By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 10 -- When Romano Prodi, ostensibly the UN's envoy on if not in the Sahel, became a candidate for the Italian presidency, the UN of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon made excuses, telling Inner City Press the question of conflict of interest was "moot," because Prodi lost.
But the UN Advisory Committee of Administrative and Budgetary Questions is not so forgiving. Their report on Prodi's office says that Prodi's fundraising
"does not necessarily require the headquarters of the Office to be located in Rome, or a large share of the staffing of the Office to be located outside the Sahel region. The Advisory Committee ...believes that closer proximity to or its placement in the region would allow the Office of the Special Envoy to fully engage and coordinate with the numerous United Nations offices/entities and international actors present in the countries of the Sahel dealing with similar issues."
And so, "the Advisory Committee recommends that the General Assembly invite the Secretary-General to review the current arrangements for the Office of the Special Envoy and to consider alternative locations of the Office in the Sahel region. In developing his proposals, the Secretary-General should be requested to take full advantage of the opportunities for realizing synergies with the other United Nations entities present in the countries of the region, and avoid all duplicative activity."
Why IS Prodi allowed to be based in Rome? And what has he accomplished? The Sahel Strategy, assigned to him in October, is still not done, pushed back to June 15. Now this. Is it time for a change? Watch this site.
