GENEVA, Switzerland – who The World Health Organisation has fired one of its doctors after charges of sexual misconduct surfaced, as first reported by The Associated Press.
Following the allegations against the doctor, Fijian national Temo Waqanivalu, the United Nations health agency was pressured by the United States and other countries to do more in the battle against sexual misconduct.
“Dr. Temo Waqanivalu has been dismissed from WHO following findings of sexual misconduct against him and the corresponding disciplinary process,” WHO spokesperson Marcia Poole told the Associated Press in an email early Tuesday.
“Sexual misconduct of any kind by anyone working for WHO — be it as staff, consultant, or partner — is unacceptable,” she added.
According to the Associated Press, Waqanivalu was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a conference in Berlin in October and was reported to senior WHO officials years ago for allegedly harassing another colleague.
The initial allegation had no substantial ramifications for Waqanivalu, who led a small team in WHO’s non-communicable diseases department and was planning to vie for Western Pacific regional director.
According to private papers from the Associated Press, senior WHO officials were alerted in 2018 of a sexual harassment complaint leveled against Waqanivalu. Later, the accuser was told that pursuing a formal investigation might not be the best option for her.
Waqanivalu was later issued an informal warning that did not mention the woman who made a claim or his specific behavior.
Waqanivalu “categorically” denied sexually assaulting anyone in conversations with WHO inspectors. He declined to speak to the Associated Press.
WHO has been troubled by multiple claims of misbehavior in recent years. It was reported in May 2021 that senior officials were notified of sex assault claims during an Ebola outbreak in Congo but did little to halt it. A WHO-appointed panel later discovered that 21 staff employees had been accused of sexually abusing persons during the outbreak, of 83 alleged perpetrators associated with the 2018-2020 mission.
Waqanivalu’s replacement at WHO, the Western Pacific regional director, was placed on leave in August, months after the Associated Press revealed that multiple colleagues had accused him of discriminatory and abusive behavior jeopardizing the U.N. agency’s response to COVID-19.
In an email to workers last month, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the appointment of the regional director, Dr. Takeshi Kasai, had been terminated following an internal inquiry that resulted in “findings of misconduct.”
WHO says it has increased its efforts to address sexual exploitation and abuse, including appointing a representative who reports directly to Tedros on the subject. The revisions are meant to ensure “no impunity” for sexual misbehavior and “zero tolerance for inaction,” according to agency spokesperson Poole.
She stated that WHO urges all victims of sexual assault to come forward using “confidential reporting mechanisms.” According to Poole, case files will be turned over to national authorities “for criminal prosecution” after WHO receives survivors’ approval.
SOURCE – (AP)
