Bulgarian UNESCO Chief Narrowly Escaped Impeachment, Scathing British Report Is Looming Mind the horns!

UNESCO Director-General, Bulgarian Irina Bokova, has attempted to withdraw a confidential report of the organization’s Internal Oversight Service Audit & Investigation Sections, as it describes her role in a scandalous appointment of a key Assistant Director-General for Strategic Planning of UNESCO. Bivol recently disclosed this information, citing part of the said report.

Bokova attempted to prevent a fundamental discussion on the report’s conclusions because the Members of the Executive Board were inclined to seek her impeachment over the key role she played in the affair.

That is why the Bulgarian has tried to expunge the report from the official records of the Executive Board of UNESCO and thus prevent a future investigation, but she did not succeed in this attempt.

The report and letters through which Bokova tried to withdraw it are proof of her close relationship with Anita Thompson-Flores. She was briefly appointed to the key position of Assistant Director-General for Strategic Planning, but was forced to leave after it became clear that she had not submitted the required credentials (diploma) for this post. However, instead of firing her, Bokova found her another cozy place – the office of UNESCO in Venice.

According to employees of the organization with whom Bivol spoke, such outrageous behavior of a Director-General is unprecedented in the last 35 years. They say that Bokova had dismissed much more competent staff over much smaller offenses related to credentials fraud.

Bivol is publishing the full text of the report and the letters sent by Bokova to the Executive Board of UNESCO with requests to withdraw it.

There is a pending publication, expected in March, of a scathing report of the UK government on the assistance granted to international organizations (Multilateral Aid Review MAR). The previous such report from 2011 stated that UNESCO is a badly managed organization and assessed its performance as low compared to the money invested by British taxpayers (Poor Value For Money for UK Aid).

The new report MAR 2016 confirms the findings of 2011 and goes further. Bokova’s term in office is assessed as disastrous for the organization. She is listed as the worst manager in the entire UN system. It is expected that her candidacy would be vetoed on the grounds of this UK report.