It might not be the typical scene one thinks about when the World Health Organization comes to mind: colourful brushes and paint bottles dotting tables, people in paint-flecked T-shirts and jeans, music pumping in the background. Then again, it’s not a typical WHO event. To further engage the Organization’s staff in the work on preventing and responding to sexual misconduct, 21 WHO staff participated in a visioning workshop on 7 September in Manila, Philippines, to produce forward-looking art, illustrating their hopes and aspirations for a united, respectful workplace.
Participants were invited to look forward to 2030 and paint their vision of how WHO can achieve its objective of zero tolerance for sexual misconduct. Many expressed that the creative workshop served as a safe platform to openly discuss themes around sexual misconduct and the idea that “change begins with me.” "By engaging in the workshop, I realized that art can be used as a way to discuss sensitive and difficult issues,” said WHO staff member Eileen. Another colleague, Alpha, explained, “I was enlightened on what could be defined as sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in the office, thereby making me more careful and responsible at work for my own words and actions.” Pui Shan Chung, a member of the prevention and response to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PRSEAH) team helping organize the event, was thrilled by the “engagement and commitment” demonstrated by her colleagues, who contributed to a “phenomenal energy in the room.”
In regions and countries around the world, WHO has been working to ensure that the prevention and response to sexual misconduct is present at all levels, embedded into the Organization’s core mission and embodied by each person working for and with WHO.
“What is truly remarkable is the continued engagement by these colleagues as PRSEAH ambassadors since the workshop, voluntarily looking to contribute more to regional prevention and response activities,” explained Dr Dakshinie Gunaratne, Regional Coordinator for PRSEAH in the Western Pacific. “This was also a formidable experience for the team, to see the motivation and the value shift in real time.”
The staff’s artwork will be on display during the Western Pacific’s 74th Regional Committee Meeting in Manila from 16–20 October. By showcasing the paintings, the PRSEAH team hopes that the message of working together in respect will continue to change organizational culture. It’s another step to building a workplace where sexual misconduct is not welcome, proactively prevented and responded to quickly and efficiently.