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IASC Champion on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment

Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA discussing PSEA issues with women
Photo credit: UNFPA

At the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Principals May 2018 meeting, the IASC Principals committed to a series of concrete steps to address Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment (see Chair’s statement of 1 June 2018). Their discussion set an ambitious agenda for action to strengthen the humanitarian sector’s approach to preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and sexual harassment (SH).

The IASC Principals welcomed continuous knowledge sharing of good practices to prevent, investigate and respond to SEA and SH and committed to immediate collective action to:

  • Ensure a victim-centered approach to addressing SEA and SH;
  • Promote positive change in organizational culture through strategic communications and role modeling;
  • Improve referencing systems to stop transgressors from moving through the humanitarian sector;
  • Strengthen sector-wide investigations capacity;
  • Support collective activities of in-country networks to SEA and SH.

The IASC Principals also committed to visible leadership to address these challenges and oversee results.

New IASC Champion on Protection from SEA and Sexual Harassment

In January 2021, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem assumed the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Championship on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment (PSEAH) taking over this role from Mr. Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

In May 2018, the IASC outlined its vision of a humanitarian environment where people in crises can access protection and assistance without fear of exploitation or abuse by any aid worker. (Read the Chair's statement.) In their PSEAH Strategy and related Acceleration Plan, IASC Champions set key objectives and priorities to address sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment.

To further these objectives and build on the work of previous Champions, UNFPA will focus on strengthening a victim-centered approach to preventing and addressing sexual wrongdoing.

Dr. Kanem has identified three core priorities at the heart of her championship:

  1. Bolster PSEA country mechanisms

    Leadership, accountability and coordination are fundamental in order to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse on the ground. Inter-agency PSEA networks, led by dedicated inter-agency coordinators, have proven to be effective mechanisms to champion efforts to address SEA in-country.
     
  2. Improve access to quality assistance 

    Humanitarian actors have a fundamental responsibility to ensure victims of SEA have access to timely, quality and survivor-centred assistance offered through specialized gender-based violence (GBV) support services. GBV case management services constitute a critical and life-saving primary entry point for survivors of GBV, including SEA, to receive immediate and longer-term support. This requires sustained investment in assistance to ensure that services meet the unique needs of survivors of GBV, including SEA, on the ground.
     
  3. Strengthen coordination and cooperation

    Inter-agency cooperation forms the backbone of all PSEAH work. An effective and structured response must bring together a range of actors from within and outside the United Nations system, including civil society, affected communities and governments. It is critical that these groups are at the table in order to promote a truly victim-centred approach to PSEAH.

     

“Let’s all be champions of protection and place the rights and dignity of victims and survivors at the heart of our efforts.” — Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA Executive Director.

 

Key initiatives

To drive these priorities forward, four key initiatives underpin the championship:

  1. Establishment of an inter-agency PSEAH expert roster to ensure rapid deployment of qualified human resources.
  2. Review of the IASC PSEAH approach to assess the impact and effectiveness of measures implemented over the past years. 
  3. Development of a PSEAH training package for GBV practitioners to address the particular needs of victims of SEA. 
  4. Dedicated consultations with United Nations and non-United Nations actors to strengthen cohesion and coordination in the response to PSEAH.

Past meetings

May
07
2020

IASC briefing on “Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) including challenges during COVID-19 response”

Webex online webinar
15:00 to 16:00
May
07
2020

IASC briefing on “Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) including challenges during COVID-19 response”

Webex online webinar
15:00 to 16:00
May
07
2020

IASC briefing on “Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) including challenges during COVID-19 response”

Webex online webinar
15:00 to 16:00
Nov
04
2019

Second Meeting of Investigatory Bodies on Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment

Geneva
09:00 to 17:30
Sep
09
2019

IASC Follow-up Meeting of Investigatory Bodies on Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment

Geneva
(All day)
Jun
24
2019

ECOSOC HAS 2019 Side Event: Progress and Actions to Protect from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment

Palais des Nations
Geneva
Room XXII
11:15 to 12:45
More past meetings

Recent news

  • New IASC Champion on Protection from SEA and Sexual Harassment, Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA
    18 January 2021
  • CERF releases $25M for women-led projects battling gender-based violence
    1 December 2020
  • ECOSOC HAS 2019 Side Event: Progress and Actions to Protect from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment
    22 June 2019
  • OCHA Fund for investigations into sexual exploitation, abuse, and sexual harassment
    2 April 2019
  • Tackling SEA and SH together through the IASC
    8 January 2019
More news
Previous IASC Champions on PSEA
  • Mr. Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 2019 to 2020
  • Ms. Henrietta Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF, 2018 to 2019
  • Mr. William Lacy Swing, Director General, IOM, 2011 to 2018
Key documents
  • UNFPA's Priorities and Initiatives as IASC Champion on Protection from SEA and SH
  • Strategy: Protection from and response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment
  • Plan for Accelerating Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Humanitarian Response at Country-Level

Sections

  • Documents
  • Meetings
  • News

OCHA Fund for investigations into sexual exploitation, abuse, and sexual harassment

Published Date
2 April 2019
To bolster confidence that reported incidents of SEA or sexual harassment will be investigated quickly and competently, OCHA has established an investigations fund to provide rapid grants to IASC entities to support investigations into SEA and sexual harassment allegations.

Recent documents

  • NGO Projects Supported by the PSEA Outreach Fund in 2020
    Published Date
    28 September 2020
  • Saying No to Sexual Misconduct--Training Package Download Page
    Published Date
    30 April 2020
  • Country Examples of Practice IOM’s observations from PSEA implementation in‐country
    Published Date
    2 April 2020
  • Frequently Asked Questions on inter‐agency PSEA IOM’s lessons learned from PSEA implementation in‐country
    Published Date
    2 April 2020
  • Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse: UNICEF IASC Championship 2018-2019
    Published Date
    3 December 2019
View all documents
PSEA Community Outreach and Communication Fund

The PSEA  Fund will provide rapid, targeted financial support to NGOs to develop and disseminate PSEA outreach and communications materials, and to make the materials available to all IASC members and the wider for further use or adaptation.

  • For more information, please consult the PSEA Community Outreach and Communication Fund page

A group of women gathered in front of a building

Contact
Dr. Natalia Kanem
Executive Director
UNFPA
Eva Bolkart
Ms. Eva Bolkart
Coordinator for Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment
UNFPA
New York
Wendy Cue
Ms. Wendy Cue
Focal Point for IASC Champion
IASC secretariat
Geneva

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