United Nations

Press Statement: Latest UN exposé shows need for urgent reforms: Civil society organizations call for an independent inquiry into whistleblower retaliation complaints

30 June, 2022 Latest UN exposé shows need for urgent reforms: Civil society organizations call for an independent inquiry into whistleblower retaliation complaints On 21 June 2022, a damning documentary on the UN’s mistreatment of whistleblowers aired in the UK. The Whistleblowers: Inside the UN, a BBC production, examines the fate of several individuals who [...]

Press Statement: Leading whistleblower protection NGOs call for urgent reform after latest UN whistleblower firing

Leading whistleblower protection NGOs call for urgent reform after latest UN whistleblower firing 13 April 2022 The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) terminated the employment contract of whistleblower John O’Brien, who reported corruption in UNDP climate change projects. Government Accountability Project, Transparency International and the Whistleblowing International Network are gravely concerned about the continuing trend of UN whistleblowers [...]

2022-06-28T12:38:42-04:00April 13th, 2022|International, Press, United Nations, Whistleblower Rights|

UN climate change whistleblowers must be protected

Mr. Steiner UNDP Administrator United Nations Development Programme One United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017 USA 2nd February 2022 Dear Administrator Steiner, We are writing in response to your letter of 13 December 2021 on issues related to the UNDP GEF Russia Standards and Labels project and whistleblower protection, and in particular in relation [...]

Common Dreams: Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley, and Tlaib Lead Call for UN Probe Into Alleged DHS Human Rights Abuses

Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley, and Tlaib Lead Call for UN Probe Into Alleged DHS Human Rights Abuses This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. The four first-term progressive congresswomen collectively called the Squad led a letter Friday calling for independent international investigation of "recent, ongoing, and credible allegations of egregious human [...]

Press Release: Government Accountability Project Attorneys Submit Recommendations to United Nations Internal Justice Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  May 13, 2020  Government Accountability Project Attorneys Submit Recommendations to United Nations Internal Justice Council Letter Seeks to Improve Whistleblower Protection and Internal Justice System WASHINGTON – The United Nations International Justice Council (IJC) is submitting recommendations to the General Assembly on how to improve internal justice systems within the UN, including protection for whistleblowers. Government Accountability Project was invited to submit [...]

2021-09-16T13:09:50-04:00May 13th, 2020|International, Press release, United Nations|

Fox News: UN Human Rights Office Accused of Helping China Keep An Eye on Dissidents

Note: this article, featuring our client Emma Reilly, was originally published here. UN Human Rights Office Accused of Helping China Keep An Eye on Dissidents A United Nations whistleblower is accusing the organization's human rights office in Switzerland of continuing to provide the Chinese government with the names of activists critical of Beijing. Emma Reilly, a UN employee who first alleged the practice in [...]

The Epoch Times: UN Discloses Names of Chinese Dissidents to Beijing: Whistleblower

Note: this article, featuring our client Emma Reilly and Government Accountability Project, was originally published here. UN Discloses Names of Chinese Dissidents to Beijing: Whistleblower A United Nations whistleblower has accused the organization’s human rights agency of endangering Chinese rights activists by disclosing their names to the Chinese regime. “The Office of the High Commissioner for Human [...]

2019-12-17T09:43:26-05:00December 17th, 2019|In The News, International, United Nations|

PRESS RELEASE: UN INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION FIRES CYBER SECURITY WHISTLEBLOWER AFTER U.S. WITHDRAWS MILLIONS OVER WHISTLEBLOWER RETALIATION CONCERNS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2019 UN INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION FIRES CYBER SECURITY WHISTLEBLOWER AFTER U.S. WITHDRAWS MILLIONS OVER WHISTLEBLOWER RETALIATION CONCERNS MONTREAL - On December 13, 2019, the UN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) fired whistleblower Vincent Smith for his disclosure that ICAO’s leadership responded inadequately to a cyber-espionage group’s breach that exposed [...]

2019-12-13T16:26:40-05:00December 13th, 2019|International, Press release, United Nations|

What the United Nations and President Trump have in Common When it Comes to Whistleblowers 

What the United Nations and President Trump have in Common When it Comes to Whistleblowers:  Hostile Responses to Whistleblowers Plague the United Nations By Gabrielle Simeck and Samantha Feinstein Since a confidential intelligence community (IC) whistleblower’s complaint regarding a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky became public, whistleblowers [...]

2019-10-04T12:27:57-04:00October 4th, 2019|Blog, Uncategorized, United Nations|

UN Must Protect WIPO Whistleblower Against Retaliation

In September 2018, the US State Department reported to the Congressional Appropriations Committees that the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a Specialized Agency of the United Nations (UN) System, lacks best-practice whistleblower protections. The case of whistleblower Wei Lei featured prominently in that report. Lei’s experience as a UN staff member on the receiving end of continuing [...]

2018-11-13T13:25:46-05:00November 9th, 2018|Uncategorized, United Nations|