Huffington Post: New U.S. Reformer at the UN Must Review Whistleblower Protection

In her latest Huffington Post column, GAP Executive Director Bea Edwards calls on Dr. Isobel Coleman – the newly confirmed U.S. Representative to the United Nations for Management and Reform – to address the troublesome pattern of retaliation against UN whistleblowers.

Key Quote: It is from the staff of the UN, its funds, programs and specialized agencies, that whistleblowers come. And when they suffer retaliation, many of them come to us at the Government Accountability Project (GAP). Through them, we’ve seen the operational problems at the Secretariat. First and foremost are the shortcomings of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, which are to be independent of both the political bodies and the bureaucracy of the Secretariat, but are not. Cronyism, nepotism and political influence cripple the oversight function.


100 Reporters: United Nations in Haiti – When Peacekeepers Turn Predators

This extensive piece describes allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeeping officers in Haiti, and a former police officer-turned-whistleblower who alleges facing retaliation for reporting it. GAP Executive & International Director Bea Edwards is quoted.

Key Quote: In the U.S., the process of contracting peacekeepers and police is so convoluted that whistleblower protection is almost unattainable. In T.’s case, GAP’s director Edwards also wrote in her letter to the UN’s ethics department: “[A]lthough we went round and round with the State Department we can’t figure out who retaliated – was it the company, the State Department, the UN – where’s the responsibility?”

In July, GAP urged lawmakers in Virginia, where T.’s employer is registered, to improve protection for whistleblowers. The group said that Virginia has become a safe haven for companies, many of them government contractors, that retaliate against whistleblowers with impunity. In a letter, Edwards cited a study of 5,400 companies worldwide by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which found that “whistleblowers detect more fraud than corporate security, audits, rotation of personnel, fraud risk, management and law enforcement combined.” She added, “Whistleblowers have tremendous potential to protect the State of Virginia’s resources, but until Virginia passes stronger whistleblower protection, employees who are aware of misconduct and corruption involving companies based in Virginia are likely to remain silent.”


Badly-Needed SEC Whistleblower Manual Now Available for Free

GAP Legal Director Tom Devine praises a new free resource for those who expose violations of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules. The SEC Whistleblower Practice Guide – written by David Marshall of the employment rights law firm Katz, Marshall and Banks – is a 33-page manual that breaks down federal regulations into accessible terms, explains the requirements for whistleblowers to receive an award, and traces SEC procedures for filing a claim, among other useful details.


Philadelphia Magazine: Edward Snowden’s Father Speaks

Lon Snowden, the father of GAP client and NSA surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden, shares his perspective on the plight of truth-tellers. He draws parallels between his son’s whistleblowing and the story of John and Bonnie Raines – two of the eight individuals who raided an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania in 1971 and released documents revealing that the government was spying on its own citizens.

Key Quote: Parallels exist between the Media Eight, my son’s ongoing story, and the experiences of fellow truth-tellers such as Daniel Ellsberg, William Binney, J. Kirk Wiebe, Jesselyn Radack, Diane Roark, Thomas Drake and many others. All questioned the judgment or veracity of senior government officials, and though each of these citizens spoke the truth, all paid a high price. The truth-tellers faced persecution, isolation and/or character attacks to varying degrees — especially if their identity was known.