Exclusive, May 14 – The United Nations
Development Program has quietly removed its Acting
Resident Representative in Syria, Dr. Mohammedsiddig
Mudawi, amid allegations of sexual harassment involving an
international staff member, with the Swiss government
reportedly intervening government-to-government on the
complainant's behalf, Inner City Press has been informed
by UN whistleblowers.
Inner City Press sent 20
questions on the morning of May 14 to UN Spokesperson
Stephane Dujarric, SG Antonio Guterres and his head of
communications Melissa Fleming, as well as UNDP's
spokesperson. No answer, no denial, not even the requested
confirmed of receipt. Today's UN is corrupt.
Rawhi Afaghani has stepped up
as Acting Resident Representative of UNDP Syria following
Mudawi's departure from the post, sources familiar with
the matter said. Mudawi, a Sudanese national who had
served as Acting RR since June 2025, is now "off" the
post, the sources said.
According to the sources, a female
international staff member — understood to be a Swiss
national or Swiss-government-affiliated employee — filed a
complaint of sexual harassment against Mudawi. The Swiss
government is said to have subsequently contacted UNDP
directly, at a government-to-government level, to raise
the matter. Sources allege that internal handling of
the complaint included a characterization of the conduct
as "voluntary" — a rationalization that, if accurate,
would raise serious questions about UNDP's implementation
of its own SEAH (Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and
Harassment) policies.
Among the questions Inner City Press
submitted to the UN: *"Is it UNDP policy that sexual
harassment is not actionable if the complainant is deemed
to have participated voluntarily?"
The UN did not answer. A second
allegation involves Mudawi bringing female staff members
to his private residence in Damascus. Sources described
this as a pattern rather than an isolated incident.
Inner City Press also asked whether UNDP's
SEAH unit or OIOS has opened an investigation into Mudawi,
and whether any disciplinary action has been taken. No
response was received by publication time.
Separately, sources allege financial
irregularities in UNDP Syria's grant-making during
Mudawi's tenure. ADRA International Syria — whose Syria
director is Nagi Khalil, also a Sudanese national — is
said to have received grants from UNDP Syria, with
commissions allegedly paid to intermediaries in connection
with those grants. Inner City Press asked whether
UNDP has conducted any audit of grants awarded to ADRA
International Syria during 2024 or 2025, and whether UNDP
is aware of any investigation into procurement
irregularities in the Syria country office. No response
was received.
The combination of a senior official's
removal, an alleged government-to-government intervention
by Switzerland, and grant fraud allegations involving a
co-national-run NGO presents a pattern of accountability
concerns that UNDP has so far declined to address
publicly. --- **The Accountability Gap**
The UN's silence is itself notable. UNDP has in recent
years made public commitments to transparency in SEAH
investigations and to protecting complainants. The alleged
"voluntary participation" rationalization, if confirmed,
would stand in direct contradiction to those
commitments. Inner City Press asked whether UNDP
waives immunity for senior officials credibly accused of
sexual harassment in host countries — a question that goes
to whether Damascus courts or Swiss authorities could
pursue the matter if UNDP does not. No answer was
provided. The questions submitted Wednesday also
asked whether UNDP plans to notify the Swiss government of
the outcome of any investigation, and whether findings
would be made public. Both went unanswered.
Inner City Press will continue
pressing the UN for answers to all 20 questions submitted
Wednesday. A follow-up story will report any response — or
the continued absence of one.
The questions on the record are: 1.
Is Dr. Mohammedsiddig Mudawi currently serving as UNDP
Syria Acting Resident Representative? 2. Has Dr. Mudawi
been placed on administrative leave, reassigned, or
removed from his post? 3. Has Rawhi Afaghani assumed the
role of Acting Resident Representative of UNDP Syria? 4.
Has UNDP received a complaint of sexual harassment by Dr.
Mudawi against a female international staff member? 5. Was
the complainant a Swiss national or
Swiss-government-affiliated staff member? 6. Did the Swiss
government contact UNDP regarding a complaint involving
Dr. Mudawi? 7. Has UNDP's SEAH unit opened an
investigation into Dr. Mudawi? 8. Has UNDP's OIOS opened
an investigation into Dr. Mudawi? 9. Is it UNDP policy
that sexual harassment is not actionable if the
complainant is deemed to have participated voluntarily?
10. Has UNDP taken any disciplinary action against Dr.
Mudawi?
11. Is UNDP aware of staff allegations that
Dr. Mudawi invited female staff members to his private
Damascus residence? 12. Has UNDP investigated whether any
staff experienced pressure, coercion, or retaliation? 13.
Has UNDP Syria awarded grants to ADRA International Syria
during Dr. Mudawi's tenure? 14. Is UNDP aware of
allegations that ADRA Syria director Nagi Khalil received
grants with commissions paid to intermediaries? 15. Has
UNDP audited grants awarded to ADRA International Syria
during 2024 or 2025? 16. Is UNDP aware of any
investigation into procurement irregularities in the UNDP
Syria country office? 17. Does UNDP plan to notify the
Swiss government of the outcome of any related
investigation? 18. Will UNDP publish the findings of any
investigation into Dr. Mudawi? 19. Does UNDP waive
immunity for senior officials credibly accused of sexual
harassment? 20. Will UNDP provide a written response to
this inquiry for publication? So far, No.
Inner City Press has covered the United
Nations since 2005 . Its UN press credentials were revoked
under Antonio Guterres in July 2018 following reporting
on, among other abuses, omissions from Guterres' public
financial disclosures - now more than 2,800 days without
restoration or written explanation.
The US Mission to the UN under Mike Waltz,
Tammy Bruce and Jeff Bartos have been told of this
corruption, and of Guterres' ban of Inner City Press,
without action as of May 14.
UN Under Secretary General Gilles Michaud
acknowledged a "banned list" to which Department's such as
Fleming's Department of Global Communication can put a
journalist without any notice or appeal. All this must
change - watch this site.