Corruption and abuse of authority 'rampant' in FAO Evaluation Division

 ROME -- Corruption involving misuse of millions of dollars of donor funds, abuse of authority, racism and favouritism are becoming everyday practices in the troubled FAO evaluation division, FAO sources say, with sleight of hand enabling the misuse of as much as dlrs 1 million in a project previously funded by USAID.

 Since 2024 an impact project has been under way in Somalia, funded by the USAID and conducted by the FAO office of evaluation. When USAID was dissolved by the Trump administration the work was supposed to stop, but the OED director, Clemencia Cosentino, approved the redirection of funds from other donors, who were made to understand that their contribution are supporting other work. This was kept hidden and it came to light when the results of this study needed to be shared, the sources said.

 “It turns out that not only funds/taxpayers money mounting to 1 million dollars we're misused, largely spent on maintaining endless trips to Somalia hiring teams after teams, mostly friends of the director,” a well-placed source said.

 “it took three years to share the shocking results with the rest of the team in OED. Apparently nobody said a word out of fear as this was a flagship of the director,” the source added, speaking on condition they not be named.

 “Not only the funds were abused but it also used to become a common practice of funding these impact studies from unaware donors annoyed developing countries as subject of these studies for leveraging personal gain particularly through publications attributed to a small connected group in the troubled division,” the source added.

 Another example of financial corruption involves the preferential treatment and excessive travel expenditures of a close P5 croney of the divisional director, a senior officer based in the United States and the only FAO staffer in the division still on telework.

An American, she  reportedly travels to Rome every two months at FAO expense for no apparent ood reason. Each trip costs the organisation at least dlrs 10,000,  which is extraordinary especially during this time when other divisions are being forced to lay off staff due to budget constraints, the sources added.

 A third shocking example is the misuse by the division of the Green Climate  Fund resources. There are many reports of unauthorised hirings, questionable missions, approvals to what appear to be holiday destinations and the expansion of teams both at headquarters and home-based without clear evidence of benefit to FAO or to the countries.

 The Green Climate Fund misuse is huge as it covers many countries.

 “The game the director is playing is to channel the evaluation cost to the division with the promise of managing it well and to provide good services to the countries benefitted,” one insider explained.

 “What she does is designing impact studies that are so bad and unrealistic to developing countries ... then her friends benefit," the source added. 

  It remains to be seen whether the director general Qu Dongyu will intervene in the tough manner used against graft in his Chinese homeland. FAO Programme Committee already has approved a second four year term as OED for Ms Cosentino, an Argentine American, starting in May.