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UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced the resignation of United Nations Works and Relief Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) chief, Pierre Krahenbuhl, on 6 November, effective immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The aid agency‘s commissioner-general stepped down amid <\/span>investigations<\/span><\/a> into accusations of misconduct and “management issues”.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Accusations were first revealed by a confidential internal agency ethics <\/span>report<\/span><\/a> in July, accusing Krahenbuhl and his “inner circle” of “abuses of authority for personal gain, to suppress legitimate dissent and to otherwise achieve their personal objectives”.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Following the start of investigations, the UN announced that Krahenbuhl would be placed on <\/span>administrative<\/span><\/a> leave.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The report alleged the ‘inner circle’ was made up of Deputy Commissioner-General Sandra Mitchell – who resigned from her post in late July – Chief of Staff Hakam Shahwan – who left the agency in early July – and Senior Adviser to the Commissioner-General Maria Mohammedi,” Al Jazeera <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Members were accused of allegedly <\/span>engaging<\/span><\/a> “in misconduct, nepotism, retaliation … and other abuses of authority". <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The agency fell under heightened scrutiny after the US cut funding in 2018 as UNWRA’s largest individual donor.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The <\/span>report<\/span><\/a> claimed that the funding crisis, "served as an excuse for an extreme concentration of decision making power in members of the ‘clique‘ and in particular, the [former] chief of staff; increased disregard for agency rules and established procedures, with exceptionalism becoming the norm; and continued excessive travel of the commissioner-general".<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The report also claimed that recent developments changed the work culture into an environment, "characterised by low morale, fear of retaliation … distrust, secrecy, bullying, intimidation, and marginalisation … and management that is highly dysfunctional, with a significant breakdown of the regular accountability structure". <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It concluded by calling for immediate removal of ‘inner circle’ staff members for fear that accusations would taint the reputation of the UNRWA. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Documents<\/span><\/a> surrounding the allegations mainly detail the relationship between the swiss national, Krahenbuhl, and his senior advisor Mohammedi, claiming that it went “beyond professional” and created a toxic work environment.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mohammedi has yet to step down from her position and has labelled the <\/span>accusations<\/span><\/a> about her conduct as "false" and "ill-intentioned".<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The <\/span>UNRWA<\/span><\/a> was founded a year after the Nakba or ‘catastrophe’ of 1948 left 700,000 Palestinians displaced from their land during the creation of the state of Israel. It provides vital schooling and medical services to millions of impoverished refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and the Palestinian territories.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Following the release of the report Belgium, Netherlands and Switzerland also suspended their funding to UNRWA.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n