UNAIDS chief says behavior of ex-staffer was 'unacceptable'

The U.N. AIDS agency has acknowledged in an internal email last week that the behavior of a former senior staffer toward women was “unacceptable” and was tolerated by an organizational culture which allowed misconduct

LONDON -- The U.N. AIDS agency acknowledged in an internal email last week that the behavior of a former top official toward women was “unacceptable” and was permitted by a culture which allowed misconduct. It was the latest development of a sexual harassment scandal that led the agency’s previous leader to bow out early and resulted in the firing of two staffers. The missive appeared to be a thinly veiled reference to Dr. Luiz Loures, a former U.N. assistant secretary-general at UNAIDS, who allegedly forcibly kissed a staffer, Martina Brostrom, before trying to drag her out of a Bangkok hotel elevator. Loures denied any wrongdoing.