By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, November 29, updated -- World Food Program executive director Ertharin Cousin today issued a statement on WFP's assistance to people living with AIDS in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.
Earlier in the month before US Thanksgiving her office issued video of Cousin visiting Syrian refugees in Zaatari Camp in Jordan.
But WFP has not answered a series of questions about its and Cousin's spending which concerned WFP staff have exclusively provided to Inner City Press, seeking to reform what they see as injury to their agency by waste and even fraud.
Sources and documents obtained by Inner City Press show WFP Executive Director Cousin asking for an increase of nearly €24,000 euros for her housing allowance, up to €160,000 per year.
They show use of WFP funds for a recent Thanksgiving trip to Chicago which, several WFP staff say, was not mostly WFP work.
Click here for itinary of the November 20-25 trip, of which a WFP staff member complained to Inner City Press that WFP's "Executive Director has also taken it upon herself to fly (business class no less) on the UN’s dime to spend thanksgiving at home in her hometown of Chicago, stay at a nice hotel, attend a homecoming reception, and speak at the International Law Committee -- none of which has anything remotely to do with WFP’s work of responding to emergencies and eliminating world hunger."
The above is not an "anti-UN" perspective, but that of a long time UN worker anger by perceived waste and abuse, which should be answered.
The sources point to what they call a sole source consulting contract Counsin gave to Piers Campbell for "consulting," without transparency.
Agency-wide, Inner City Press has asked the cost to WFP of the global management meeting next week in Dubai -- how many WFP staff will stay in the Hotel Atlantis the Palm at Palm Jumeirah, and elsewhere in Dubai, at what cost and for what?
Cousin was a major Obama administration appointee, and the adminstration often speaks at the UN in New York against pay increases for staff, and about "interns flying business class."
It is not clear how that is applied to the above, or to the Cousin-proposed $20 million package of "golden parachutes" for WFP staff (in paragraph 227 of the Management Plan) regardless of their performance, as e-mailed out by Ruth Grove, Acting Director of WFP's Human Resources Division.
Inner City Press, despite having documents, would have liked to have and included WFP's and Cousin's responses.
Two days ago Inner City Press asked four separate WFP spokespeople, in Rome, London and New York, including Emilia Casella, Vichi Demarchi and Gregory Barrow, the following "questions for WFP on deadline:
1) Please state the cost to WFP of the global management meeting next week in Dubai -- how many WFP staff will stay in the Hotel Atlantis the Palm at Palm Jumeirah, and elsewhere in Dubai, at what cost and for what?
2) Please deny or confirm and comment on the WFP Executive Director asking for an increase of nearly €24,000 euros for her housing allowance, up to €160,000 per annum.
3) Please deny or confirm and comment on the Executive Director giving a six figure ($150,000 we are told) non-competitive contract to Piers Campbell for "consulting" -- what were / are the deliverables and terms of references, and past personal contact?
4) Please comment on the $20 million package of "golden parachutes" for WFP staff (in paragraph 227 of the Management Plan) regardless of their performance
5) Please state the cost to WFP of the Executive Director's Thanksgiving trip to Chicago, how much of it was WFP business (and please explain, for example the speech)."
But rather than answers, to questions which are based on documents, there came only another statement by Executive Director Cousin. The questions should be answered -- and, ironically, asked by Cousin's US government which is so funding WFP. Watch this site.
Update: on December 3, WFP sent a number of answers, which less than an hour after received Inner City Press reported here.
Update: on December 3, WFP sent a number of answers, which less than an hour after received Inner City Press reported here.
