Spotlight on allegations of sexual assault, harassment and retaliation lodged against the UNFPA Representative to India, Diego Palacios, by a consultant working for an Indian civil society organization, Prashanti Tiwari - and how the United Nations is asserting immunity to shield Mr. Palacios and witnesses from Indian legal processes.

 
Prashanti Tiwari

Prashanti Tiwari

NEW: September 13, 2018 letter from Prashanti Tiwari to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, appealing for his intervention in her case. Released publicly on September 28, 2018. READ THE LETTER →

NEW: September 13, 2018 letter from Prashanti Tiwari to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, appealing for his intervention in her case. Released publicly on September 28, 2018.
READ THE LETTER →

 

In May 2017, a senior UN official - the UNFPA Representative to India and Country Director for Bhutan, Diego Palacios - was accused of sexually harassing and assaulting a female employee of an Indian civil society organization, Prashanti Tiwari. Ms. Tiwari confronted him, and then went public with her accusations, filing a case of sexual harassment and associated criminal acts with the Bihar police in India in February 2018. Ms. Tiwari wrote to India's Ministry of External Affairs, asking that immunity be lifted to allow her legal case to proceed. When initially asked to comment, UNFPA simply asserted that immunity applied in order to shield Mr. Palacios and UN witnesses from any legal process. 

UNFPA then opened its own internal administrative “investigation,” to which Ms. Tiwari was pressured to cooperate - despite this administrative process having no legal authority to establish the facts of the incident, and no authority to usurp the power of national courts in determining whether a crime has occurred. Following mounting pressure, UNFPA responded to a second formal request from the Ministry of External Affairs to comply with the ongoing police investigation. However, it has continued to assert immunity and has placed severe restrictions on the ability of police to interview UNFPA personnel.

The Code Blue Campaign has been providing support to Ms. Tiwari's efforts to seek justice. In July 2018, we wrote to the head of UNFPA, Natalia Kanem, calling on her to exercise leadership by reversing the actions taken by UNFPA staff who are shielding this alleged sexual assailant from police investigation and possible court action. Read our open letter here.

Code Blue Statements and open letters on UNFPA

Featured
Opinion: Independent accountability is crucial for ending sexual harassment in the aid sector
Opinion: Independent accountability is crucial for ending sexual harassment in the aid sector

August 11, 2020: In an opinion piece published in Devex, Code Blue legal and policy advisor Sharanya Kanikkannan highlights the failures of the UN’s internal justice system and argues for transparent and accessible accountability mechanisms. (UN Photo / Manuel Elias)

Op-Ed: It's Not Complicated: UN Must Clarify Immunity
Op-Ed: It's Not Complicated: UN Must Clarify Immunity

September 26, 2018: In an Op-ed published in Inter Press Service, Code Blue’s Paula Donovan takes on the UN’s handling of an investigation into sexual harassment of a senior UN Women official—demonstrating the UN’s inability to remedy its sex abuse crisis from within. (UN Photo / Cia Pak)

Code Blue Exposes UNFPA Efforts to Prevent Indian Police from Investigating Sexual Assault Charges Against Senior Official
Code Blue Exposes UNFPA Efforts to Prevent Indian Police from Investigating Sexual Assault Charges Against Senior Official

August 16, 2018: After Prashanti Tiwari filed a criminal complaint against UNFPA’s Representative in India and Bhutan, Diego Palacios, the UN asserted immunity, falsely claiming that the accused is immune from legal process. A report detailing the findings of the internal UN investigation provides incontrovertible evidence that UNFPA is in the throes of a concerted effort to block criminal justice. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Open Letter to UNFPA's Kanem Seeks Action on Sex Assault Case
Open Letter to UNFPA's Kanem Seeks Action on Sex Assault Case

July 31, 2018: Read our open letter to Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA, on an ongoing case of sexual assault and sexual harassment by a UNFPA official in India. (UN Photo/Manuel Elias)

Letters from Prashanti Tiwari to UN Secretary-General

 

September 13, 2018 letter from Prashanti Tiwari to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Released publicly on September 28, 2018.
READ THE LETTER →

August 14, 2018 letter from Prashanti Tiwari to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, appealing for his intervention in her case.
READ THE LETTER →

Follow the conversation on social media: #StandWithPrashanti & #MeTooUN

(Photo: UNFPA)