Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
Welcome to the second quarterly briefing for this year on the prevention of, and response to. sexual misconduct.
As you know, at both the World Health Assembly and the PBAC, we discussed both the progress made and the challenges ahead as we reach the mid-point in our three-year strategy for addressing sexual misconduct at WHO.
Last week, WHO hosted a meeting of the investigative bodies of UN and humanitarian agencies, which was organized by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and UN Executive Group to Prevent and Respond to Sexual Harassment.
Around 100 officials from UN agencies gathered at WHO to find ways to strengthen investigation capacity for sexual misconduct and to better integrate a victim and survivor-centered approach in our investigations.
I also met with the UN Secretary General’s special coordinator on sexual exploitation and abuse, and the new UN Victims’ Rights Advocate, Najla Palma, in Geneva.
I specifically asked ASG Palma to develop a harmonized approach for all UN agencies to provide effective support to victims and survivors of sexual misconduct.
This should include identifying a lead response agency which has the competency to support victims, and a mechanism for all agencies, including WHO, to pool funding for victim assistance.
We have learned much in the support of survivors in DRC, and one of the biggest lessons is that all UN agencies must meet their responsibilities in a coordinated manner.
My team will brief you on how we continue to support victims and survivors in DRC.
In 2024, the Secretariat is expanding its focus in four main areas.
First, we are strengthening how we assess the capacity of our implementing partners on the ground to safeguard vulnerable populations from sexual misconduct.
This year, we have mapped half of the 81 implementing partners who deliver WHO’s programmes in priority high-risk counties.
Only 13 have been found to be at full capacity and the rest are being supported with capacity-strengthening plans.
This year, we will make sure all implementing partners in priority counties are assessed and supported.
Second, sexual misconduct has been included as one of the 10 principal risks for the Organization.
Last year all country offices completed the annual mandatory risk assessment and were required to implement mitigation measures to reduce the risk.
This year, in addition to country level risk management, we will require headquarters, Regional Offices and outpost offices to conduct a risk assessment for sexual misconduct as well.
Third, the World Health Assembly also requested the Secretariat to propose Member State accountability for safeguarding joint government and WHO operations against sexual misconduct.
We are consulting widely to align with the UN in this area.
The draft proposal will be circulated to Member States for feedback, and we hope to discuss this at the next quarterly briefing before finalizing the proposal.
And fourth, as you know, the risk of sexual misconduct is significantly elevated in humanitarian and health emergencies.
The World Health Assembly recognized the need to propose ways of funding and integrating sexual misconduct prevention in emergency operations.
While WHO will propose what it can do, donor Member States need also to commit to funding this work in emergencies. This must be a priority.
I appreciate Member States’ recognition of the progress we are making. At the same time, I know we have a long way to go.
The achievements we have made are important, but they are fragile and that’s why I’m committed to fully implementing our strategy to embed the changes in our system, structures and culture.
The real measures of success lies in how we prevent sexual misconduct, and how we respond, keeping victims and survivors at the heart of investigations and support.
All of this requires sustained changes to our culture.
We briefed you during PBAC on the work we are doing on organizational culture and behaviour change.
We are now establishing a roadmap for a Culture Change Strategy, which we aim to have in place at the beginning of next year.
While true culture change takes years or decades, behaviour change may be achieved in a shorter timeframe.
The next 18 months will be especially important.
Leadership is essential to the changes we want to see. And leaders must be transparent and accountable.
I have asked Gaya Gamehewage, the Director for preventing and responding to sexual misconduct, to provide focused support to our Regional Directors and our Heads of Country Offices.
At the end of the year, I will be requiring all RDs and WRs to submit a management letter to me detailing how they have fulfilled their duties under the PRS accountability framework.
I also want to know what challenges they face, so that we can provide targeted support.
I provide such an annual assessment myself in a management letter to the Secretary General.
Today, we will hear how our Regional Offices are scaling up.
I appreciate your continuous support and guidance and look forward to your comments and suggestions.
I thank you.
.jpeg?sfvrsn=826d7380_5)