Safe, accessible reporting channels, backed by guaranteed whistleblower protection, are particularly crucial for workers and beneficiaries involved in essential services and emergency response – people like Dr. Francesco Zambon. In 2020, as a World Health Organization (WHO) researcher, Dr. Zambon wrote a report during the COVID-19 outbreak on Italy’s pandemic preparedness, concluding that the country’s pandemic prevention plan failed to meet international guidelines. He reported facing immediate pressure from then-Assistant WHO Director Dr Ranieri Guerra to modify his findings. As a former Ministry of Health official, Guerra had been responsible at the time for updating Italy’s pandemic plan. Although the WHO published the report in May 2020, it was withdrawn the next day.
Dr. Zambon reported his concerns about Guerra’s potential conflict of interest through internal channels, but after being ignored, he spoke out publicly in December 2020. Three months later, facing professional isolation and demotion, he resigned. The alleged retaliation and the lack of whistleblower protection led Zambon to request an internal WHO review of his case – with support from civil society organisations, including Transparency International Italy. When this request was dismissed, he wrote to the WHO’s Global Board of Appeal in September 2021. In April 2022, the board awarded him moral damages and legal fees, recommending to the WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that Zambon’s allegations should be fully investigated. After much delay, in December 2022, Dr. Tedros – who was in charge of the final decision – rejected the appeal. Zambon has now filed an appeal to the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization – the labour court for international civil servants – defending his own rights, those of potential whistleblowers and the public the WHO serves.