By IRNA
Berlin : The head of the German section of the UN children’s agency (UNICEF), Dietrich Garlichs stepped down from his post in the wake of a widening financial mismanagement crisis, a UNICEF spokeswoman said on Friday in the western German city of Cologne.
Garlichs had faced intense public criticism in recent days for squandering financial donations.
The scandal has deeply tainted the image of UNICEF in Germany, sparking a drastic decline in nation-wide donations.
On Tuesday, the German government called for a swift clarification of all financial mismanagement and waste accusations against UNICEF.
Talking at a routine news conference, deputy government spokesman Thomas Steg stressed all accusations had “to be clarified as quickly as possible” so that UNICEF’s reputation in Germany is “not damaged.” He added that Chancellor Angela Merkel has been “very closely” following the case.
UNICEF’s financial mismanagement affair has also led to the resignation of honorary UNICEF chairwoman, Heide Simonis.