The deputy spokesperson for the United Nations, Farhan Haq, has assured that UNICEF "is taking the appropriate measures" regarding one of its employees who faces "serious accusations" of having carried out espionage work for Israel.
Asked by journalists at the UN headquarters, Haq limited himself to confirming that "UNICEF is aware of serious accusations related to an employee and is taking the appropriate measures," avoiding to provide more information despite the fact that the name of the suspect was mentioned during the press conference.
The accused worker is Yahav Lichner, of Israeli nationality, who, according to various media reports, has already been removed from his position. Since January 2025, he has held the position of director of the UNICEF office in Washington, although the suspicions date back to his time at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), between 2014 and 2015.
Haq emphasized that, if confirmed, these accusations would clash directly with the obligations of staff established in the United Nations Charter and in the internal regulations of the organization itself, "which emphasize that the responsibilities of employees are of an international nature, not national, and require independence and impartiality."
The spokesperson insisted that "I do not have more details about the situation of the person involved that I can share. I believe that UNICEF will handle this matter and will be able to respond to any other questions," thus referring any additional clarification to the UN agency for children.
In August 2026, an investigation by the media Drop Site News, based on leaked emails, indicated that Lichner allegedly sent confidential reports and minutes of internal United Nations meetings to Israeli diplomats between 2014 and 2015, coinciding with his work at the UNFPA.