The head of the World Health Organization acknowledged the สล็อตxo U.N. health agency's response to sexual abuse allegations involving employees who worked in Congo during an Ebola outbreak was “slow,” following an Associated Press investigation that found senior WHO management knew of multiple cases of misconduct.
As the WHO's highest decision-making body meets this week, countries were tackling subjects like how to reform the U.N. health agency's emergencies program after its missteps in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. At its week-long meeting of countries, the WHO held a roundtable talk on preventing sexual abuse on Friday.
“In many ways, we're all to blame for what happens in these situations,” said Dr. Michael Ryan, the WHO's emergencies chief.
Diplomats have already pressed WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the issue behind closed-doors. At least six countries raised concerns last week about how the agency was handling sexual abuse and exploitation, citing recent press reports. Tedros tried to allay their worries.
“I can understand the frustration,” he told a committee meeting of the WHO's Executive Board on May 19. According to a recording of the meeting obtained by the AP, the director-general said it took time to deal with security problems in Congo, to install a commission to investigate sex abuse claims and to get the group up and running.
“The way this thing was run until now, although it was slow ... I hope it will satisfy,” Tedros said.
The WHO's press office declined to comment on Tedros' description of a slow response but said the commission was "committed to conducting a comprehensive investigation into all recent allegations, including those relating to management actions." The group's co-chairs were asked to sign a confidentiality agreement with the WHO.
The panel commissioned by the WHO does not include any law enforcement agencies to investigate if any of the reported sexual exploitation was criminal and its reports will be submitted only to the WHO.
Tedros created the panel in October, after news reports surfaced about sex abuse during the WHO's efforts to contain the Ebola epidemic in Congo from 2018 to 2020.At the time, Tedros said he was "outraged" and would move quickly to punish those responsible.
