your presence in a location of the United Nations premises not authorized by the Guidelines, and recording without consent or MALU approval and without due regard to privacy. On 20 October 2017, MALU informed you by letter of further breaches of the Guidelines involving recording without consent or MALU approval and reminded you ?to take note that any further violation of the guidelines and established journalism standards could lead to review ofvour accreditation status?. In addition to these written noti?cations, in each of the recorded incidents described in and (ii) above, you were verbally noti?ed by the attending United Nations personnel of your breaches of the Guidelines. In this regard, we wish to note that the United Nations accredits between 3,000 and 5,000 media representatives every year for United Nations meetings, conferences and events globally in order to facilitate and support their independent coverage of the United Nations. All accredited media representatives are required to comply with the Guidelines and AI when accessing United Nations Headquarters. Despite repeated noti?cations, your conduct has consistently breached the Guidelines and the AI, and does not meet the established professional standards required of all correspondents granted access to United Nations premises. In View of this, please be advised that your accreditation is hereby withdrawn pursuant to the Guidelines (Introduction and Preamble). As has continued during the period in which your access to United Nations premises has been suspended, the United Nations will continue to respond to questions submitted by you for Inner City Press to the Of?ce of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Yours sincerely, Alison Smale Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications