After serious allegations of Geneva, Pierre Krähenbühl, from the top of the UN Palestine relief entered plant (UNRWA) back. The Geneva is for months under strong pressure. At the end of July, serious allegations against him and the Agency were made public. It’s about abuse of power, mismanagement, and nepotism. Switzerland reinstated suspended a payment of 22.3 million Swiss francs. Krähenbühl rejects in the Interview the allegations against him. For his resignation, the political pressure, especially from the USA was responsible.
Mr Krähenbühl, according to a report in the UNRWA corruption and favouritism. You yourself will be accused of having an affair with your Advisor received. Your resignation is an admission that the allegations are true?
no, all these accusations that the only way is clear. In UNRWA there is no corruption, no fraud and no embezzlement of funds. I never had a relationship with my Advisor. This has now also found the UN yourself. Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has informed me early this week about the current status of internal investigations.
The allegations come from employees of the UNRWA itself.
the head of The internal ethics Commission listed in its report the allegations and rumors that are circulating. Between rumors and reality there is sometimes a large gap, so in my case.
you have, for example, billed personal travel with Business Class on the UNRWA Budget.
I never travelled in private at the expense of the charity. And to criticize me for a great travel activity, is about the same as if you criticise a cyclist for that, he would go to a lot of Velo. The traveling for my job is essential. I had to win millions of money, and I met presidents, Prime Ministers and the Pope. It does not matter whether these allegations are in the report. You are wrong. Point.
Why you came back?
There have been political attacks on UNRWA, as I have never experienced before. The USA have cancelled the beginning of 2018 from one day to the other funds of 300 million US dollars. This year there were again 60 million.
there Were patrons States which have directly called for your resignation?
The US used the investigation against me, in order to make the work of UNRWA mood. In front of the UN security Council, I was attacked in a way I’ve never experienced it in my 28-year career in the humanitarian sector. It was in the interest of the organization to continue. The pressure was too great.
Switzerland has Also been suspended in the summer of payments in the millions.
Yes, along with the Netherlands and Belgium. For me as a Swiss, of course, was particularly disappointing. But in the end, it was a reaction to the negative media coverage, after the false accusations were against me in public.
But even before Ministers of foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis has criticized the UNRWA hard. He said the Agency was “part of the problem” in the Middle East.
He has not formulated as a question of whether UNRWA is part of the problem. Because he himself has no solutions to the middle East conflict, shifts the blame for a humanitarian organization. This is a pattern that I also know of many other politicians.
teachers of the UNRWA were transferred, as they have in social media anti-Semitism expressed. This does not contribute to peace.
We provide 22’000 teachers. They work in conflict areas such as Aleppo, Damascus or Gaza strip. The great part of them is engaged and would speak never a racist. In a few there was a misconduct. I have fought from the beginning.
Is because the UNRWA part of the problem?
no, not at all. We have trained throughout the Middle East for two and a half million pupils. Mr Cassis formulated his criticism often in questions. I would ask him a question: “Which schools would visit children and young people in the Gaza strip, when the UNRWA needs to close their schools?” The schools were the Hamas, and I can’t imagine that this would be in the interest of Switzerland. In the UNRWA schools, however, also human rights, tolerance and conflict resolution are taught.
Created: 07.11.2019, 17:51 PM
