World Bank Staff Association Calls for Suspending Weintraub’s Appointment as Director

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL –  The World Bank Staff Association sent a letter on Wednesday, June 24th, to the institution’s Ethics Committee calling for an investigation into Brazil’s ex-Minister of Education, Abraham Weintraub.

The group representing the international organization’s employees wants the Brazilian’s appointment to a position on the bank’s executive board to be suspended until this investigation is completed. The ground for the request is the Minister’s prejudiced statements about China and minorities, in addition to his calling for the arrest of Supreme Court justices.

“The World Bank has just taken a clear moral stand to eradicate racism in our institution. That means a commitment by all staff and Council members to expose racism wherever we see it. We trust that the Ethics Committee shares this view and we will do everything in our power to enforce it,” says the staff association. The e-mail with the investigation request was directed to the bank’s Ethics Committee and forwarded to all of the institution’s employees on Wednesday.

Weintraub was appointed by the Ministry of Economy to take over the executive board position representing a constituency of Brazil and eight other countries within the bank. His approval is dependent on an internal election by the constituency, but it is considered merely pro forma, since Brazil has over 50 percent of the voting power within the group and can, therefore, determine the name it wishes for the position. So far there has been no formal opposition from the other countries that make up the constituency along with Brazil, which are Colombia, the Philippines, Ecuador, Panama, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname.

In the letter, employees state that “according to multiple sources, Mr. Weintraub has published a racially charged tweet, ridiculing the Chinese accent and blaming China for Covid-19, and accusing the Chinese of ‘world domination’; leading the Supreme Court to launch an investigation for the crime of racism. The letter also mentions that Weintraub suggested that Supreme Court justices should be arrested – a comment from the then Minister of Education at the April 22nd cabinet meeting the video of which was made public. The employees’ association also claims he is openly against protecting minority rights and promoting racial equality.

“Although his appointment has been condemned by several client countries, the Employees’ Association understands that the selection of this executive director is by Brazil and only by Brazil,” the employees say. Nevertheless, they argue that integrity and ethical standards are required in personal and professional conduct in line with the bank’s policies, such as the policy on indigenous populations.

The World Bank provides that indigenous communities should be heard when a development project may affect an indigenous territory, for instance. The projects financed by the institution bear in mind prerogatives such as reduction of inequalities and environmental protection.

“We formally request the Ethics Committee to review the underlying facts behind the multiple allegations, with the intention of (a) placing his appointment on hold until these allegations can be reviewed and (b) ensuring that Mr. Weintraub is advised that the type of behavior for which he is accused is wholly unacceptable in this institution,” the association requested. If elected, Weintraub will serve until October 31st, 2020, when a new appointment and election will be required.

Trip to the United States

Weintraub landed in Miami, United States, on Saturday, June 20th, two days after announcing, along with President Jair Bolsonaro, his withdrawal from the Ministry of Education. Following the suspicion that the ex-Minister had used the position he had already left to land in Miami and thus circumvent travel restrictions imposed by the US on Brazilians as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the government rectified his resignation date in the Federal Gazette on Tuesday, which became effective “from June 19th”, a day before the preceding decree.

On Monday, June 22nd, Weintraub thanked the “dozens of people” who “helped him to safely reach the US” on social media. The Federal Court of Auditors (TCU) will investigate whether public money was used and the Itamaraty (Foreign Office) involvement in the ex-Minister’s trip to the United States.

Source: O Estado de S. Paulo