OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Recommendation on Ending Sexual Abuse, Exploitation and Harassment in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance
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For far too long, the international community has at best underestimated — or at worst ignored — abuse in the sector.
Introduction
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n 2018, another crisis struck the aid system exposing a pattern of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH). That same year, 205 allegations of SEAH involving UN Staff were reported and 123 allegations involving implementing partners. The global outrage prompted by the scandal was long overdue. Aid agency staff work alongside vulnerable populations, leading to vast power imbalances between the providers of aid and the people they are trying to help. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable.
Donors took quick collective action through the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), to develop a legal standard to prevent and respond to SEAH. The resulting Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance was adopted on 12 July 2019. The Recommendation sets out a first international standard in this area for governments to apply to their national aid agencies, and the wider international community, when working with civil society, implementing partners, private sector entities and other bodies running development programmes or delivering humanitarian aid.
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Background The DAC Recommendation provides stakeholders with a comprehensive framework that incentivises more systematic and coherent approaches to tackling the courage of Sexual Exploitation Abuse and Harassment (SEAH). It provides guidance and supports Adherents, in their capacity as donors and development cooperation actors, to strengthen their prevention and response efforts, with a focus on a survivor-centred approach that is grounded in the gender equality agenda. OECD-DAC Members are key humanitarian and development actors. The 30 major donors who make up the OECD’s DAC spend approximately USD 150 billion of aid annually. The adoption of the Recommendation shows how serious the aid community is about protecting vulnerable people from this kind of abuse. In addition to the DAC Member governments, other stakeholders such as non-DAC members, United Nations agencies, and international financial institutions are encouraged to adhere to the Recommendation to ensure coherence of efforts across the sector. Civil society organisations may also choose to endorse it.
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This Recommendation aims
to prevent SEAH by focusing on three main areas: Policymaking, prevention, and better systems to support victims and survivors.
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THE SIX PILLARS The Recommendation lays out six pillars of action.
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Develop policies and professional conduct standards and foster organisational change and leadership on SEAH in the provision of international aid, including through codes of conduct or ethical standards that provide explicit regulations and ensure communication to staff and senior management in development agencies, and developing country partners.
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Develop survivor- and victim-centred response and support mechanisms, in which their experiences, rights and needs are at the centre of reporting, investigative, and response systems. Donors and implementing partners should respond to allegations in a timely manner, and support and protect survivors and victims.
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Establish organisational reporting and response systems and procedures for the prevention of SEAH, including internal complaint and investigation procedures, anonymous reporting mechanisms, and protection from retaliation for whistle-blowers and those affected by abuse. Human resources practices should prevent the hiring of perpetrators.
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The Recommendation puts a focus on putting victims and survivors first, supporting organisational cultural change, building capacity, strengthening accountability, and bolstering the integrity of the international aid sector.
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Conduct training, raise awareness, and communicate on SEAH prevention, through activities and educational outreach efforts among staff and with implementing partners, including to ensure aid recipients and local populations are aware of their rights, reporting mechanisms, and available support services.
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Ensure international coordination for SEAH prevention and response, through closer collaboration among DAC members, implementing partners, and multilateral agencies, including UN agencies.
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Develop mechanisms for monitoring, evaluation, and reporting on SEAH prevention and response, with clear guidelines for staff on when and to whom to report, and confidential and sensitive procedures that put victims and survivors first.
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Stakeholders should make it clear that failure to respond appropriately to incidents of SEAH will not be tolerated.
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Implementation challenges Stopping the abuse of power takes time and demands cultural and behavioural change. It is important to remember that violations stem from the fundamental power imbalances and gender inequality that plague societies and systems worldwide. Implementation of the Recommendation will face numerous roadblocks and challenges, reflecting the complexity of the issue and the scale of the problem. Key challenges for Adherents include how to: • Engage all parts of government beyond “traditional” aid experts and development/humanitarian actors. • Support implementing partners by building capacity and ensuring adequate resources in order to improve systems and responses. • Respond to a rise in the number of cases of SEAH due to strengthening of reporting mechanisms. • Communicate effectively on efforts to prevent and respond to SEAH with the public, taxpayers, partner organisations, and other stakeholders. • Ensure lasting organisational and cultural change around SEAH and gender equality.
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The Recommendation recognises
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that SEAH is deeply rooted in structural inequality, especially gender inequality, which gives rise to gender-based violence and discrimination.
How can you engage? The adoption of the Recommendation was a first step, it is now time for implementation. Stakeholders should: • Take concrete steps to implement all pillars of the Recommendation within their agencies, ministries and throughout the full ecosystem of aid delivery. • Disseminate the Recommendation at every opportunity e.g. by arranging a workshop or learning event to promote its implementation, and by speaking openly about progress and challenges at national and international events. • Publish data on reported cases. • Encourage adherence from non-DAC members, UN agencies, and other international organisations. • Contribute to other multi-stakeholder efforts to support progress and better practices around preventing and responding to SEAH. • Support the DAC GenderNet and the DAC Reference Group in its monitoring and learning efforts.
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Staff should be aware of the obligation to report SEAH incidents, with a set time-frame for response and follow-up mechanisms, recognising that improved accountability mechanisms may lead to more reporting of incidents.
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Call to Action The OECD DAC will support its members and other organisations as they work to root out unacceptable practices. Together, we can show that that collective action and taking responsibility works. Implementation of the Recommendation is being monitored and supported by the DAC Network on Gender Equality (GenderNet) and the DAC Reference Group on Preventing SEA, a multi-stakeholder forum in which actors share policies, best practices, and innovative approaches to SEAH prevention and response. The OECD Secretariat supports these efforts.
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Turning a blind eye to sexual predators and covering up their abuse must stop. SEAH risks undermining global efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Sustainable Development Goal 5, “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”.
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This brochure was produced by the Global Partnerships and Policies Division within the OECD Development Co-operation Directorate.
What is GENDERNET? GenderNet consists of gender equality experts from the development agencies of DAC members, observers such as UN Women and other relevant UN organisations, the World Bank, regional development banks and civil society organisations. The goal of the GenderNet is to improve policies and practices to strengthen gender equality in development programmes and to secure girls’ and women’s rights, thereby contributing to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. Find out more: oe.cd/4sz
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: SEA_Taskforce@oecd.org DCD.GenderNet@oecd.org