UNAIDS in Deep Crisis, Needs Urgent Replacement of Leadership: Expert Panel

The independent panel that reviewed the sexual harassment allegations and working culture of UNAIDS, the agency that fights AIDS, said that a toxic working environment, culture of impunity, and abuse of power is plaguing the organisation, which cannot be changed unless top officials including its Executive Director Michel Sidibe are ousted.

The panel interviewed 500 staffers after public allegations of bullying, sexual harassment and abuse were levelled at UNAIDS. In the report the panel has brought out, it has been said that a boys’ club culture exists in the organisation, which prevents it from addressing sexual harassments, bullying and abuse of power.

The panel alleged that the UNAIDS is having a “vacuum of accountability”, and concluded: “The UNAIDS Secretariat is in crisis, a crisis which threatens its vital work”.

Sibide, the executive director, UNAIDS, however, denied claims that he forced an employee to drop the allegations that she was harassed sexually by his former deputy. Despite the suggestions of the scathing report, Sibide said that he is the right man to run the organisation.

But this is not what the panel believes in. “The panel has no confidence that the current leadership can deliver cultural change when that leadership has been largely responsible for the current malaise,” the report said.

Right after the panel report was made public, UNAIDS said in a statement promising an agenda for change to be led by none other than Sibide himself. As reported in Associated Press, Sibide said, “I have taken on board the criticisms made by the panel”. “In proposing this agenda, I am confident that we can focus on moving forward’.

The panel consisted of four experts from different parts of world. Supreme Court of India lawyer Vrinda Grover was also a part of this panel.

Despite its heavy criticism, the panel recognised Sibide as a person who has given outstanding contribution to UNAIDS’ work, and called him a passionate advocate of the vulnerable people of the world. The report says that he had campaigned about the risks of HIV/AIDS among adolescent girls and women.

The UN secretary general appoints the UNAIDS chief, and can be replaced by secretary general himself. The panel’s report is supposed to be presented to the UNAIDS board next week.

The panel’s report shows a dismal situation of the working culture of the UN bodies. An agency like UNAIDS has to deal with very sensitive issues; that too among the most vulnerable sections. The agency working in preventing AIDS has to deal extensively with issues like homosexuality and sexual abuse. If the inner functioning of such an organisation has become conducive for sexual harassments, then it shows the malfunctioning of the UN body.