By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Celebrity NewsCelebrity News
  • Home
  • Beauty
  • Celebrities
  • Fashion
  • Lifestyle
  • Movies
  • Sport
  • World News
  • Contact
Search
Technology
  • Blog
  • Advertise
Health
  • Blog
  • Advertise
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: WHO director in Asia accused of racism, abuse put on leave
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Latest News
To support economic buoyancy, the small firms playing a crucial role in Ukraine’s economy are partnering to maintain a steady inflow of money
February 2, 2023
Celebrating January 24 Birthdays: A Look at Famous Figures Born on this Day
January 24, 2023
Keeping Up with Celebrity Scandals: A Look at the Top Websites for Gossip and News
January 18, 2023
PR Movies: A glimpse into the world of celebrity
January 2, 2023
10 Famous Women Who Have Openly Talked About Their Mental Health Problems
December 22, 2022
Aa
Celebrity NewsCelebrity News
Aa
  • Fashion
  • Sport
  • Movies
  • Beauty
  • World News
  • Celebrities
  • Lifestyle
Search
  • Fashion
  • Sport
  • Movies
  • Beauty
  • World News
  • Celebrities
  • Lifestyle
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Blog
  • Advertise
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Celebrity News > Blog > World News > WHO director in Asia accused of racism, abuse put on leave
World News

WHO director in Asia accused of racism, abuse put on leave

Robin Deberry
Robin Deberry September 1, 2022
Updated 2022/09/01 at 5:19 AM
Share
7 Min Read
SHARE

London: The World Health Organisation’s top director in the Western Pacific, Dr Takeshi Kasai, has been indefinitely removed from his post, according to internal correspondence obtained by The Associated Press.

Contents
Most Viewed in WorldFrom our partners

Kasai’s removal comes months after an AP investigation revealed that dozens of staffers accused him of racist, abusive and unethical behaviour that undermined the UN agency’s efforts to stop the coronavirus pandemic in Asia.

World Health Organization Regional Director for Western Pacific Takeshi Kasai.Credit:AP

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told staff in the Western Pacific in an email on Friday that Kasai was “on leave” without elaborating further.

Tedros said Deputy Director-General, Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, would be arriving on Tuesday in Manila, WHO’s regional headquarters, to “ensure business continuity.” Two senior WHO officials who asked not to be identified because they were not authorised to speak to the press, said Kasai had been put on extended administrative leave after internal investigators substantiated some of the misconduct complaints.

Kasai’s removal stands in stark contrast to WHO’s past reluctance to discipline perpetrators of unethical and sometimes illegal behaviour, including during the sex abuse uncovered during the Ebola outbreak in Congo from 2018-2020.

More than 80 outbreak responders under WHO’s direction sexually abused vulnerable women; an AP investigation found senior WHO management was informed of multiple exploitation claims in 2019 but refused to act and even promoted one of the managers involved. No senior WHO staffers linked to the abuse have been fired.

In a statement, WHO said it was unknown how long Kasai would be away. The UN health agency said the investigation into him was continuing and that it was believed to be the first time a regional director had been relieved of their duties. Kasai did not respond to requests for comment but previously denied he used racist language or acted unprofessionally.

In January, the AP reported that more than 30 unidentified staffers sent a confidential complaint to senior WHO leadership and members of the organisation’s Executive Board, alleging that Kasai had created a “toxic atmosphere” in WHO’s offices across the Western Pacific.

Documents and recordings showed Kasai made racist remarks to his staff and blamed the rise of COVID-19 in some Pacific countries on their “lack of capacity due to their inferior culture, race and socioeconomics level”. Several WHO staffers working under Kasai said he improperly shared sensitive coronavirus vaccine information to help Japan, his home country, score political points with its donations.

Days after the AP report, WHO chief Tedros announced that an internal probe into Kasai had begun. Several months later, however, WHO staffers alleged that Kasai was manipulating the investigation. In a letter sent to the UN agency’s top governing body in April, the Executive Board, the staffers wrote that Kasai had ordered senior managers to destroy any incriminating documents and instructed IT staff “to monitor emails of all the staff members.”

Kasai is a Japanese doctor who began his career in his country’s public health system before moving to WHO, where he has worked for more than 15 years.

The removal of a regional director at WHO, even temporarily, is “unprecedented,” according to Lawrence Gostin, director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Public Health Law and Human Rights at Georgetown University. “There have been a lot of bad regional directors at WHO, but I’ve never heard of action like this,” Gostin said.

Any withdrawal of support from Japan for Kasai could hasten his dismissal. A Japanese government official who spoke on condition of anonymity said they hoped WHO had conducted a fair investigation.

Gostin welcomed the disciplinary action taken against Kasai and called for WHO to release its investigation in some form. Referring to past WHO scandals, Gostin said: “WHO’s reputation was shattered by those allegations,” calling the lack of accountability in Congo “truly outrageous”.

Gostin and other public health academics said that if WHO’s Executive Board determines that Kasai violated his contract by engaging in the racist and abusive conduct alleged, his contract could be terminated.

WHO’s own staff association urged Tedros to take action against Kasai at a meeting in June, saying that failing to do so “would be a tragic mistake,” according to a memo from the private briefing.

“If swift action is not taken … the results may be regarded as questionable at best, fixed and farcical at worst,” the staffers warned Tedros. “If (Kasai’s) wrongdoing is proven, the assumption will be that many other items were swept aside to save face.”

Before Kasai was put on leave, WHO’s Western Pacific office had planned a town hall this week to address “workplace culture,” including concerns about racism and abusive conduct. In an email to staff on Saturday, Dr Angela Pratt, a director in Kasai’s office, announced that the meeting had been postponed.

AP

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.

Most Viewed in World

From our partners

Source: Read Full Article

The post WHO director in Asia accused of racism, abuse put on leave appeared first on celebritynewsapp.com.

You Might Also Like

The Worst Celebrity Tattoos

Elon Musk has set up sleeping quarters in Twitter’s San Francisco office – Forbes 

Amouranth broke the 6 million follower mark on Twitch

Belle Delphine leaks: What’s behind the angelic face

Bhad Bhabie: How Nudes Turned A Rapper Into A Millionaire

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
[mc4wp_form]
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Robin Deberry September 1, 2022
Share this Article
Facebook TwitterEmail Print
Share
Previous Article Queens health woes make Meghans podcast an embarrassment
Next Article Shamima Begum ‘smuggled into Syria by western spy’
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest News

To support economic buoyancy, the small firms playing a crucial role in Ukraine’s economy are partnering to maintain a steady inflow of money
Lifestyle February 2, 2023
Celebrating January 24 Birthdays: A Look at Famous Figures Born on this Day
Celebrities January 24, 2023
Keeping Up with Celebrity Scandals: A Look at the Top Websites for Gossip and News
Celebrities January 18, 2023
PR Movies: A glimpse into the world of celebrity
Movies January 2, 2023

You Might also Like

The Worst Celebrity Tattoos

December 9, 2022
World News

Elon Musk has set up sleeping quarters in Twitter’s San Francisco office – Forbes 

December 7, 2022
World News

Amouranth broke the 6 million follower mark on Twitch

November 22, 2022
World News

Belle Delphine leaks: What’s behind the angelic face

November 14, 2022
//

A celebrity is a person who works hard all of their life to become well known, and then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized – Fred Allen

Top Categories

  • Home
  • Beauty
  • Celebrities
  • Fashion
  • Lifestyle
  • Movies
  • Sport
  • World News
  • Contact

Contact Us

If you have any questions you can contact us by email

Email: info@celebritynewsapp.com

Celebrity NewsCelebrity News
Follow US

© 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?