WHO fires senior official 'for sexual misconduct'

“Fijian doctor Temo Waqanivalu has been dismissed by WHO following findings of sexual misconduct and the appropriate disciplinary process is in place,” WHO spokesperson Marcia Poole said in an email.

WHO headquarters in Switzerland. Photo: AP

Media reports have said that the top official in WHO's non-communicable diseases department has had at least three allegations of sexual misconduct since 2017.

The Associated Press in January named him as the suspected perpetrator in a sexual assault allegation made public during the World Health Summit in Berlin last October.

At the time, a young British doctor, Rosie James, tweeted that she was “sexually assaulted by a WHO staff member” at the meeting.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus himself responded to Rosie's tweet, saying he was "appalled" by the accusations and offering personal support, stressing that the agency has "zero tolerance for sexual assault".

AP also reported that Waqanivalu was accused of similar sexual misconduct in 2018, but his career was not significantly affected. The Financial Times said earlier this month that it had uncovered a third accusation against him, dating back to an incident in 2017.

In her email, Ms Poole stressed that “sexual misconduct of any kind by anyone working for WHO, whether as staff, consultants or partners, is unacceptable”.

She pointed out that over the past year and a half, “WHO has been implementing a comprehensive reform program across the entire organization to prevent sexual misconduct and ensure that there is no impunity for anyone who violates it.”

“We encourage all those who may have been affected by sexual misconduct to come forward through our confidential reporting mechanisms,” she added.

Trung Kien (according to AP, FT, SCMP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/who-sa-thai-mot-quan-chuc-cap-cao-vi-vi-hanh-vi-tinh-duc-trai-phep-post245095.html