WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the PRSEAH Quarterly Member State Briefing Organizers: Prevention of and Response to Sexual Misconduct (PRS)/ODG - 19 December 2022

Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,

Thank you for taking the time to attend this fourth quarterly Member State Briefing on the prevention of, and response to, sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment.

I'm pleased to say that we have made good progress on the commitments made in the management response plan.

By the end of the year, we expect almost all 150 actions in the plan to have been addressed.

This includes the new policy on preventing and addressing sexual misconduct;

The policy on preventing and addressing retaliation;

And the revision of our code of ethics and professional misconduct.

We are now implementing a comprehensive process from allegation to disciplinary action, based on a stronger victim and survivor-centred approach, while respecting due process and the rights of those involved.

We are also fast-tracking the establishment of a victim and survivor support function so that we can better coordinate holistic support to those who have been subject to sexual misconduct.

We have made changes to how we investigate allegations of sexual misconduct, and restructured our Internal Oversight Services Department;

We're implementing the recommendations of the PwC audit;

And we are fully engaged with the UN and humanitarian system wide efforts for PRSEAH.

At the recent Global Management Meeting, my team and I addressed sexual misconduct with all WHO Country Representatives, Regional Directors and Directors.

In a few moments, Dr Gaya Gamhewage will provide more detail on our progress.

And we will provide a full report to the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee, to supplement my report to the Executive Board.

While we have made concrete progress, we still have a long road ahead of us.

I thank all Member States that provided feedback on our draft three-year strategy.

It will come into effect in January 2023 as we wind down the management response plan.

Our WRs and staff from three levels of the organization have provided input, and we will publish the final strategy before the Executive Board meeting in January.

We will also continue to update our public dashboard with aggregate data on allegations and disciplinary measures.

We are still waiting for UN IOS to complete investigations related to the 10th Ebola outbreak in DRC, and we will keep you updated.

As we move into 2023, I ask all Member States, especially those in which WHO is operational, to engage with our efforts to address sexual misconduct.

We must collaborate more on accessible and safe community-based complaint mechanisms, and referral services for victims and survivors which are often lacking.

Together, and with the UN system, we must improve community-based complaint mechanisms and strengthen referral services for survivors.

I, and all of WHO's senior management, are fully committed to reforming and improving our systems for preventing and responding to sexual misconduct of any type.

Finally, I hope you will take time today to visit the "What were you wearing?" exhibit in our mezzanine floor.

It highlights the double tragedy of sexual assault and victim blaming.

Thank you once again for your continued engagement throughout this year.

Your continued guidance and support are critical to achieving these goals. As always, we look forward to your comments and questions.

I thank you.

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