WWF apologizes for undiplomatic incident against Saudi Arabia at climate conference

WWF apologizes for incident against Saudi Arabia

BERLIN — The environmental group WWF has apologized for an incident at a recent climate conference involving an employee who vandalized Saudi Arabia’s nameplate.

The WWF employee at a U.N. conference in June in the German city of Bonn broke the Saudi’s conference nameplate into two pieces, threw it in a toilet, took photographs of it and distributed the pictures.

WWF said Wednesday it has “apologized unreservedly” to Saudi Arabia and the UN climate group, the UNFCCC, and that the unidentified employee no longer works for them.

Saudi Arabia is a major oil producer that is often criticized by environmentalists. WWF stressed that the employee acted without the group’s knowledge or approval.

The aid group Oxfam also said Wednesday that it has apologized to Saudi Arabia and to the UNFCCC because one of its employees took part in a discussion that led to the incident and was in the room when it happened.

The act was “offensive, inexcusable and inappropriate,” said Oxfam International’s executive directory Jeremy Hobbs.

The Oxfam staff member has been suspended and is being investigated by the group.