“Horrified” by acts committed between 2018 and 2020 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, several WHO donor countries are calling for an immediate reaction from the organization.
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Posted on 10/01/2021 19:39 Updated on 10/01/2021 20:53
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Pressure on the WHO. The main donor countries of the World Health Organization demanded, Friday, October 1, a “total commitment” of the institution to prevent the recurrence of sexual violence committed by some of its employees. The statement follows the publication on Wednesday of a devastating report which found that 21 WHO staff committed sexual violence against dozens of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the 2018-2020 Ebola epidemic. . An independent commission of inquiry denounces “structural failures” and “individual negligence”.
In a joint statement, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom declare that they will “ensure that the commitments made by the management WHO will lead to greater accountability, more capacity for action and rapid change. “
The head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who commissioned this report said he was “sorry” to the victims and promised “severe consequences” to those responsible. This was not enough to reassure donor countries, who believe that the main officials of the organization have reacted too little and too slowly. The countries signing the statement said they were “horrified” by the findings of the report, which revealed dozens of cases of sexual exploitation in exchange for the promise of work, but also nine rapes.
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