Thread by @althecat

The release of the @BBC documentary last week #UNWhistleblowers appears to have opened a pandora's box. The following day Swiss/Italian news service @RSInews released a 2nd investigative documentary on the subject.

Thread...

@BBC @RSInews The version linked above posted on @youtube was published on June 22nd, audio is in italian and English with subtitles making it fully accessible in English. Here is the Italian Language version.

Both documentaries have segments related to #UNWhistleblowers addressing issues in @UNOPS - a logistics organisation which services UN projects. The @RSInews documentary begins with an investigation into a water services project which was subject to "protected disclosures".

However as with the experience outlined in the @BBC Documentary published on June 21st (which includes a @UNOPS whistleblower (@jimwasserstrom), all the whistleblowers in this case also found themselves being sacked by the @UN.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Was…

Whilst the @BBC Channel 2 documentary recounts the varied stories of (I think) eight #UNWhistleblowers, @RSINews does a deep dive into the particular case of one small project under @UNOPS management, and then uses that to abstract outwards to the UN broadly...

... the role of whistleblowers in the UN generally (providing some startling statistics for the numbers of whistleblowing events - in the 1000s). It concludes with a segment addressing the #JulianAssange case and an IV with his wife, and the mother of his children @StellaMoris1.

While I was perhaps a little hasty to jump to the speculation that the @BBC UN Documentary had been withheld from release, it is none the less very interesting that these two excellent documentaries were released in such close succession.

https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1540791788188729345?s=20

In particular @EmmaReillyTweet the @UNHRC whistleblower was IVed in 2021.

This short video, March 2018, dates from the time of allegations about sexual harassment and impunity in the UN covered in the final part of the 90 minute documentary.

Whatever the reason for the coinciding release of these two ground-breaking #UNWhistleblower documentaries, the importance of them cannot be overstated. The veil has now been lifted on the long-standing issue of impunity within the UN community.

The 2 docos are complementary of each other. This segment 11.46 into @RSINews' documentary expands the scope. 1st to whistleblowing generally (beginning at @Google in 2009) then moving to the elephant in the room - the case of Wikileaks and #JulianAssange.

The @Wikileaks and @EdwardSnowden disclosures created an impetus for whistleblowing rules to be established during the 2010s, including the "EU Directive on Whistleblowing" adopted by the European Commission in 2019, which came into force in 2021 >> whistleblowingmonitor.eu

The UN was not and exception and @RSINews managed to get hold of an internal @UN report from 2018 looking at the situation of #UNWhistleblowers, which contains some shocking statistics.

Screenshots from the documentary.

Of 10,413 whistleblowing complaints received 2021 - 2016, 2055 were investigated internally, 278 complaints about "retaliation" were made (i.e. whistleblowers being harassed, fired demoted etc.) but only 30 were considered by a tribunal.

The full chart is very revealing.
Of 10,413 complaints, 2055 (20%) were investigated. No number given is given for "wrongdoing" being found. I.E. validity of complaints.
Most info relates to "Retaliation" procedures - i.e. complaints by whistleblowers about retailiation.

The documentary highlights the numbers for the Secretariat (i.e. the office of UNSG) but during this period 2012-2016 the curent UNSG @antonioguterres was the High Commissioner for Refugees, a position he held for 10 years till end of 2015. He became UNSG in 2017.

@antonioguterres The UN Secretariat was headed by UNSG Ban-Ki Moon during this period), UNDP was led by @HelenClarkNZ
(2009-2017) and the UNHCR by @antonioguterres (2005-2016). Clark and Guterres were the two final candidates in the 2016 UNSG election.

The full report referenced in the documentary (110 pages) including data from a very large global survery of UN staff can be found here >> unjiu.org/sites/www.unji…

A high resolution version of the chart graphic...

In an effort to get my head around the 2018 data I created this summary spreadsheet which looks at how the @UN Whistleblower system works.

In summary if you allege experiencing retaliation you have a very slim chance of success, less than 1 in 200.

Over the 4 year period of data covered in the 2018 report only 48 complainants regarding retaliation had decisions in their favour (12 a year), and there were only 8 tribunal wins by whistleblowers (2 a year).

Of the 35 cases held to show "Prima Facie" evidence of retaliation only six (1 in 6 - less than 2 per year) had decisions in their favour during the initial investigation.

This supports the anecdotal evidence broadcast in the two documentaries regarding the operation of the #UNWhistleblowers system.

So in summary:
10,413 recorded allegations of misconduct
2055 investigations (no data on outcomes from these found yet)
278 reported allegations of retaliation (albeit with a much higher number found in a survey of staff)
70 were resolved by "accomodations"...

...
64 were forwarded for investigation
20 were decided for the complainant upon investigation (30 were not)
41 cases were appealed, 23 successfully
31 cases were then further appealed
5 successfully (26 unsuccessfully)

However according to the UN's survey data, only 40% of those experiencing retaliation actually reported it (see extract below) - with the real number estimated to be closer to 760.

Of these 70 were accomodated or otherwise mollified, 20 were vindicated after investigation and 28 on appeal - leaving around 642 people who reported misconduct and, experienced retaliation, and presumably just put up with it.

After the broadcast of the @BBC documentary the documentary was raised with @UN_Spokesperson @StephDujarric on June 21st during the NYC daily media conference.

In his fairly lengthy answer Mr Dujarric said he had not managed to see the documentary yet (it's only freely available in the UK) echoing concerns of the vast majority of those served by the UN would not be able to see the report.

Unfortunately the @AJEnglish correspondent @baysontheroad did not mention in his question to @StephD the most incandescent allegation in the documentary which came in a leaked audio recording of UNIOS chief Swanson describing a meeting with the UNSG @antonioguterres.

WRT to the @UN's Whistleblower Policy being implemented in a manner which appears to be designed to discourage its use. Which brings me to part two of this discussion - which I will post in a separate thread.

@UN @Threadreaderapp unroll

@UN @threadreaderapp Here is part 2 >>

https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1541515902394449923?s=20&t=LFx50T2l0UErtzBG255vrg

@AJEnglish @baysontheroad @stephd @antonioguterres This is the website which the @UN_Spokesperson referenced. Up-to-date information about accusations against @UN peace keepers for criminal activity, most of which appears to be sexual misconduct, rape, exploitative relationship and paternity claims. conduct.unmissions.org/sea-data-intro…