WHO staff complaint, email allege racism and abuse in Asia

By MARIA CHENG
AP Medical Writer

Staffers at the World Health Organization have alleged the U.N. health agency’s top director in the Western Pacific engaged in unethical, racist, and abusive behavior that has undermined its efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic, according to an internal complaint filed last October. The complaints were also emailed to senior WHO leadership last week and describe a “toxic atmosphere” with “a culture of systemic bullying” at WHO’s regional headquarters in the Philippines. Recordings obtained by the Associated Press show that Dr. Takeshi Kasai, the head of a vast region that includes China and Japan, made derogatory remarks to his staff during meetings based on nationality. Kasai denies the allegations.