The United Nations is the source of fundamental international law on universal human rights to freedom of expression and access to information. GAP advocates that whistleblowers have fundamental rights consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and treaties adopted by the U.N. General Assembly. GAP works to ensure that these rights are honored by the institution [...]
Earlier this week, the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a briefing on “The United Nations: Urgent Problems that Need Congressional Action.” Some of the most urgent problems discussed during the briefing (which attracted so many audience members that it filled both the hearing and spillover rooms) were the UN’s treatment of whistleblowers and [...]
Last Friday, the United States was subjected to its first review by the United Nations Human Rights Council. The council -- which was re-formed in 2006 -- will review the human rights record of each U.N. member once every four years, offering a means for countries to set goals and receive feedback regarding their human rights [...]
Courtesy of flickr user United Nations Photo Yesterday, United Nations Dispute Tribunal Judge Memooda Ebrahim-Carstens issued a judgment in the long pending case of Artjon Shkurtaj, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) whistleblower who made much publicized disclosures regarding UNDP wrongdoing at its North Korean office. The judge ordered Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to award Shkurtaj fourteen months’ [...]
Current UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Photo Courtesy Wikimedia Today an excellent story appeared in The New York Times about the attempts of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to undermine the new UN justice system. According to the article, “independent judges appointed to revamp the way the United Nations reviews decisions on matters like hiring, firing, promotions and raises [...]
The United Nations (UN) Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) – an independent oversight body of the UN mandated to conduct evaluations and investigations system-wide – has just released an insightful report on “Ethics in the United Nations System.” JIU found that: There was a strongly held perception throughout the United Nations System of a pervasive culture of secrecy in the decision-making processes [...]
Last week, two UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) employees filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the immunity and impunity of UN officials. The petition was filed after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the United Nations is immune from this lawsuit, which claims that former UN High [...]
According to a March 19 decision by United Nations Dispute Tribunal (UNDT) Judge Michael Adams, a UN Secretary-General impostor is on the loose. As Judge Adams wrote in D’HOOGE v. SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS: Counsel for the respondent conceded that authority to terminate the applicant’s contract resided solely in the Secretary-General and no other official and that, [...]
In a positive precedent for whistleblowers throughout the UN system, a United Nations Dispute Tribunal (UNDT) judge recently ruled that a whistleblower should have access to the investigative report about his retaliation claims (Wasserstrom v. Secretary-General of the United Nations). Judge Michael Adams also critiqued the Office of Internal Oversight Services, Ethics Office and Secretary-General for failing [...]