Head of UN Palestinian agency resigns amid ethics probe

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 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."
"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."