WHO says it has ‘zero tolerance’ for corruption in Yemen

CAIRO – The World Health Organization says it follows “a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of corruption,” following an Associated Press report on fraud and mismanagement that has marred the U.N. agency’s operations in Yemen.

The WHO issued a statement Wednesday saying an investigation has been underway since an internal audit from July-October 2018 found that controls over administration and finances in the Yemen office were “unsatisfactory.”

It said it had moved to address the audit findings, appointing a new country director, hiring more experienced staff and increasing transparency and accounting.

The AP published a report Monday on the WHO investigation of its Yemen office, detailing multiple forms of corruption by some U.N. staffers profiting off donated food, medicine and money.