MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

WHO statement on reports of alleged misconduct

The allegations have been addressed openly by Dr Tedros in global meetings with staff in which he stressed that WHO has zero tolerance for misconduct

World Health Organization (WHO) is aware of a news story published today about allegations of misconduct in the organization. The allegations are being investigated according to WHO’s established procedures, having been referred to WHO’s Office of Internal Oversight Services by the Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The anonymous allegations, which had been circulating internally, were also addressed openly by Dr Tedros in global meetings with staff in which he stressed that WHO has zero tolerance for misconduct or discrimination of any kind.

Since Dr Tedros took office as Director-General in July 2017, he has championed openness, transparency and diversity. WHO’s senior management team is now one of the most diverse and gender-balanced of any United Nations agency.

All regions of the world are represented and almost two-thirds are women. WHO is working consistently to increase geographical diversity and improve gender balance at all levels as part of its ongoing transformation process.

WHO has established mechanisms by which anyone inside or outside the organization can report concerns about any form of suspected misconduct by WHO personnel. WHO has recently strengthened the capacity of its internal oversight mechanisms and has proven processes for reporting and dealing with allegations of misconduct.

These include an independently-run integrity hotline which anyone can use to report concerns confidentially and anonymously. We regularly report the outcome of substantiated allegations arising from independent investigations to Member States in our reports to Governing Bodies. All these reports are posted on our public website.

WHO listens to all feedback so we can learn and improve and provide the best possible advice and assistance to countries.