Allegations against the UNICEF Representative in Armenia are baseless - UN Spokesperson

During the press briefing on 9 March, the UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric asserted that the allegations of espionage against the UNICEF Representative in Armenia made by one local Telegram channel are baseless, as has already been confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia.

“And I would defend her strongly. What I can tell you and what my colleagues of UNICEF have told me is that UNICEF and the Government of Armenia have agreed that Marianne Clark‑Hattingh will complete her assignment as UNICEF Representative in Armenia this month, and she’ll be redeployed to another duty station. 

She is a highly qualified, extremely experienced and committed development professional, who has previously served with UNICEF at Headquarters, as well as being the Representative in Malaysia and other posts in places such as Somalia, Guinea, Benin and Madagascar. 

UNICEF has been working for the children in Armenia since 1993 and has had a close and effective partnership with the Government”.