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A real champion of women's rights never gives up
4 December 2008
We do not know how Cynthia Brzak
heard about UNJustice, but we will not attempt to disguise the
satisfaction we felt yesterday when we found her signature on
our petition.
Since 2004,
the dramatic story of Ms. Brzak, an American who worked on the
staff, and complained of having been sexually harassed by,
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers, has
attracted worldwide headlines.
On
20 Febrauary 2005 Reuters announced to the world that “Former
Dutch premier Ruud Lubbers said on Sunday he had resigned as
head of the U.N. refugee agency after allegations of sexual
harassment in part to relieve pressure on U.N. Secretary-General
Kofi Annan”.
An iconic figure in the
history of UN employees’ struggle for human rights, Ms. Brzak has
a fearless and never-ending commitment to justice that continues
to inspire.
In the message that she
left for the petition, Ms. Brzak warned that for the UN “an
independent justice system is absolutely mandatory…”, and
she added “Member States must ensure
this, finally, now…”
Related
information:
Wikipedia, Ruud Lubbers, Sexual harassment complaint
USA Today, ‘Judge tosses UN employee's sexual harassment suit’,
By Larry Neumeister, Associated Press Writer, April 31, 2008
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