After the sex video went viral, the United Nations officials who were featured carrying out the acts in their official vehicle while driving down a major street in Tel Aviv have been suspended without pay.

In a statement released on Thursday July 2, the UN said the men in the video have been identified as staff members of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), UN military observers based in Israel.

The spokesman for the UN’s secretary general, Stéphane Dujarric, told BBC;

“Their suspension was appropriate given the seriousness of the allegations of failing to observe the standards of conduct expected of international civil servants.

“UNTSO has re-engaged in a robust awareness-raising campaign to remind its personnel of their obligations to the UN Code of Conduct.”

The UN maintains strict regulations barring sexual misconduct by staffers and has come under fire for violations in recent years.

A report by the UN confirmed 175 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by staffers in 2019. Sixteen claims were substantiated, fifteen were found to be unsubstantiated, and the rest are still investigated.