The report on sexual misconduct in the UN and associated agencies was released by Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Reuters
The report on sexual misconduct in the UN and associated agencies was released by Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Reuters

UN staff raped and sexually exploited women, annual report shows



At least five women said they were raped by UN staff last year, with dozens more alleged to be victims of sexual abuse or exploitative relationships from which babies were born, according to an annual report released on Monday.

The statistics relate to UN agencies and were documented separately from accusations of misconduct involving peacekeeping and other political or field missions around the world in 2018.

The incidents implicate local and international staff predominantly working for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the child rights agency Unicef, and the World Food Programme (WFP).

Dozens of investigations are ongoing and although not all the allegations were substantiated at least two rape victims were aged under 18 at the time. One received counselling and the other required medical assistance, according to the UN.

There were 75 allegations of sexual exploitation or exploitative relationships. At least five women – one aged under 18 – gave birth as a result.

The annual report, titled Sexual exploitation and abuse: implementing a zero tolerance policy, was issued in the name of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and follows publication of a survey in January in which one third of the UN workforce said they had been subjected to sexual harassment.

In his report, Mr Guterres said that the organisation's response to allegations of sexual abuse had been strengthened and more protection was being given to victims and whistle blowers among the UN's 90,000 staff and 100,000 uniformed personnel, but incidents were continuing and damage was being caused.

“They implicate a range of alleged perpetrators, including United Nations and non United Nations personnel, such as staff members on non-governmental organisations that implement our programmes on the ground,” he said.

“This behaviour harms those we serve, undermines the United Nations' values and principles and tarnishes the reputation of the women and men who work with integrity and dedication to realise the objectives of the organisation.”

Thirty-three women were solicited for transactional sex by people from the IOM, UNHCR, Unicef and the WFP, according to the report, which did not detail the countries in which the incidents allegedly took place.

Of 148 allegations made against UN staff and related workers in 2018, 73 are under investigation, 35 have been given a preliminary assessment and 10 have been found to be unsubstantiated. So far, 27 of those cases have been proven and only three incidents have been closed.

Monday's report follows several high-profile accusations against the UN of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers in Africa in recent years.

Separate figures relating to civilians or contractors working on UN peacekeeping and special political missions showed 13 allegations of sexual misconduct, including eight of rape, against people working in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan.

At least three people were fired or had their contracts severed following the allegations. Nine investigations were classed as pending.

There were 38 accusations including 11 of rape against military staff in countries such as Burundi, Cameroon, Gabon, Niger and South Africa but almost all of those cases were classed as pending investigation. Those numbers were down on comparable figures reported in 2017 and 2016.

In his report, Mr Guterres said the UN was increasing the steps that aid groups and other organisations it works with, known as implementing partners, had to abide by to eliminate or address incidences of sexual exploitation.

As such, UN managers need to provide annual action plans to address abuse and reduce risk of the same, as well as outline how complaints will be reported and processed while protecting victims, witnesses and family members.

A UN-appointed victims' rights advocate has conducted visits to Haiti, Jordan and Lebanon and four others have been deployed in the DRC, Haiti and South Sudan, according to the report.

But recruitment processes were also highlighted as a past weak spot.

An electronic programme called Clear Check has been designed to screen potential UN staff, personal declarations about past history are required and partner organisations also need to share information about candidates who have past misconduct.

However, the report was called inadequate by Code Blue, a campaign group seeking accountability for abuses committed by UN staff and contractors, as it indicated not one person accused of crimes had been prosecuted or convicted.

“In parts of the UN where reporting has increased, the secretary-general ‘suggests’ without evidence that this indicates greater trust in the system, thanks to staff training and awareness-raising campaigns that ‘led inter alia’ to more victims coming forward,” a spokesman said. “But where decreases in levels of reporting appear, that means that prevention programmes are working.  Wherever the data points, the report’s rhetoric can spin it as an achievement.”

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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