PARIS, (Reuters) – The U.N. culture and education body UNESCO suspended yesterday the award of a prize for life sciences named after the leader of Equatorial Guinea, whose government is widely accused of corruption and rights abuses.
The move comes after civil society groups accused the United Nations of allowing Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to launder his international reputation by funding the $3 million prize instead of using the cash to improve the living standards of his people.
“I take note of this decision by our Member States, which has been reached by consensus and with respect and dignity towards all concerned parties,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova after talks at the agency’s Paris headquarters.
Obiang has run the tiny central African state, which lies between Gabon and Cameroon onshore and whose capital is on an island off the Atlantic coast, since deposing his uncle in a 1979 coup, making him one of Africa’s longest-running leaders.
