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TWN
Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Nov25/11) WTO:
DG's management shakeup sparks allegations of arbitrary action Geneva, 12 Nov (D. Ravi Kanth) -- The Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Ms. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, has announced "some senior management organizational changes" amid allegations that a director was removed from his post on specious grounds without due process, creating an atmosphere of fear and eroding collegiality, according to people familiar with the development. In an internal message sent to staff during the past two days and seen by the SUNS, the DG said, "I am writing to advise you of some senior management organizational changes, effective immediately." However, she did not explain the reasons for the changes. Following the abrupt removal of the Director of the Development Division, Mr. Taufiqur Rahman from Bangladesh, the DG wrote that "DDG [Deputy Director-General] Mr. Zhang [Xiangchen] will resume responsibility as the Director of the Development Division ad interim." People familiar with the development said that Mr. Rahman was removed on allegedly inexplicable and arbitrary grounds without proper due process. In the same memo, the DG outlined other changes: "TPRD [Trade Policies Review Division] will henceforth report to DDG [Ms. Jennifer] Nordquist [a former official under the Trump administration], no longer to DDG [Jean-Marie] Paugam." She added, "LAD [Legal Affairs Division] will henceforth report to DDG Paugam and no longer to DDG Nordquist." The internal memo did not clarify what provoked these changes, though people familiar with the matter said it is widely understood among staff to be connected to the removal of Mr. Rahman, who was confirmed as Director of the Development Division only a couple of months ago. According to people who asked not to be quoted, a series of allegedly "baseless" charges were framed against Mr. Rahman based on complaints from within the division, without due process that would have allowed him to present his side of the story. "There is growing discontent and a feeling of fear," said another former staffer who claimed to have been removed arbitrarily in the past. This seemingly contrasts with the DG's own characterization of the reform of the organization. At a town hall meeting last month, Ms. Okonjo-Iweala proudly stated that she had removed roughly ten out of fourteen officials on grounds of fairness and discipline, said people familiar with her pronouncements. According to staff, this disciplinary system is a source of fear. They claim that the DG's office, working with the Office of Internal Oversight - which employs investigators apparently unfamiliar with divisional functions - and the new head of Human Resources, allegedly frames charges against officials at the whim of the organization's leadership. Furthermore, the DG created the post of Chief Ethics, Risk and Compliance Officer that works closely with her office to allegedly take arbitrary action against senior officials, said people familiar with the development. While the DG presents these reforms as a matter of pride, introducing fairness and discipline, critics say that they have created an environment of fear and arbitrary targeting. The process for selecting individuals for disciplinary action is unclear, especially when many are engaged in similar actions. This is exemplified by the alleged misuse of the staff survey. Its original purpose was to anonymously gauge employee sentiment. However, the results were reportedly re-purposed into a performance review for directors. While the critical feedback was primarily about senior management and not the DG's office, it was allegedly redirected to target directors and senior officials - an outcome that seemingly violated the survey's anonymous and constructive intent. People familiar with the situation describe an overall atmosphere that has become "ugly and devoid of collegiality," and replaced by suspicion and employees reporting on one another. The investigation process has also been described as "flawed", where an individual can be subject to a complaint and a full investigation without their knowledge. In one case, a person allegedly only learned of the investigation when the decision to remove that person was announced. This ex-parte approach is considered fundamentally unfair, as it denies individuals a chance to defend themselves. QUESTIONS & RESPONSE Against this backdrop, the SUNS posed a set of questions to the WTO spokesperson for clarification: 1. Is it true that a director of one major division has been allegedly removed on false grounds without proper due process? 2. Is it true that decisions are being made about changing directors and senior officials by collecting views from the people working under them in an allegedly opaque process? 3. Is it true that the newly created Office of Internal Oversight is being used for seemingly dubious investigations against select officials to prepare the ground for removal from their posts and eventually from the organization? 4. Is it true that the Director-General, in one of her recent town hall meetings, is understood to have said that around 10 out of 14 officials have been removed based on the investigations being conducted by the Office of Internal Oversight and Human Resources department? 5. At a time when the overall morale of the organization is at its lowest ebb, what is the message that the DG wants to send to her staff and the world when due process and transparency are being allegedly undermined? In response to the questions, a WTO spokesperson offered the following answers: * On the removal of a director: "We don't comment on individual personal matters," while categorically rejecting the allegation. "Every staffing decision follows our established rules and due process. No action is taken arbitrarily." * On allegedly opaque processes for framing charges: "That claim is entirely false. Leadership appointments are made through a transparent, rules-based process, not on anonymous feedback or informal consultations. All appointments are subject to rigorous review to ensure compliance with organizational policies. Any suggestion to the contrary is unfounded and misleading." * On the role of the Office of Internal Oversight: "This assertion has no basis in fact. The Office of Internal Oversight was established in 2015 precisely to strengthen integrity and accountability. It operates independently, under strict oversight mechanisms, and within clearly defined policies. Its mandate is to uphold fairness and objectivity, not to pursue individuals." * On the reported dismissal of 10 out of 14 officials: "That is inaccurate. Human Resources does not conduct investigations." The spokesperson acknowledged that "the Director-General shared data to highlight the organization's commitment to ethics and accountability. These actions reflect a zero-tolerance approach to misconduct and consistent application of standards across all levels." * On low morale and the DG's message: "The allegation that staff morale is low is not supported by the facts. Despite a challenging global environment and widespread layoffs in many international organizations, the WTO Secretariat has maintained all fixed-term positions and safeguarded jobs. A recent staff survey, conducted jointly with the Staff Council, saw a participation rate of 76%, a strong indication of staff engagement. The results are being reviewed closely to identify ways to further strengthen trust, fairness, and transparency across the organization." +
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