UNDP understand and regret Fahmy s decision, stresses allegations are incorrect
CAIRO: Actor Hussein Fahmy quit his post as United Nations goodwill ambassador in objection to the organization s inability to hold Israel accountable Israel for its aggression towards Lebanon. Meanwhile, Cairo-based UN officials stress that the organization has an effective humanitarian role to play in the region.
Announced on Sunday, Fahmy s decision followed the news of the Israeli shelling of Qana and a hospital in southern Lebanon. The Israeli attacks on Lebanon have been going on for 20 days, throughout which, the UN has been under heavy attack for its ineffectiveness in resolving the conflict.
Not a single UN subsidiary has condemned the events, not even the humanitarian organizations, says Fahmy.
Appointed in 1998 as a Goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Fahmy says he has long believed in the humanitarian side of the organization s work.
Fahmy has a clear sense of his mission in life, not only as a leading Egyptian movie star, but as the first UNDP goodwill ambassador for the Arab states, reads the UN Web site that has yet to be updated since Fahmy s departure.
But after the succession of Israeli aggression and the Security Council s decision not to blame Israel for Qana or demand a cease-fire, he says, he found it difficult to remain affiliated with the organization while all this is taking place.
The concept of goodwill is lost, he explains. What s happening at the Security Council is unbelievable, he continues, and the the so-called UN entity is collapsing. He says he wanted to take practical steps to express his opinion other than mere demonstrations.
We respect [Fahmy s] freedom of expression, says Noeman Al-Sayyad, head of the UNDP Information, Communication and Reporting Unit. We do identify with his motives . and his frustration . We regret he had to leave in this way.
According to Fahmy no one from the organization tried to convince him to stay, but what is strange is that none of the Egyptian and Arab goodwill ambassadors has called him to enquire about his stance and the reasons behind his decision.
Fahmy has already called his international counterparts to explain his decision and says that his opinions resonated with many of them, including Academy Award winner and Goodwill Ambassador Susan Sarandon. This falls under his ongoing efforts, he explains, to rally support for the Arab cause. Other efforts will appear in the form of artistic productions, masterminded by the industry professionals who have been affected by the recent regional events.
His humanitarian work in the region won t be affected by his departure, he notes. Such work, his contacts with world leaders and artists and his name were what got him the UN appointment in the first place not vice versa, he explains.
Fahmy s objection to UN policies is not unique, but has avid supporters throughout the region. In a more physical expression, demonstrators in Beirut attacked UN headquarters in the Lebanese capital on Sunday.
The next day a number of Egyptian and Arab artists, including Fahmy, demonstrated in front of the UN Cairo office. They called for Secretary General Kofi Anan to carry out his humanitarian responsibility in stopping the Israeli aggression on Lebanon and Palestine.
Meanwhile, numerous voices rose throughout the Arab world and Egypt calling for the freezing of Arab membership in the UN.
Fahmy s decision to quit provided a fresh wave of hope for many who were frustrated with official Arab response to the events. Arab governments have been the center of public criticism for not effectively helping Lebanon and, in certain cases, failing to express objection to and condemnation of Israeli aggression.
Callers to the live talk shows that interviewed Fahmy and commentators on Arabic Internet forums have expressed their support for the actor and their admiration of his decision. Some have demanded his decision be taken as a role model for governments to follow.
This is not the first time an Arab Goodwill ambassador has experienced a clash between his beliefs and the functions and polices of the UN. Albeit in totally different circumstances and in a reverse of roles, the UN fired Syrian artist Duraid Laham from his ambassador post two years ago. Laham refused to retract his statements criticizing Israeli and American pro-terrorism policies. When faced with a choice between his patriotic stance, as he told the press then, and keeping his post, he chose his patriotic beliefs.
Allegations that the UN is not doing anything [to help Lebanon] are incorrect, stresses El-Sayyed. He points to several strong worded statements issued by high profile UN officials, namely Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland, who have condemned the events and the breach of humanitarian laws in Lebanon and Qana. The organization has also lost a number of its staff in Israeli raids.
The organization shouldn t be criticized for the imbalance in world power, El-Sayyed explains. Noting the imbalance between the Security Council and the rest of the organization and its humanitarian subsidiaries and the internal calls for reform, El-Sayyed says that members of the UN staff and the secretary general himself share Fahmy s frustration.
