AFRICA — The World Health Organization (WHO) has been grappling with sexual misconduct complaints across its various regions, shedding light on the prevalence of such issues in the international health agency.
According to data from the WHO’s dashboard on investigations into sexual misconduct, the majority of sexual misconduct complaints have been reported in the WHO’s Africa region.
Concurrently, the majority of abusive conduct complaints, which encompass all misconduct excluding sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment, originate in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO), which includes countries in North Africa and the Middle East.
Acknowledging the challenges in bringing about a “culture change,” Dr. Gaya Gamhewage, WHO’s Director of the Prevention of and Response to Sexual Misconduct (PRS) team, emphasized the increasing number of personnel who are coming forward to report misconduct.
As a result, the number of allegations and subsequent disciplinary actions has been on the rise.
Gamhewage outlined the WHO’s commitment to ensure that every duty station and every person associated with the organization understands how to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct.
Furthermore, the WHO has implemented a comprehensive accountability framework, which Gamhewage described as “the most detailed” across United Nations (UN) agencies.
This framework assigns distinct accountabilities to everyone working with or for the WHO, including senior leadership up to the Director General, for both preventing and responding to sexual misconduct. The goal is to provide clarity regarding individual accountabilities throughout the organization.
Additionally, each country office within the WHO is required to conduct a risk assessment related to sexual misconduct and develop an appropriate mitigation plan tailored to its specific context.
Gamhewge highlighted the importance of these mitigation plans in quantifying and qualifying the risks associated with sexual misconduct at each duty station.
Nearly 40 countries have completed these assessments this year, allowing for more targeted and context-specific efforts.
Lisa McClennon, the newly appointed director of the WHO’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (IOS), reported on the investigative team’s efforts.
The team has received a total of 287 allegations of sexual misconduct, of which 120 have been investigated and 38 substantiated thus far, over the past 12 months.
McClennon noted that since 2021, the names of 25 alleged perpetrators of sexual misconduct have been entered into the UN Clear Check database to prevent their future employment within the UN system.
To foster a culture of openness and transparency, Gamhewge has initiated monthly “open-door virtual sessions” and monthly workforce surveys.
A significant number of individuals have participated in PRS webinars and open-door sessions, with over 60,000 others undergoing PRS courses and training.
Gamhewge has personally engaged with around 200 of the 407 Country focal points, addressing concerns and actively seeking staff input to prevent sexual misconduct and enhance the organization’s response to such incidents.
In November, the PRS will host a stakeholder review to assess the progress made in the first year of the WHO’s three-year plan.
This event will focus on recognizing best practices for addressing sexual misconduct across the WHO system and addressing shared challenges that persist. Gamhewge highlighted the importance of working collectively to combat this issue effectively.
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