UNAMI responds to ‘misleading reports’ about departure of its head

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Wednesday clarified that the departure of its head Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert is not related to recent corruption allegations related its sister agency, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as claimed by Iraqi media. 

When addressing a UN Security Council session on Iraq on February 6, Hennis-Plasschaert said she is leaving her position as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) and head of the UNAMI at the end of May. 

“UNAMI would like to set the record straight regarding the recent circulation of misleading reports in various Iraqi traditional and social media outlets concerning the departure of Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert,” said the UNAMI in a statement on Wednesday.

“UNAMI emphasizes that the SRSG's departure in May aligns with usual practices within the United Nations, including the standard rotation of senior UN officials,” it added. 

The Guardians last month reported that UNAMI staff asked for bribes in return for assisting some people to win contracts with the agency as part of a construction project. 

The UNDP later explained that it took the allegations “very seriously.”

“We will take appropriate and firm action should any of these allegations be substantiated,” it added.  

“[W]e would like to underscore that UNAMI and UNDP have different governance and financial structures,” said UNAMI in the Wednesday statement, calling on media outlets “to prioritize accuracy and refrain from disseminating misleading information. More broadly, the impact of mis- and disinformation cannot be overstated.”