The IASC Endorse Statement on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment

This statement affirms the commitment of the IASC Principals to actively prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment by humanitarian workers, and the role of Humanitarian Coordinators and Humanitarian Country Teams to implement PSEA commitments in all response operations.¹

We, the IASC Principals, re-affirm our determination to achieve our vision of a humanitarian environment in which people caught up in crises are safe, respected, and can access needed protection and assistance without fear of sexual exploitation or abuse (SEA) by any aid worker and in which aid workers themselves feel supported, respected, and empowered to deliver assistance
free from sexual harassment.²

We recognize that sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment (SEAH) occurs everywhere and is a symptom of power imbalances that are particularly acute in humanitarian contexts and even greater for those who are systematically marginalized. Given the gender dimensions of SEA and sexual harassment, we will therefore strengthen the role of women, girls and people at risk as key partners and accelerate work to increase accountability of the aid community to the affected people. We will protect those reporting SEA and sexual harassment. We will redouble our efforts to ensure that all our staff and affiliated personnel are aware of, and comply with, their rights to, and their responsibilities in maintaining, a workplace free of discrimination, exploitation, harassment or abuse. We will be even more proactive in improving diversity and gender parity in all our organizations, especially at the frontlines of programme delivery and at the most senior levels.³

We recognize our leadership responsibility to strengthen the humanitarian community’s resolve to protect from SEA and sexual harassment to create a system of collective accountability, and we commit to provide the necessary resources to prevent and address this wrongdoing.

* This Statement supersedes previous IASC Statements on PSEA and sexual harassment, notably IASC Principals' Statement on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, 2015; IASC Principals' Statement on Zero Tolerance on Sexual Harassment and Abuse within the Humanitarian Sector, 2017; IASC Statement on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment and Abuse, 2018.

*** IASC Champion on PSEA and the Statement by the IASC on PSEAH, Video available in Arabic, French and Spanish.

¹⁾ This Statement supersedes previous IASC Statements on PSEA and sexual harassment, notably IASC Principals' Statement on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, 2015; IASC Principals' Statement on Zero Tolerance on Sexual Harassment and Abuse within the Humanitarian Sector, 2017; IASC Statement on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment and Abuse, 2018.

²⁾ IASC Vision and Strategy: Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment (PSEAH) 2022-2026.

³⁾ IASC Statement on Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment and Abuse, 2018.