{"id":938449,"date":"2021-10-29T17:13:44","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T21:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=938449"},"modified":"2021-10-29T17:13:48","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T21:13:48","slug":"report-e-u-suspends-w-h-o-funding-after-congo-sex-abuse-scandal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-e-u-suspends-w-h-o-funding-after-congo-sex-abuse-scandal\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: E.U. Suspends W.H.O. Funding After Congo Sex Abuse Scandal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Freport-e-u-suspends-w-h-o-funding-after-congo-sex-abuse-scandal%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=938449&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\"><span>The European Commission (EC) reportedly suspended funding this week for World Health Organization (W.H.O.) programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over concerns about mismanagement of W.H.O.\u2019s massive sexual abuse scandal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The decision to suspend funding was made on October 7 and communicated to W.H.O. in a letter marked \u201csensitive,\u201d according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/africa\/exclusive-eu-suspends-funding-who-programmes-congo-after-sex-scandal-2021-10-28\/\">Reuters<\/a> report Thursday.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>N<\/span><span>either the EC or W.H.O. announced the suspension to the public \u2013 which could mean more trouble for the latter agency, which is in very hot water with its donors over the Congo scandal. Those angry donors will not be pleased to learn they were kept in the dark about the European Union (EU) withholding funds for W.H.O. programs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Reuters reported the \u201csensitive\u201d letter outlined the suspension of $24 million in funding for five W.H.O. programs in the Congo, including its Ebola and coronavirus programs.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Vital as those operations might seem, the Ebola program, in particular, played a major role in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2021\/05\/14\/sexual-abuse-scandal-rocks-world-health-organization\/\"><span>abuse scandal<\/span><\/a><span>, which saw W.H.O. doctors and managers accused of demanding sexual favors from local women in exchange for employment.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"5.4759036144578\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Exclusive: EU suspends funding to WHO programmes in Congo after sex scandal <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jQ3Pnq3QIT\">https:\/\/t.co\/jQ3Pnq3QIT<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2bhG4knFqv\">pic.twitter.com\/2bhG4knFqv<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Reuters (@Reuters) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Reuters\/status\/1453810125962153987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 28, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>The EC said it expects organizations it funds to have \u201crobust safeguards to prevent such unacceptable incidents as well as to act decisively in such situations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This reads as a vote of no confidence in W.H.O.\u2019s much-touted efforts to respond to the scandal. The EC said it would re-evaluate the situation in November and could renew the suspension for another 30 days if progress has not been made.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Reuters saw the scandal, and W.H.O\u2019s unsatisfactory response, as a growing problem for Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"23\">\n<p><span>Tedros, widely believed to be seeking a second five-year term in May, has steered the global response to COVID-19, the worst public health crisis in a century. But major donors led by the United States and Germany have demanded fundamental reforms to its ability to deal with outbreaks and the scandal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Some 83 aid workers, a quarter of them employed by the WHO, were involved in sexual coercion and abuse during Congo\u2019s 10th Ebola epidemic, an independent commission said last month. The report cited nine allegations of rape.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The European Commission\u2019s letter, addressed to Tedros, voices \u201cextreme concern\u201d over the \u201cmagnitude of the findings\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>The incumbent W.H.O. director is, nevertheless, a shoo-in for \u201cre-election\u201d to another term, since no one was nominated to run against him. Reuters on Friday <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/tedros-sole-nominee-who-chief-western-diplomats-tell-reuters-2021-10-29\/\"><span>quoted<\/span><\/a><span> U.N. sources who said there was little appetite for holding Tedros responsible for the Congo scandal or the much-criticized response to it:<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<blockquote readability=\"21\">\n<p><span>A European source, asked whether the Congo scandal could have an impact on Tedros\u2019 re-election, said: \u201cNope. He personally is taking the right steps and measures. As long as there is not a direct link to him. Which I don\u2019t see.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>An African ambassador in Geneva, declining to be identified, said: \u201cDr. Tedros has done a very good job dealing with a severe pandemic with severe repercussions. He has tried to contribute within the capacity and the resources of WHO and to realize a more equitable distribution of vaccines at the global level.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cHe is a friend of Africa, he has done a lot of work and deserves a lot of support,\u201d the ambassador said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Reuters noted a copy of the suspension letter was sent to the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.codebluecampaign.com\/\"><span>Code Blue Campaign<\/span><\/a><span>, a watchdog for U.N. sexual abuse complaints established by the AIDS-Free World international advocacy group. The name of the campaign is a reference to the blue helmets worn by U.N. peacekeepers.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18521122\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"32\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GettyImages-612436502.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18521122\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GettyImages-612436502.jpg\" alt=\"TOPSHOT - A displaced woman carries goods as United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) peacekeepers patrol outside the premises of the UN Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Juba on October 4, 2016. According to the UN, due to the increase of sexual violence outside the PoC, UNMISS has intensified its patrols in and around the protection sites, as well as in the wider Juba city area, sometimes arranging special escorts for women and young girls. \/ AFP \/ ALBERT GONZALEZ FARRAN (Photo credit should read ALBERT GONZALEZ FARRAN\/AFP via Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"405\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>United Nations peacekeepers. (Photo credit should read ALBERT GONZALEZ FARRAN\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Code Blue has been deeply unsatisfied with W.H.O.\u2019s response to the Congo scandal, as <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.codebluecampaign.com\/press-releases\/2021\/10\/22\"><span>stated<\/span><\/a><span> by co-director Paula Donovan: <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"9\">\n<p><span>The W.H.O. is treating dozens of violent crimes alleged against its own personnel and top officials as simple breaches of U.N. rules. If governments allow the U.N. to get away with this, it will be a solid victory for U.N. impunity. The entire process reinforces the bogus notion that U.N. personnel and senior officials are above the law.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cW.H.O. created a years-long smokescreen to mislead the world into believing that if U.N. personnel rape and abuse women and children, the only response required is a U.N. self-investigation to determine whether its own rules and regulations have been broken,\u201d Donovan charged.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12037187\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"34\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2369b2_congo-ebola-91279-in-tuesday-16-2019-file-photo-health-workers-dressed-in.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12037187\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2369b2_congo-ebola-91279-in-tuesday-16-2019-file-photo-health-workers-dressed-in.jpg\" alt=\"The Associated Press\" width=\"864\" height=\"631\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Health workers dressed in protective gear begin their shift at a treatment center in Beni, Congo DRC. (AP Photo\/Jerome Delay)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>\u201cW.H.O. officials themselves should be investigated for a prolonged obstruction of justice that violates the rights of victims and the citizens of the DRC,\u201d she demanded.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Donovan was criticizing a plan <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2021\/10\/1103722\"><span>billed<\/span><\/a><span> by W.H.O. as a \u201cprofound transformation\u201d of the organization, including $7.6 million in funding for investigation and response in the ten countries that have the \u201chighest risk profile\u201d for sexual abuse. One of those countries is Afghanistan, where W.H.O. and the U.N. certainly have no shortage of problems to address beyond worrying about its own predatory doctors and supervisors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Congo scandal expanded this week when even more women came forward to report abuse and exploitation by aid workers.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Reuters <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/africa\/more-victims-complain-sexual-abuse-congo-scandal-who-expert-2021-10-27\/\"><span>reported<\/span><\/a><span> on Wednesday that 83 aid workers now stand accused of sexual coercion during the latest Ebola outbreak in the DRC, about a quarter of them W.H.O. employees. At least nine accusations of outright rape have been filed, including a 14-year-old girl who claimed a W.H.O. driver raped her after she accepted his offer of a ride, and wound up giving birth to his child.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>W.H.O.\u2019s acting director of response to sexual abuse, Dr. Gaya Gamhewage, claimed the rising number of allegations was proof that the organization\u2019s improved systems \u201care beginning to work.\u201d The European Commission apparently disagrees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Gamewage said the entire list of accused personnel will be referred to the United Nations, as many of the suspects are not W.H.O. employees, but all of their names will be loaded into a database for screening job applicants at W.H.O. and all other U.N. agencies.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The European Commission (EC) reportedly suspended funding this week for World Health Organization (W.H.O.) programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over concerns about mismanagement of W.H.O.\u2019s massive sexual &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-938449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/938449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=938449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/938449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=938449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=938449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=938449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}