UN whistleblower complaints ‘dismissed prematurely’

The former UN special envoy for sexual harassment said that relations with the UN media should be examined by an external committee.

Purna Sen’s comments came after a  investigation revealed that a number of UN officials had resigned to cover up the criminal charges. Sen said the UN must “act” and accept all the commission’s proposals.

The United Nations says it is ready to protect “honest broadcasters” and hold employees accountable.

Read more: Tens of thousands march in Georgia ‘for Europe’ after blow to EU bid

There’s a documentary The Whistlebowers: Inside the UN tells the story of employees trying to report allegations, including fraud and sexual assault. They all said they were punished after they spoke, and some were fired.

In the film, Sen, who was named spokesman for persecution, violence and discrimination in 2018, said the women were “accessed, accused and raped” at the United Nations. Several men are allowed to get rid of her, she said. He told that he was not surprised by the “very confusing” evidence.

“It shows that in any organization, protecting the elderly is sometimes more important than hurting the weak.” “It means that there is a real tension in the human rights organization, but in fact this is where most human rights are born, but I am not used to bringing them home to the people who work for them,” he said. ”

Read more: Russia warns NATO-member

Sen said he hoped that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would appoint a variety of external committees to analyze staff experiences and recommend a set of specific actions.

The Guterres Secretariat said in a statement that it was open to an external evaluation of its efforts to “combat misconduct in all its forms”. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that “significant progress has been made in the fight against sexual violence to which no organization is immune.” This includes hiring investigators to investigate the allegations, a hotline to report violations, and better training for senior management. However, in an interview with BBC Newsnight, Sen said the documentary’s recordings did not live up to the UN’s promise of zero tolerance and were “still ahead”.

“Corruption, fraud, sexual violence, etc. [UN staff] do not think they can continue to report that the complaints were initially rejected too soon, “he said. They will not allow alternative procedures and appeals. ”

“Of course, the United Nations has addressed some significant failures in the past, but not enough. I found it very annoying. It can and should be addressed not only by words but also by actions. “