Dr Temo Waqanivalu/Twitter
World Health Organization senior official Dr Temo Waqanivalu has been dismissed over alleged sexual misconduct at the global health agency.
A senior Pacific official at the World Health Organization has been dismissed over alleged sexual assault and harassment, the WHO said in a statement.
Fijian public health expert Dr Temo Waqanivalu’s sacking came after internal investigations found three separate instances of sexual misconduct against him over five years, the statement said.
In March, WHO fired its regional director in the Western Pacific Dr Takeshi Kasai after staff accused the Japanese national of racist, abusive and unethical behaviour.
It was the first time that a top official at the United Nations agency had been dismissed.
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Victims and former and current employees at WHO had raised their concerns about the adequacy of the organisation’s reporting channels and processes for reporting allegations of misconduct.
A WHO report, released last week, said it was working to improve its organisational culture and make it easier for staff to report any misconduct.
WHO
The World Health Organisation says it has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct (SEAH), for inaction against sexual misconduct, and for any form of retaliation against those who report or participate in an investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct.
The report said Waqanivalu also served as a unit head at the WHO headquarters in Geneva leading the work on non-communicable diseases integrated service delivery.
He was investigated over an allegation of sexual misconduct regarding a junior employee in her mid-20s.
“The incident is alleged to have happened at a private networking event in 2017 dubbed unwind/unwined,” the report said.
“A number of other middle-aged men were present, and they witnessed the alleged incident, but did not challenge the behaviour or report it.
“The victim was later advised against raising a complaint by a senior colleague in order to protect her career,” the report said.
In January, Waqanivalu was named in a report about alleged sexual misconduct against a young doctor, Rosie James, who met him at a World Health Summit in Berlin last year.
James had reported the incident publicly without naming him in October.
At the time, WHO said it was aware of a previous allegation of sexual misconduct against Waqanivalu.
James also accused WHO of allowing Waqanivalu to remain at work while he explored the chances of replacing Kasai. WHO has reportedly denied this.
In a tweet, James said: “Sharing [the news] in solidarity with others to show that speaking up is (although not easy!) an option.”
Bullit Marquez/AP
Former WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, Takeshi Kasai, was fired in March for racist, abusive and unethical behaviour at the UN health agency.
James also said she was not allowed to make further comments.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement he was concerned at the allegations against both Waqanivalu and Kasai.
He said WHO has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct and inaction against it, and has launched its Policy on Preventing and Addressing Sexual Misconduct (PASM) to improve the agency’s legal and accountability frameworks on the issue.
“Sexual misconduct of any kind by anyone working for WHO – be it as staff, consultant, partner – is unacceptable,” Ghebreyesus said.
“We encourage all those who may have been affected by sexual misconduct to come forward through our confidential reporting mechanisms. All cases will be reviewed promptly.”
He said Kasai’s appointment had been “terminated” after an internal investigation resulted in “findings of misconduct”.
The investigation found Kasai had regularly harassed workers in Asia, engaging in “aggressive communication, public humiliation, and making racial comments.”
Ghebreyesus said the process of finding a new regional director was under way and will be finalised in October.
WHO deputy director-general Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab from Hungary has been appointed acting regional director for the Western Pacific.
Both Waqanivalu and Kasai have been approached for comment.
