Caroline Hunt-Matthes, a former investigator with the United Nations, is speaking out after a grueling 15-year legal struggle—the longest in UN history—triggered by her efforts to expose sexual exploitation and institutional misconduct. Her case sheds light on a persistent culture of cover-ups, lack of accountability, and the high personal cost of speaking truth to power within one of the world’s most influential international bodies.
Her trials began after uncovering the sexual exploitation of a refugee in Sri Lanka. Over the course of her investigation into the abuse, Hunt-Matthes witnessed firsthand the “propensity to cover up as opposed to being transparent.” As a result of her tenacity, she faced pushback from superiors, eventually culminating in her termination while on medical leave. “Nobody should have to be under protection for expressing concern about a workplace issue,” said Hunt-Matthes.
Hunt-Matthes now calls for increased transparency and accountability in the UN, especially in her old workplace, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Inspector General’s Office. Although whistleblowing is protected under numerous UN Conventions, Hunt-Matthes says that internal UN whistleblowers lack adequate defenses. According to her, “It’s easier to get rid of the whistleblower than to fix the system.”
Despite international conventions meant to protect whistleblowers, Hunt-Matthes argues that internal safeguards are inadequate in protecting whistleblowers. Her new book, We the People: The United Nations Whistleblowers, documents her story and those of others who dared to blow the whistle. The book describes their journeys navigating the bureaucratic labyrinth of fighting legal battles against an immune international entity. Without external oversight structures, it is nearly impossible to blow the whistle on the organization.
The upcoming United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) thus represents a crucial opportunity to bolster whistleblower protection both within the UN and around the world. When asked about her hopes for reform, Hunt-Matthes stressed, “You have to have a safe environment. The bottom line is nobody should be having to whistle-blow.”
This week, Caroline Hunt-Matthes will share more about her experience and call for urgent reform during her appearance on the Whistleblower of the Week podcast.
