ROME – The Peruvian director of Human Resources at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Fernando Servan, climaxed an alcohol-fuelled evening with other senior UN executives by grabbing the face of a young woman working at the agency and “aggressively” covering her in kisses as she tried to push him away, an eyewitness told the Italian Insider.

 “I was with my friend having dinner at a restaurant near FAO when we ran into the director general and the sleazy Peruvian HR guy with some other senior execs all eating and drinking in the same restaurant as us,” the witness, a woman journalist, told the Italian Insider, speaking on condition she not be named.

 “They know my friend who works there so insisted to have drinks with us in the restaurant and after dinner at a place nearby FAO also,” she added. “The Peruvian was quite drunk and when my friend and I were leaving he asked her for a ride to his car which he said was parked far away.”

 “We all walked together and he was making conversation and inviting my friend to a concert. We then all got into her car in order to drop him off and he insisted on sitting up front next to her as she was driving,” she continued.

 “He mentioned that he knew my friend was up for a permanent contract and indicated he could help or was reviewing the situation. When she pulled over to let him out he grabbed her face and started aggressively kissing her even though she was pushing him away.”

 “It was quite shocking to witness as he was so aggressive. I had to intervene and say ‘get off my friend she doesn’t want you.’ I was leaning from the back seat to the front and pushing him off her also.”

 “I hate to think what would have happened to her if I had not been there.”

 The incident was not the first time that an inebriated man of authority lunged at a young girl. But in the context of the burgeoning #MeToo campaign at the UN, FAO watchers are increasingly disturbed by the amorous behaviour of the long-haired executive responsible for the recruitment and welfare of thousands of women at one of the world’s foremost humanitarian organisations.

 Peter A. Gallo, a former UN investigator and founder member of the Hear their Cries NGO fighting sexual abuse in the United Nations, said sexual predators thrive in the UN.

  “There have been many allegations against Servan in the past, both private and public -- particularly in The Italian Insider – and although that ought to have been enough to prompt an internal investigation; nothing has ever been done.”

 “If asked, I would recommend that the victim make a criminal complaint to the police in Italy, and write to the Permanent Missions of ALL of the member states in Rome to advise that this has been done.”

 “Having been wilfully blind to the allegations in the past, the FAO cannot be relied upon to investigate yet another complaint against Servan now,” Mr Gallo told the Italian Insider. “Without external pressure, any action taken by them will be geared towards ensuring the complaint is dismissed -- cover-ups are the order of the day.”

 Last year Italian insider reported https://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/5672 how Mr Servan traumatized another young woman by kissing her during a discussion about a job opening over drinks at a bar.

 “My God. Can you believe him?!,” the young lady was quoted saying. “I met him and we chatted a bit and he proceeded to hugging me and I was like whoa whoa, Fernando, you could be my dad.”

 Italian Insider also has seen credible testimony by a third woman FAO employee who alleges Servan “tried to force himself on her” in the sprawling headquarters building of the UN agency.

 Mr Gallo said: “The reality is that sexual predators thrive in the UN system because the Organization protects them and is simply not interested in holding senior officials accountable.”

 “Ironically enough, within the UN system; the ‘Rule of Law’ is a joke,” Mr Gallo said, “It is honoured more in the breach than the observance as can be seen by the complete unwillingness to uphold senior figures accountable for sexual harassment or assaults. Worse, none of the work the Organization purports to do for ‘women’s rights’ actually applies to the women working INSIDE the system.

 “If this latest victim reports this as ‘misconduct’ within the FAO, my prediction is that two things will result. First, if there is any “investigation” at all (and that is not guaranteed) her assailant will be cleared of any wrongdoing, and Second: that her career in the UN system will be over.

 “Her performance will be rated as poor, she will be assigned work that she cannot and that will be used to justify giving her bad annual appraisals. If she speaks out against senior management; she will be publicly insulted and slandered. She will be branded a troublemaker. Her character will be attacked, her mental health will be doubted and of course absolutely none of this will ever be recognised as ‘retaliation.’

 “This is a reprehensible tactic commonly known as ‘gaslighting’ but it is common enough in the UN system,” Mr Gallo said.

 jp