Source: PassBlue
By Laura E. Kirkpatrick
October 20, 2021
Fabrizio Hochschild Drummond, a Chilean who has had a long career with the United Nations, remains a controversial figure among some staff members, stemming from a UN inquiry into his workplace behavior that began in December 2020. Certain countries have also been rankled by his being named the organization’s first tech envoy just as the complaints against him were filed.
Recent moves by Secretary-General António Guterres suggest that the decades-long relationship between Hochschild and the UN may be ending and the tech envoy position opening up to other candidates, sources familiar with the situation told PassBlue.
The first two of four complaints, all by women, known to PassBlue were filed in December 2020; the next two in January 2021. The allegations by the four UN personnel who worked for him in 2020 on a project marking the UN’s 75th birthday ranged from creating a hostile work environment to acts of racial and gender discrimination. Specific accusations included Hochschild sending lewd text messages to women colleagues and making inappropriate comments, such as saying aloud how he hoped the women in his office would not get pregnant, as he said it negatively affected their work productivity, several sources said.
Read the full article on PassBlue.com
(UN Photo / Manuel Elías)