THE World Health Organization (WHO) fired its director in the Western Pacific after dozens of employees accused of racist, abusive and inappropriate conduct which may have compromised the body’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an email sent to employees on Wednesday, the WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesusannounces that the appointment of Dr. Takeshi Kasai it had been “terminated” after an internal investigation revealed “evidence of inappropriate conduct”.
Tedros did not mention Kasai by name, mentioning only his title, Western Pacific Regional Director. He is the first time in history WHO fires one of its regional directors.
“This has been an unprecedented and difficult journey for all of us,” wrote Tedros. He added that the process to choose the new Western Pacific director will begin next month. The Japanese government, which supported Kasai’s appointment, declined to comment.
A summary of an internal WHO investigation presented at an agency executive board meeting in Geneva this week found that Kasai employees regularly harassed in Asiawith “communications assault, public humiliation and racist comments”.
WHO directors told the highest body of the organization that Kasai had created “a toxic environment”that employees were barred from speaking for fear of reprisals and that a “climate of mistrust” reigned within the WHO.
Officials also found that Kasai tampered with at least one subordinate’s assessment, according to classified documents obtained by the AP agency.
Kasai’s removal comes after a PA investigation in January 2022 revealed more than 30 WHO employees sent a written complaint about the director to health agency leaders and members of its executive committee.
Documents and records show that Kasai made racist remarks to staff and attributed the increase in COVID-19 cases in some Pacific countries to “a lack of capacity due to their culture, race and lower socioeconomic status”.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.