IFAD's
Nwanze
Dismissive on
Land-Grabs,
Says Indian
Suicides Not
New
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 13 --
When the
President of
the UN
International
Fund for
Agricultural
Development
Kanayo Nwanze
held a press
conference at
the UN on
October 13,
Inner City
Press asked
what seemed a
simple
question: is
IFAD against
land grabs?
Numerous UN
system
official have
criticized
large scale
leases of
agricultural
land to
foreign investors.
But on October
13 Nwanze said
these are
mis-reported,
and praised
projects --
which he
didn't specify
in Ethiopia
and Sri Lanka.
Ethiopia's
land leases
are among the
most criticized;
Sri Lanka's
banning of
Tamils from
lands in the North
continues to
be a problem.
The new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
is looking
into collusion
with such abuses
from within
the UN.
But Nwanze,
based in Rome,
seems to move
in a different
world. To
another
questioner he
said that the
suicide of
Indian farmers
is "nothing
new."
Nor is this.
Back in
October 2010,
Inner City
Press reported
on Nwanze
living like an
emperor, with
swimming pool
and soccer
fields and UN
funded
bodyguards.
Nwanze
used Ban
Ki-moon's
increased UN
system
security
guidelines as
his
justification
for having
security
guards at his
office and
luxurious
villa on
Rome's Villa
Antica.
The
press
in Rome picked
up on it,
quoting
disgusted IFAD
staff and
diplomats and
alleging
bookkeeping
games to hide
the
extravagance.
One
English
language
publication,
still active
in covering
IFAD and FAO,
said:
“Since
he became
president Mr
Nwanze has
stepped up
personal
security,
installing an
armed guard in
front of his
office and
using the
official
presidential
driver more
often than Mr
Bage, who
often
preferred to
drive himself
around Rome,
the sources
say. IFAD
sources
say the
changes follow
a perception
that security
may have been
lax
in the past
rather than
reflecting a
change in
leadership
style,
however. 'We
have had
security
assessments,'
said one IFAD
staff
member.
'According to
UN standards
we need to
upgrade
security to
meet the
standards of
the UN. Some
steps are
being taken.'”
An Italian
publication,
as translated
by a Friend on
Inner City
Press,
reports that
Rome
(Oct.
29)
- Felix Kanayo
Nwanze,
President of
IFAD
(International
Fund for
Agricultural
Development),
the UN agency
which has as
its
mission to
eradicate
poverty in the
world,
recently made
cuts of 2.5
million
dollars to the
organization's
budget but has
opposed in
every
way reducing
his
extraordinary
personal
expenses,
including rent
of a
luxurious
villa ... a
house with a
park of two
hectares, a
swimming
pool, gym,
soccer fields
and a
basketball
court and a
garage to
house
the cars of
the President,
two BMWs, a
Jeep and a
limousine with
diplomatic
plates.
An
official
of
the Office of
Audit and
Control of
IFAD... says
that the
total cost of
the villa and
its
maintenance,
which is
entrusted to a
team of
gardeners, is
about 400
thousand euro
a year. Not to
mention
the expense of
197 thousand
euro for
bodyguards
hired
specifically
for Nwanze.
Other
officials
questioned he
explained that
the costs
were divided
into nine
different
budget
categories to
make them look
lower. 'I go
out into the
field to pay
farmers in
areas where we
lend
farmers $5 to
$25 to buy
chickens and
this
completely
changes their
lives,' says
the IFAD
official,
speaking on
condition of
anonymity,
who has left
Rome and now
has gone to
work at the UN
in New York.
'Now these
programs are
cut while he
throws away
millions.'”
Ban's
then-spokesman
Martin Nesirky
reacted to
questions on
October 28,
2010 by
asking to know
if
the
journalist was
present at
Ban's meeting
with Goodluck
Jonathan.
In
today's
UNaccountable
UN, what
follow up on
this was
there? We'll
return to
this.
, 
