UNESCO has suspended a prize named after Equatorial Guinea’s leader, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, pending the outcome of ongoing consultations among all parties concerned.
The 58-member executive board of UNESCO said discussions over the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences will continue “in a spirit of mutual respect” until a consensus is reached, the U.N. News Center says.
“The executive board’s decision recognized the lack of consensus among member states to support the prize and highlighted the board’s responsibility to ‘preserve the integrity, values and high status’ of the organization,” according to New York-based Human Rights Watch.
The prize has been met with criticism as Obiang has been accused of corruption and committing human rights violations.
>> US Urges Withdrawal of UNESCO Prize Named After Equatorial Guinea’s President
