UNAIDS plagued by 'failed' leadership: expert report

The crisis engulfing UNAIDS deepened Friday with the release of an expert report that found the agency's leaders, including executive director Michel Sidibe, systematically failed to address bullying, abuse and sexual harassment.

It was Sidibe who had pushed for the creation of the Independent Expert Panel, following the accusation that he and the agency mishandled sexual assault allegations against former deputy executive director Luiz Loures.

But the panel's findings include a blistering indictment of Sidibe's stewardship, claiming his secretariat is mired in "a crisis which threatens its vital work".

"The leaders, policies and processes at UNAIDS have failed to prevent or properly respond to allegations of harassment including sexual harassment, bullying and abuse of power in UNAIDS," the panel said.

"The evidence before the Independent Expert Panel of a broken organisational culture is overwhelming."
The panel also raised doubts about Sidibe's ability to lead a reform effort, describing the solutions he proposes as "superficial and insufficient." "Our inevitable conclusion from the review is that the state in which we find the organisational culture of UNAIDS is something for which the leadership of the organisation must be responsible and held accountable."