Alice Nderitu wasn’t sacked over Gaza, UN says

Ms Nderitu was, however, eligible for renewal of the contract but the move to let her go came as murmurs emerged that she had been going against the grain by refusing to label Israel’s war on Hamas as genocide. 

An editorial in The Wall Street Journal had questioned the decision by the UN not to renew the contract, given that she had been a vocal envoy, alerting the world of atrocities in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza. 

“Can anyone with integrity survive at the UN?” posed The Wall Street Journal’s editorial on Tuesday.

But Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, told a media briefing the suggestions that her position on the definition of genocide played a role in the decision not to extend her term were false.

“Ms Nderitu’s contract is coming to an end today, but she has now fulfilled her full term, and the Secretary-General certainly appreciates the work that she did. But regarding the definition of genocide, whether it has happened or not, should be determined by the appropriate judicial bodies not the SG. Any idea that the secretary-general wanted her term to end because of that is just false,” he said. 

Haq said it is common for UN officials to serve a single term, noting that three of Nderitu’s four predecessors also did only one term. He pointed out that such decisions are UN’s standard practice.

“It’s not unusual for many officials to serve for a term and then go past that, this is true about many other special advisers or special representatives,” he said. “What I’m saying is that this is part of the normal course of events. It happens all the time, and you can look across the board. Look, for example, at the number of terms that the high commissioners for human rights have. All of them have served for one term.” 

Ms Nderitu, a former commissioner of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission in Kenya, was named special adviser on the Prevention of Genocide in November 2020. When the war erupted in Gaza in October 2023, she called for the protection of civilians, and condemned the abduction of Israelis by Hamas militants.

In February 2024, after the International Court of Justice asked Israel to take steps to prevent further genocidal acts in Gaza, she called for a humanitarian ceasefire and emphasised the need for the protection of civilians, urging that “civilians should never pay the price of a conflict for which they bear no responsibility.”

Nderitu reaffirmed the importance of international law and the need to prevent collective punishment of civilians. But she steered clear of labelling the war a genocide. In the categories of atrocities in war, genocide is often the highest and involves a higher number of deaths, usually over 800,000. In Gaza, experts have often disagreed on whether the killings there amount to genocide or lower-ranked war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Read: UN anti-genocide envoy sounds alarm over Gaza spillovers

The Secretary-General himself is barred from setting foot in Israel after officials there were angered by his refusal to condemn the Hamas. 

Ms Nderitu has not spoken on her predicament, but her exit has attracted criticism from those who believe she was right to steer clear of the genocide debate.

Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, criticised the decision not to renew her mandate, calling it a reflection of growing anti-semitism and moral decay within the UN system.

“This action not only disregards Ms Nderitu’s extraordinary commitment to combating hatred, including antisemitism, but it also sends a chilling message about the UN’s priorities and values,” he said.

“This decision cannot be viewed in isolation. We call on the Secretary-General and other top officials to urgently reflect on the direction this institution is taking. When individuals like Ms Nderitu are removed from positions of influence, and when Israel remains a disproportionate target of condemnation while human rights violators and antisemites are elevated, the UN risks losing its relevance as a defender of peace and justice,” he added.