Alleged ‘ethical abuses’ reported at UN agency for Palestinians

An internal ethics report has alleged mismanagement and abuses of authority at the highest levels of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. The findings by the ethics department of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) are now being scrutinized by UN investigators.

The allegations include senior management engaging in “sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses of authority, for personal gain, to suppress legitimate dissent, and to otherwise achieve their personal objectives,” AFP reported, citing the document.

The agency provides schooling and medical services to 5.4 million Palestine refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and the Palestinian territories.

The UNRWA has recently faced an unprecedented crisis after US funding cuts.