Misconduct

Days after the AP report, WHO chief Tedros announced that an internal probe into Kasai had begun. Tedros informed staff in an August email that Kasai was “on leave” and another senior official was dispatched to replace him temporarily.

The termination of such a high-level official stands in stark contrast to WHO’s reluctance to punish other perpetrators of abusive and sometimes illegal behavior, including sexual abuse and exploitation during the 2018-2020 Ebola epidemic in Congo.

More than 80 outbreak responders working primarily under WHO’s direction sexually abused or exploited 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.

A recent internal U.N. report found the agency’s response to one case of alleged exploitation did not violate the rules because of a loophole in how WHO defines victims, a finding independent experts described as “an absurdity.”

No senior WHO officials linked to the sexual abuse in Congo have been fired despite Tedros’ insistence the agency has “zero tolerance” for misconduct.

“What we need now is consistency in how WHO applies the rules on abuse,” said Sophie Harman, a professor of international politics at Queen Mary University of London. “The survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation from (Congo) are still looking for justice; the WHO has to show them that they matter.”

In January, the AP reported that a WHO doctor hoping to replace Kasai as regional director in the Western Pacific had previously faced sexual misconduct accusations.

Internal documents showed senior WHO managers were aware of past sexual harassment claims involving Fijian physician Temo Waqanivalu, who also was accused of assaulting a woman at a Berlin conference. With support of some WHO colleagues and his home country, Waqanivalu was preparing to run for the regional director job.

Javier Guzman, of the Center for Global Development, said a robust internal justice system at WHO was still lacking.

“Making decisions on high level cases such as the one on Dr. Kasai is not enough,” Guzman said. “WHO and Dr. Tedros should do better to guarantee that the zero-tolerance policy is real.”