UN Global Environment Fund Whistleblower Complains to World Bank and Secretary-General

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, September 17 -- Complaints about the UN Development Program's activities in Africa have expanded. UNDP ordered Ivorian Mathieu Koumoin to divert $9 million of the $30 million he raised for anti-global warming work in Africa to companies based in France and Canada. When Koumoin refused, he was let go, and UNDP subsequently tried to have him thrown out of his office in Dakar, and out of Senegal itself. Now Koumoin has complained to the president of the World Bank, which along with UNDP is involved in the Global Environmental Facility. Click here for the filing with the World Bank.

    Ironically, World Bank president Robert Zoellick was at UN Headquarters on Monday, speaking about recouping stolen and diverted assets via the new "Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative."  How that relates to the diversion of resources of which Mr. Koumoin complaints will become clear.

World Bank's Zoellick with Ban Ki-moon and crime chief Costa

            On September 14, the UN Ethics Office sent distinctly strange letter to Mr. Koumoin, click here for a copy. Ethics Office director Robert Benson, who has yet to answer press questions about his enigmatic rulings, recites a timeline of Mr. Koumoin's case which is decidedly slanted for UNDP, then uses the facts that Koumoin complained within UNDP, and to the UN Joint Appeals Board, as an excuse to not even address if a prima facie case of retaliation exists. Mr. Koumoin's counsel's September 15 letter to the Office of the UN Secretary-General is below:

15 September 2007

Office of the Secretary-General
United Nations

Subject :  Request for Immediate Whistleblower Protection for and Reinstatement of Mr. Mathieu Credo Koumoin

Following my letter to you requesting an independent investigation from the Ethics Office and/or the Executive Board of UNDP, as well as requesting to afford my client whistleblower protection in accordance with your administrative issuance, ST/SGB/2005/21, I would like to bring once again to your attention the latest statements from the UNDP Administrator who has announced that UNDP would not investigate the case brought forward from my client but only the North Korean Case.

I consider this UNDP decision to be retaliatory and discriminatory to my client’s right to be heard in a manner that is fair and consistent with UNDP and UN rules and procedures.

I kindly request that you direct UNDP to either cooperate in an investigation led by the UN Ethics Office or launch an independent review panel which would look into the serious allegations brought to light by my client.

M. Koumoin claims to have solid evidence confirming that the helm of UNDP reported to him that the UNDP Office of Human Resources was doing a fine job which met the satisfaction of the UNDP Executive Office, even when violations of his due process rights were blatant and harassment against him rampant.

There also appears to be corroborating evidence that because of the severity of the situation and the stake that many African countries had in M. Koumoin’s program activities, 12 African Ministers of Energy and 53 Ministers of Environment – in Sub-Saharan Africa – went on the record strongly by formally requesting UNDP to reverse its course of action against M. Koumoin.  My client has provided evidence that UNDP has redirected funds earmarked for Africa to developed countries.

            We will have more on this.

  Again, because a number of Inner City Press' UN sources go out of their way to express commitment to serving the poor, and while it should be unnecessary, Inner City Press is compelled to conclude this installment in a necessarily-ongoing series by saluting the stated goals of the UN agencies and many of their staff. Keep those cards, letters and emails coming, and phone calls too, we apologize for any phone tag, but please continue trying, and keep the information flowing.

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

Search WWW Search innercitypress.com

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service.

            Copyright 2006-07 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com -