Head of UNRWA quits amid probe

shaheennews

The head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Pierre Krahenbuhl, has resigned following a pair of critical inquiries into his management of the beleaguered aid agency, the United Nations announced Wednesday.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that Krahenbuhl informed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that he was resigning, effective immediately, after an internal U.N. investigation into allegations of mismanagement by the refugee official and his top advisors.

Earlier in the day, Guterres has suspended Krahenbuhl over the alleged managerial issues, and designated Christian Saunders to act as the officer-in-charge of UNRWA in the intervening time.

An internal U.N. ethics report has alleged mismanagement and abuses of authority at the highest levels of the agency, which has also faced a financial crisis after US funding cuts.

//Petra//