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‘Only Guterres can waive UNFPA staff’s immunity in India case’

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By Arul Louis
United Nations, Feb 22 (IANS) The immunity against prosecution for the UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) staff accused of harassment in India can only be lifted by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as the allegations do not involve sexual abuse, his Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric clarified on Wednesday.

Explaining his statement on Tuesday that UN employees have no immunity in cases involving crimes including sexual abuse, Dujarric said he had “stated the general UN principle about the immunity of its staff around the world”.

Regarding the allegations against the UNFPA staff, he said: “What is important to remember (is that) this case does not involve allegations of sexual abuse, sexual harassment. It is different issue. So it does not involve issues we discussed yesterday.”

In this particular case, Dujarric said: “The UNFPA India has already responded to the Ministry of External Affairs that the immunity of UN staff can be waived only by the UN Secretary-General.”

His remarks on Tuesday were a response to a question about a contractor for the UNFPA in Bihar accusing the organisation’s senior staff in India of “harassment”.

UN staff charged with crimes and sexual abuse do not have UN immunity, Dujarric had said. “Sexual abuse is a crime and immunity is not there to protect people who commit crimes.

The allegations against the UNFPA staff do not involve sexual abuse but are only of “harassment” and “mental and verbal abuse”, which may not of themselves be considered criminal offences.

Prashanti Tiwary, a contractor for UNFPA, had complained to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj about the alleged harassment by UNFPA staff and asked for her intervention to have their legal immunity waived so she could sue them.

Tiwary had accused a senior staff member of the UNFPA of “harassing” her and also said that two other UNFPA staffers subjected her to “mental and verbal abuse”, according to media reports.

“The UNFPA has also informed the Ministry that, although the claimant has never been employed by the UNFPA, she is welcome to make her claim of misconduct to the the UNFPA Office of Audit and Investigation, which will investigate the matter,” Dujarric said.

“The facilities for filing claims with the office are publicly available on the UNFPA website.”

Attempts to get a response from the UNFPA in New Delhi was not successful.

But Nadeem Noor, the head of UNFPA in Bihar, told IANS on Wednesday that he had been on leave for last 15 days and, therefore, was not aware of any such development.

“We will look into the report if there is any such issue,” he said.

Tiwary wrote in her letter to Swaraj that she was harassed after she provided “evidence” of “religious intolerance” and “sexual harassment” during a deposition before a UNFPA human resource mission in 2017, reports said.

Tiwary is the architect of Bandhan Tod — a campaign against child marriage in Bihar to save the future of young girls.

She is also the manager of Gender Alliance, a collective of over 270 charities which attracted international attention for its efforts to empower young girls through the Bandhan Tod strategy.

(Arul Louis can be reached at [email protected])

–IANS
al/in

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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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