IASC Plan for Accelerating Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Humanitarian Response at Country-Level, 2019

This scale-up plan for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) is based on the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s Championship Strategy on PSEA and Sexual Harassment and its PSEA commitments. The scale-up plan presents a call for collective action and investment by IASC members in all countries with Humanitarian Response Plans or Refugee Response Plans.1 The plan seeks to achieve three key outcomes for PSEA: 1) safe and accessible reporting, 2) quality assistance for the survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), and 3) enhanced accountability, including investigations. To deliver these outcomes, the plan proposes an enhanced PSEA structure at country level that builds on existing good practice in the field and contributes to a broader accountability strategy.

The product of extensive IASC technical consultations, the plan was unanimously endorsed by IASC Principals on 3 December 2018. Humanitarian Country Teams (HCTs) subsequently carried out a gap analysis to inform IASC members of current needs for effective implementation of PSEA interventions at country-level.

Under the Plan, the IASC has developed Generic Terms of Reference for Inter-Agency In-Country PSEA Coordinators.

The PSEA leadership role of the Humanitarian Coordinator as made explicit in the statement. The HC has system-wide responsibility for developing collective PSEA strategies and ensuring that action plans are implemented.

See below a generic TOR for use by HCs and HCTs who are recruiting dedicated inter-agency PSEA Coordinator in-country positions. This is part of IOM’s initiative to support the recruitment of PSEA Coordinators by building a capacitated talent pool and harmonizing the role, which will support both RC/HCs in recruiting coordinators as well as the other IASC members who have committed to seat in-country coordinators.