US embassy cable - 02KATHMANDU2207

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, Bhutanese Refugees 
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