Forsyth said Thursday he was not resigning from the United Nations children’s agency because of “mistakes” he made at Save the Children, but because of the “danger of damaging” the aid organizations and their cause.
In a statement Tuesday, the international charity said Forsyth was twice subject to investigation after complaints from three women.
On both occasions, the investigation led to “unreserved” apology from the chief executive and “the matters were closed,” the statement said.
According to the BBC, which first reported the claims, Forsyth allegedly sent inappropriate text messages to young female staff about what they were wearing and how he felt about them.
Forsyth left the charity at the end of January 2016 to take up a role as the deputy executive director at UNICEF.
“There is no doubt in my mind that some of the coverage around me is not just to (rightly) hold me to account, but also to attempt to do serious damage to our cause and the case for aid,” Forsyth said.
“I am resigning because of the danger of damaging both UNICEF and Save the Children and our wider cause. Two organizations I truly love and cherish.”
UNICEF previously told CNN it was aware of the reports regarding “past complaints” about Forsyth, and it welcomed his decision “to come forward and acknowledge past mistakes.”
CNN’s Alla Eshchenko contributed to this report.
