UN refugee boss denies sex assault

GENEVA – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers yesterday confirmed that a member of his staff had filed a complaint against him alleging sexual harassment, but denied the allegations.

Lubbers, a former prime minister of the Netherlands, said in a statement read to reporters in Geneva that there had been “no improper behaviour on his part”, but a UN investigation was under way. Lubbers was in Washington yesterday to meet Secretary of State Colin Powell and other officials to discuss humanitarian crises in Sudan and elsewhere.The New York Times reported on Monday that the UN was investigating a complaint, filed by an unidentified woman with 20 years service at the Geneva-based agency, concerning an alleged incident in Lubbers’ office in December.The newspaper quoted associates of the woman as saying that she was an administrative officer in the agency’s human resources department.Lubbers said: “It has been brought to my attention by Dileep Nair, the head of the Office of Internal Oversight, that a complaint about sexual harassment has been filed against me by a UNHCR staff member.”The complaint refers to a formal meeting in my office on December 18, 2003.The meeting was attended by five other staff members.The complaint was filed on April 27 of this year, more than four months after the alleged harassment.In that meeting of last December 18, there was no improper behaviour on my part.”According to the New York Times, the alleged incident occurred at the end of the meeting as the woman and other staff members were leaving the room.The woman later told colleagues that she was “shocked and horrified” by what had happened.UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond declined to comment further.Lubbers, now 65, served as Dutch prime minister between 1982 and 1994 and was elected to head of the agency in October 2000, succeeding Japan’s Sadako Ogata.His term, extended last year, expires at the end of 2005.- Nampa-ReutersLubbers was in Washington yesterday to meet Secretary of State Colin Powell and other officials to discuss humanitarian crises in Sudan and elsewhere.The New York Times reported on Monday that the UN was investigating a complaint, filed by an unidentified woman with 20 years service at the Geneva-based agency, concerning an alleged incident in Lubbers’ office in December.The newspaper quoted associates of the woman as saying that she was an administrative officer in the agency’s human resources department.Lubbers said: “It has been brought to my attention by Dileep Nair, the head of the Office of Internal Oversight, that a complaint about sexual harassment has been filed against me by a UNHCR staff member.”The complaint refers to a formal meeting in my office on December 18, 2003.The meeting was attended by five other staff members.The complaint was filed on April 27 of this year, more than four months after the alleged harassment.In that meeting of last December 18, there was no improper behaviour on my part.”According to the New York Times, the alleged incident occurred at the end of the meeting as the woman and other staff members were leaving the room.The woman later told colleagues that she was “shocked and horrified” by what had happened.UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond declined to comment further.Lubbers, now 65, served as Dutch prime minister between 1982 and 1994 and was elected to head of the agency in October 2000, succeeding Japan’s Sadako Ogata.His term, extended last year, expires at the end of 2005.- Nampa-Reuters