Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02KATHMANDU2207
2002-11-20 10:49:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:  

TEMPORARY UNHCR HEAD IN KATHMANDU DISCUSSES

Tags:  PREF PREL EAID AORC PHUM NP 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 002207 

SIPDIS

GENEVA FOR RMA
ROME FOR USMISSION
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2012
TAGS: PREF PREL EAID AORC PHUM NP
SUBJECT: TEMPORARY UNHCR HEAD IN KATHMANDU DISCUSSES
BHUTANESE REFUGEE SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDAL

REF: A. GENEVA 4707

B. GENEVA 4652

Classified By: DCM Robert K. Boggs, Reasons 1.5 (b),(d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 002207

SIPDIS

GENEVA FOR RMA
ROME FOR USMISSION
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2012
TAGS: PREF PREL EAID AORC PHUM NP
SUBJECT: TEMPORARY UNHCR HEAD IN KATHMANDU DISCUSSES
BHUTANESE REFUGEE SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDAL

REF: A. GENEVA 4707

B. GENEVA 4652

Classified By: DCM Robert K. Boggs, Reasons 1.5 (b),(d).


1. (C) Summary. The new UNHCR Kathmandu Officer-in-Charge
(OIC) traveled to Nepal,s Bhutanese refugee camps November
16 to follow-up on an investigation into reports that
refugees on the staffs of UNHCR,s implementing partner NGOs
had engaged in sexual exploitation. The new OIC arrived
in-country November 13 to take over from the departing
Representative, who was removed after he was slow to act on
these reports. Geneva has tasked the OIC with devising an
action plan to prevent the recurrence of such incidents and
to help the victims. Nepal,s Foreign Ministry has pledged
to cooperate in the identification and prosecution of the
perpetrators. End Summary.

Just Landed, New OIC Leads Mission to Camps
--------------


2. (C) The newly-arrived Officer-In-Charge for UNHCR
Kathmandu, Abraham Abraham (Note: same first and last names),
told the Ambassador November 15 that he would travel to
southeastern Nepal November 16 to lead an inspection mission
to follow-up on reports of sexual exploitation by staff at
the Bhutanese refugee camps (Reftels). The mission would
focus on measures and remedies, including protection systems,
to prevent such problems from recurring, and would look at
what could be done for those affected, Abraham said. Abraham
arrived in Nepal on November 13 on temporary assignment after
the previous UNHCR Representative, Michel Dupoizat, was
called back to Geneva "for consultations." Abraham disclosed
that Dupoizat probably will not return to his position in
Kathmandu.


3. (C) In addition to Abraham himself, the team includes two
protection officers and a media specialist from UNHCR
headquarters, as well as two Norwegian experts on sexual
abuse. Upon completion of his inspection, Abraham will
return to Geneva to brief his superiors.

Promises Action Plans, Refocus of Priorities
--------------


4. (C) In sending Abraham to Nepal, Geneva charged him with
devising both immediate and long-term plans of action to
respond to the allegations. Abraham plans to review UNHCR
Kathmandu,s entire 2003 program with an eye to reorienting
it. From what he knows so far of UNHCR,s operations in
Nepal, Abraham said, he has noticed a tendency for the
protection and program teams &to go off on their own without
sufficient cooperation.8 Thus the protection and
programming functions would have to be better integrated, he
judged. (Note: Abraham has visited Nepal twice before, and
previously served as the head of UNHCR,s South Asia desk.
End Note.)


5. (C) Abraham made clear that his was not a fact-finding
mission. A team had already been to the camps for that
purpose, and their report was in preparation. He said he
would await that report before making a judgment on the
facts, but that as soon as the report is completed, the focus
will be on identifying the victims. Eighteen have come
forward to date. Abraham confirmed Reftels, reports that
the perpetrators included teachers and staff of NGOs working
as UNHCR,s implementing partners, but no one working for
UNHCR directly.

Donors Briefed on Investigation
--------------


6. (SBU) Abraham presided over a donors' meeting at UNHCR
Kathmandu's offices November 19 at which he briefed on his
plans for moving forward. The first priority will for the
two temporary field officers in Jhapa to contact the victims
to provide them with psychological, social, medical and
security assistance. Second will be to see that immediate
action is taken against the perpetrators. Abraham stated
UNHCR's belief that these individuals should be fired, not
employed elsewhere in the camps, and prosecuted. Third,
UNHCR will work with camp and local officials to ensure that
these types of incidents do not recur. To this end, they
plan to: highlight the problem, train NGOs to deal with it,
link the issue to "all aspects of assistance," and encourage
all partners to sign a Code of Conduct similar to that
devised by UNHCR following a similar scandal in West Africa.


7. (SBU) Abraham told the assembled donors that UNHCR had
delegated "far too much" responsibility to NGOs and to the
refugees, and it was time for these responsibilities to be
taken back. Moreover, the entire protection system would
have to be reviewed. Abraham's remarks were strikingly
candid, as when he said, "we thought NGOs knew how to deliver
humanitarian aid, but perhaps we were mistaken."

Nepal Pledges Cooperation
--------------

8. (C) Abraham related to the Ambassador that he had met with
Nepal,s ForSec on November 15 and requested that the
perpetrators be identified and brought to justice. The
ForSec was aware of the investigation, and agreed to
cooperate as far as possible.

UNHCR Taking Charges &Very Seriously8
--------------


9. (C) According to Abraham, the reports of sexual
misbehavior by camp staff &came as a shock to all of us.8
The incidents in West Africa had put Geneva &on high
alert,8 and they did not want to see them repeated.
Headquarters had an &absolute focus8 to make sure this does
not go any further and is &nipped in the bud.8 Thus they
took the reports from Nepal very seriously and would likely
discipline those involved as well as UNHCR officers who had
overall responsibility for the program.

Previous Head Out of Step
--------------


10. (C) One local UNHCR staff member (strongly protect) told
Conoff that Dupoizat,s initial reaction to reports of sexual
abuse had been to rationalize that such incidents are
inevitable in a refugee population that large. (Note: Over
100,000 Bhutanese refugees inhabit the seven camps. End
Note.) The staffer said she had pointed out to Dupoizat that
after the West Africa scandal, the High Commissioner had
stated publicly that even one incident was too many. Given
the social stigma, the staffer told Dupoizat that she
believed the actual number of cases could be at least ten
times larger than the number reported. The staffer clarified
that Dupoizat had not objected when the Jhapa field office,
in its monthly report to Geneva, had reported the allegations
of sexual exploitation. Almost immediately, Geneva sent the
inspection team described Ref B. There was no &whistle
blower8 per se, the staffer added.

Comment
--------------


11. (C) UNHCR headquarters has responded quickly to
investigate the very serious allegations made against staff
in its camps. The problems at UNHCR,s office in Kathmandu
are not unlike those faced by most large bureaucratic
organizations: over-compartmentalization of information, a
lack of communication and accountability, turf battles. Even
so, for a dozen years the office managed what are widely
regarded as model refugee camps to house the Bhutanese
refugees. Dupoizat,s comments to his local staffer suggest
that his removal came in large part because he was out of
step with his High Commissioner--and with the times--and thus
had acted slowly to address serious problems in the camps
under his charge.
MALINOWSKI