AGL 40.00 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
AIRLINK 127.20 Increased By ▲ 0.16 (0.13%)
BOP 6.62 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-0.75%)
CNERGY 4.48 Decreased By ▼ -0.03 (-0.67%)
DCL 8.58 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (0.35%)
DFML 41.72 Increased By ▲ 0.28 (0.68%)
DGKC 87.40 Increased By ▲ 0.55 (0.63%)
FCCL 32.35 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (0.22%)
FFBL 64.99 Increased By ▲ 0.19 (0.29%)
FFL 10.23 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.2%)
HUBC 109.49 Decreased By ▼ -0.08 (-0.07%)
HUMNL 14.70 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.14%)
KEL 5.08 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (0.59%)
KOSM 7.61 Increased By ▲ 0.15 (2.01%)
MLCF 41.40 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.05%)
NBP 59.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.91 (-1.51%)
OGDC 192.40 Increased By ▲ 2.30 (1.21%)
PAEL 28.15 Increased By ▲ 0.32 (1.15%)
PIBTL 7.78 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-0.64%)
PPL 151.26 Increased By ▲ 1.20 (0.8%)
PRL 26.35 Decreased By ▼ -0.53 (-1.97%)
PTC 16.15 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (0.5%)
SEARL 83.50 Decreased By ▼ -2.50 (-2.91%)
TELE 7.79 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (1.04%)
TOMCL 35.48 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (0.2%)
TPLP 8.10 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.25%)
TREET 16.05 Decreased By ▼ -0.36 (-2.19%)
TRG 53.15 Decreased By ▼ -0.14 (-0.26%)
UNITY 26.29 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (0.5%)
WTL 1.26 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
BR100 9,985 Increased By 101.4 (1.03%)
BR30 31,147 Increased By 547.3 (1.79%)
KSE100 94,188 Increased By 832.7 (0.89%)
KSE30 29,173 Increased By 241.9 (0.84%)

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has resigned amid an internal probe into alleged mismanagement and ethical abuses at the organization, the United Nations said Wednesday.

"A short while ago, UNRWA's Commissioner-General, Pierre Krahenbuhl, informed the secretary-general that he was resigning, effective immediately," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news briefing.

The UN earlier announced Krahenbuhl had been placed on administrative leave, to be replaced on an interim basis by the agency's acting deputy chief Christian Saunders.

An internal ethics report has alleged mismanagement and abuses of authority at the highest levels of the UN agency, which has also faced a financial crisis after the United States suspended and later cut all its funding for it in 2018.

UN investigators have been probing the allegations in the confidential report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

The report describes "credible and corroborated" allegations of serious ethical abuses, including ones involving Krahenbuhl, a Swiss national.

The agency confirmed Wednesday that its internal probe had so far "revealed management issues which relate specifically to the commissioner general."

According to a separate statement from UN headquarters, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said preliminary findings revealed no "fraud or misappropriation of operational funds" by Krahenbuhl.

"There are, however, managerial issues that need to be addressed," it said.

According to the confidential report, the allegations include senior management engaging in "sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses of authority, for personal gain, to suppress legitimate dissent, and to otherwise achieve their personal objectives."

Krahenbuhl himself was alleged to have been romantically involved with a colleague appointed in 2015 to a newly created role of senior adviser after an "extreme fast-track" process, the report says.

That enabled her to join him on international business class flights, the report alleges.

Krahenbuhl's resignation comes as the UN General Assembly is due to renew UNRWA's mandate for another three years, despite fierce opposition from the United States, which considers it to be inadequate.

A number of other countries have suspended their contributions pending the outcome of the internal probe.

Guterres' spokesman said the secretary-general reiterated his "appreciation to UNRWA for their excellent work."

"At this time, it is vital that member states and other partners remain committed to UNRWA and the services it provides," Dujarric said.

"It is also critical for the international community to support the crucial work performed by the agency in the areas of health, education, and humanitarian assistance, which is a source of stability in a volatile region."

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019

Comments

Comments are closed.