UNESCO cancels award named after Equatorial Guinea's leader in wake of corruption accusations

UNESCO cancels award named after Equatorial Guinea's leader in wake of corruption accusations

2010-10-22 08:07:09 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Thursday suspended the implementation of an award named after Equatorial Guinea's leader Obiang Nguema Mbasogo due to corruption and abuse accusations.

The 58 members of UNESCO's Executive Board agreed on canceling the Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in Life Sciences after a group of prominent Africans contested the award earlier this month.

"I take note of this decision by our Member States, which has been reached by consensus and with respect and dignity towards all concerned parties," said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.

In addition, civil society groups accused the United Nations of allowing Obiang to launder his international reputation by funding the $3 million prize instead of using the money to improve the poor living standards of the citizens of Equatorial Guinea.

Obiang has governed the small central African state since removing his uncle in a 1979 coup d'état. He is currently one of Africa's longest rulers. Under his helm, the country has advanced from a small-scale cocoa producer to major oil exporter with a per capita GDP higher than Saudi Arabia.

However, most of the oil revenues are stolen or misplaced and cause that the nearly 700,000 inhabitants of Equatorial Guinea live in poverty. Watchdog Transparency International has listed Equatorial Guinea as among the world's top 12 most corrupt countries.

In an attempt to redeem his government, Obiang hired high-powered U.S. public relations consultants, including a former adviser to former U.S. president Bill Clinton, but he is still under investigation for corruption by the United States and the European Union.

UNESCO's Executive Board meets twice a year to oversee the implementation of the program adopted by the General Conference. The Board is responsible for the establishment and management of all UNESCO prizes.

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