UNITED
NATIONS,
October 16 --
When Robert
Piper, UN
Humanitarian
Coordinator
for the Sahel,
held
a press
conference
on October 16
during
the vote in
the General
Assembly
between Spain
and Turkey for
a Security
Council seat,
Inner City
Press asked
him a question
about the
European
Union.
The
European
Commissioner
in charge of
the budget has
said "some
projects in
the Sahel
region of
Africa, the
Horn of Africa
and Haiti have
been
postponed."
(Piper
identified the
speaker as
Kristalina
Georgieva,
incoming Vice
President for
budget and
possibly one
day UN
Secretary
General, but
it appears to
have been
Jacek
Dominik.)
Piper said
yes, project were
postponed, but
will not be
canceled.
Inner City
Press asked
him about the
UN Sahal
Strategy begun
under Romano
Prodi, and as
Chad has
complained not
based in the
five targeted
countries but
rather in
Dakar.
Piper said a
sub-office
with the
African Union
is being
opened in
Bamako; he
admitted the
progress has
been slow but
says he chairs
the
"resiliency"
pillar of the
Sahel
strategy.
We'll see.
Back on June
11, 2013
Piper, then
only recently
tapped to
coordinate
humanitarian
issues on the
Sahel, told
Inner City
Press he had
gotten
involved in
the
long delayed
Sahel strategy
report that
Romano Prodi
was put in
charge of back
in October.
He
said while
there is a
humanitarian
component,
Prodi was
focused on big
picture
infrastructure
projects.
Would that be
solar? Uranium
like in Niger?
Whatever it
is, has taken
taken too
long. And
meanwhile Prodi
charged the UN
$1,200 to
travel between
Bologna and
Rome.
Despite
this
waste, Piper's
pitch was to
raise funds.
Inner City
Press asked
him, if
Cameroon is at
130% of the
amount
requested for
food security,
and Niger at
only 12%,
couldn't the
UN shift the
month? Video
here, from
Minute 20:33.
No,
was the
answer, the
appeals are
country
specific.
Piper said
that "the
money comes in
earmarked for
particular
appeals in
almost 100% of
the cases...
We naturally
try to
influence the
donors to
countries
falling off
the map, and
sectors being
neglected. But
the money
comes with a
country's name
attached and
even a
sector."
One
might wonder:
why? If Piper
is the
humanitarian
coordinator
for the Sahel,
why don't they
do an appeal
for the
region, and
not country by
country? Watch
this site.
, 
