UK Strategy for Safeguarding Against Sexual Exploitation and Harassment in the Aid Sector, Slides of Sustainable Development

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UK Strategy:

Safeguarding Against Sexual

Exploitation and Abuse and

Sexual Harassment within the

Aid Sector

September 2020

2 UK Strategy: Safeguarding Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment within the Aid Sector

Foreword

This strategy on safeguarding

against sexual exploitation and

abuse and sexual harassment

sets out the actions the UK is

taking across all government

departments which engage in

delivering Official Development

Assistance (ODA).

Sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment in any organisation is completely unacceptable, particularly in a sector which aims to help some of the most vulnerable people in the world. ODA must be delivered in a way that does no harm. Sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment undermines the aid sector as a whole and limits our ability to deliver positive change. Trust in the international system and in the aid that is delivered through the sector is vital. Safeguarding against sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment must be at the centre of everything we do to ensure that this trust is maintained and, where needed, rebuilt. The international system will not be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals without this. Safeguarding against sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment is a long- term challenge that the UK is committed to addressing. This strategy builds on considerable work to-date, in particular the work leading up to and following from the October 2018 London Safeguarding Summit. It lays out the challenge, the UK’s vision, an evidence-based theory of change for the sector and, based on the theory of change, how we seek to achieve transformational change across the aid sector, within ODA-spending departments and across the UK’s ODA funding. Progress has been made, but this is a long-term endeavour. We must ensure the failings of the past are not repeated. This strategy is part of our ongoing commitment to put victims, survivors and whistle-blowers first and drive real culture change across the sector in the years ahead. Safeguarding against sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment is everyone’s responsibility. We will only achieve the change we want to see if we work together. Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, in agreement with all other UK ODA spending departments (see list on final page) September 2020

4 UK Strategy: Safeguarding Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment within the Aid Sector

2. The UK’s Vision for Safeguarding against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment The UK’s vision is an aid sector free from sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment. Delivering the Sustainable Development Goals for all will tackle the unequal power dynamics that persist and which enable sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment to be perpetrated and tolerated. Our long-term vision is accompanied by shorter- term aims of ensuring that both the aid sector as a whole and UK ODA spending departments are effectively safeguarding against sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment wherever we work across the world, so that all those we (or our partners and suppliers) come into contact with are safe from harm and empowered to speak out wherever harm or risk of harm occurs. To ensure this, the UK is committed to driving up standards across the aid sector, including within the UK government to ensure that we all take all reasonable steps to: prevent sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment from occurring; listen to those who are affected; respond sensitively but robustly when harm or allegations of harm occur; and learn from every case. Safeguarding—Broadly means avoiding harm to people or the environment. In this Strategy we use it to mean safeguarding against sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment, specifically. Based on UN Definitions: Sexual exploitation—Any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power or trust for sexual purposes, including profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. Sexual abuse—The actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. Sexual harassment—Unwelcome sexual advances (without touching). It includes requests for sexual favours, or other verbal or physical behaviour of a sexual nature, which may create a hostile or offensive environment. The UK’s Approach to Victims, Survivors and Whistle-blowers At the heart of UK Official Development Assistance is a respect for human rights in which survivors and victims will be responded to with respect, confidentiality, safety and non- discrimination. The UK will place the rights, needs and wishes of victims and survivors at the centre of reporting, investigative, complaints and response systems. We will work to develop appropriate and sensitive reporting, complaints and whistle- blowing mechanisms across all our work and strengthen accountability and support services for survivors. The UK will listen to victims, survivors and whistle-blowers or their representatives and learn from their experiences, adapting our approaches where required. We will do all we can to prevent incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment from happening, but where they do occur, we will take a zero tolerance approach to ignoring, covering up or mishandling cases. We will apply these principles within our own organisations and across our programming.

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3. A Sector-wide Theory of Change The UK will work across a) the aid sector, b) within our own organisations and c) through our partners and programmes to support interventions that promote accelerated deterrence and prevention, victim- and survivor-centred reporting and response, incentivised culture change and sector-wide capability and mutual accountability. We will be guided by this sector-wide Theory of Change which is based on the available evidence on preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment. The Theory of Change (summary diagram below) underpins the UK’s contributions and commitments outlined in this Strategy. Through this approach the UK and its partners will contribute to a sector-wide shift and positive change in safeguarding against sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment that will help ensure that all people working within or affected by the aid sector are empowered, respected and safeguarded against SEAH.

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A) Delivering sector-wide change

The UK will catalyse change

within the aid sector to help

to ensure that i) perpetrators

are detected and impunity is

ended, ii) victims, survivors and

whistle-blowers are supported

iii) organisations are accountable

and have the leadership, capacity

and capability to drive change

and iv) global standards are met

consistently.

We will do this by: » Providing global leadership to deliver measurable progress right across the aid sector, both for the people we serve and those who work in the sector. The UK remains a committed member of the UN Secretary- General’s Circle of Leadership and signatories to the Voluntary Compact. We will remain a leading voice on safeguarding against sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment as a UN member state, within the OECD Development Assistance Committee and as a country in our own right. » Raising this issue on the international stage with partners and stakeholders working across the sector. The UK will engage with other donors, NGOs, the UN, International Financial Institutions, the UK’s Development Finance Institution—CDC, Global Funds, the Red Cross Movement, private sector suppliers, and research funders, supporting delivery of commitments made and sharing lessons. » Encouraging action and co-ordination at the UN to ensure that they are making progress against the UN Secretary- General’s strategy. We will continue to engage with the UN’s Special Coordinator and Victim’s Rights Advocate and encourage other member states to sign up to the Circle of Leadership and fulfil their commitments under the Voluntary Compact.

Examples of Implementation:

The UK is supporting three initiatives that work together to strengthen the employment cycle to end impunity for perpetrators and aid detection and prevention. » Project Soteria focuses on the criminal aspects of SEAH prevention and response management via more and better criminal records checks on staff. It is a joint initiative between FCDO, the International Criminal Police Organization INTERPOL and the UK’s ACRO Criminal Records Office and is currently in a pilot year. » The Misconduct Disclosure Scheme provides a framework for organisations working in the aid sector to share information about a past employee’s history of sexual misconduct at work. Signatories to the scheme are able to do this while respecting relevant legal and regulatory requirements. DFID and now FCDO has been actively encouraging organisations to sign up as well as looking at how to do this ourselves. » The Aid Worker Registration Scheme will provide employers with a trusted source of evidence about a potential employee’s past work history, closing the loop on those who lie or omit information. We are hoping to pilot the scheme in 2020. Together these initiatives will help employers to make better informed hiring decisions and prevent perpetrators moving around the aid sector undetected. The UK has provided human resources to support development of the new NATO Sexual Exploitation and Abuse policy. All UK ODA spending departments will adopt the enhanced UN Pooled Funds Standard Administrative Agreement that specifically strengthens requirements to safeguard against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse within UN pooled funds. The UK’s Prime Minister is a member of the United Nation’s Secretary General’s Circle of Leadership.

8 UK Strategy: Safeguarding Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment within the Aid Sector » Exploring and initiating projects to improve detection of perpetrators and sharing of information between organisations. Perpetrators have been able to move around the sector too easily, undetected by employers. The UK will put measures in place to make it much more difficult for perpetrators to escape justice, make it easier for organisations to have confidence in those they recruit and allow communities to have confidence in the people sent to help them. » Endorsing international minimum standards on safeguarding and supporting organisations working to verify adherence. We have aligned with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Minimum Operating Standards on PSEA and Core Humanitarian Standard and will incentivise others to do the same. We will work with other donors to improve adherence to the IASC Standards. » Strengthening grassroots organisations, including women’s rights organisations, institutions and local networks. The UK will work with others to explore ways to support local organisations and institutions to give voice to activists, victims, survivors and whistle-blowers and provide them with access to the support services that they need. A range of local civil society organisations and institutions are uniquely placed to challenge social norms that permit sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment and restrict people’s ability to speak out against it as well as to deliver services that enable access in ways that are appropriate to customs and norms. » Professionalisation of safeguarding technical skills. The UK will explore options to promote and build professional safeguarding expertise throughout the aid sector.

B) Delivering organisational

change within UK Aid spending

departments

The UK will improve the

organisational culture in all UK

Aid spending departments to

ensure that staff know their

responsibilities on safeguarding

and feel safe to come forward

and report concerns in the

knowledge that their concerns

will be responded to sensitively

but robustly and with a victim and

survivor-centred approach.

The UK government is clear that we must hold ourselves to at least the same high standards as we expect of our partners and that we must also take action to change the cultures and practices within our own departments that allows sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment to occur. We will do this by: » Demonstrating clear leadership at the very top and throughout our organisations. The evidence shows that this is crucial to create environments in which people feel empowered and supported to speak out against sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment. In addition, (and as reported against the Public Sector Equality Duty), how we value and behave towards one another and our commitment to a diverse and inclusive workforce, including gender parity, is essential. » Clear messaging throughout departments that highlights the importance and relevance of safeguarding for everyone in every role. We will ensure that all departments have a clear staff code of conduct in place, making it explicit what behaviour is expected of staff. All departments will have a named safeguarding lead to set the tone from the top, including regular messaging out to staff about

10 UK Strategy: Safeguarding Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment within the Aid Sector

Examples of Implementation:

» Staff codes of conduct prohibit all staff from paying for sex, even where legal in a country in which staff are working. » All UK ODA spending departments adopt UN Standards on the definition of a child as being under 18 years of age. » The UK will increase its work to build capability across government departments. We will work with a new cross-government capability working group to promote ever greater alignment and sharing of knowledge and expertise. » The Ministry of Defence, The Department for International Trade and (pre-merger into FCDO in September 2020) The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and The Department for International Development have undertaken internal sexual harassment surveys amongst their own staff and are taking actions to respond to the findings in order to prevent and better respond to cases of sexual harassment across their organisations. » The Home Office have published new guidance for staff on sexual harassment which brings together in one place the range of support available to staff and the process for reporting. » The Department for International Development (now FCDO) refreshed its training on SEAH, rolled out mandatory SEAH training for all staff and developed deeper training for specific roles across the organisation. Safeguarding has been incorporated into Official Development Assistance training across The Department for Trade and development of bespoke and comprehensive training materials is underway. » The Department for International Trade has appointed the Chief Operating Officer as Safeguarding Champion to provide senior support for this agenda. » In 2020 the Department for International Trade launched a comprehensive Safeguarding Policy which sets out requirements of all staff, including requirements to report and the investigations process.

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The Six Pillars Assessed within FCDO’s Due Diligence on Safeguarding

Against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment

We will hold ourselves to at least the same high standards we require of our partners i) A Safeguarding Policy with a strong SEAH element must be in place ii) A Whistle-blowing or Complaints Policy must be in place (or included in the Safeguarding Policy) iii) Human resource policies, procedures and training must prioritise prevention and response to Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment iv) Risk Management processes prioritise prevention and response to SEAH v) Code of Conduct for staff and all partners must be in place and include prohibition of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment vi) Governance and accountability structures within organisations are in place and made full use of to prevent and respond to Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment and are used to drive up organisational standards These 6 pillars are based on the IASC and CHS global standards and implement our commitments under the OECD DAC SEAH Recommendation 2019.

C) Delivering programmatic change

across UK Aid programmes

The UK will ensure all UK

Official Development Assistance

upholds the global standards

on safeguarding against sexual

exploitation and abuse and sexual

harassment.

We will do this by: » Applying the Due Diligence Assessment. The Due Diligence Assessment of all UK Aid partners has been strengthened and their performance on safeguarding against sexual exploitation abuse and sexual harassment will continue to be assessed in six areas to ensure they meet the standards we require. » Providing clear expectations of partners. The UK has strengthened and will keep under review the wording we use in funding agreements for partners and suppliers to ensure the obligation of all to uphold safeguarding standards and behaviours is clearly understood and implemented. » Supporting the Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative (HQAI) to deliver verification of the Core Humanitarian Standard that provides quality assurance and helps to raise and maintain standards, improve transparency and improve capacity for local NGOs. » Making full use of the programme delivery cycle. The UK will continue to mainstream safeguarding against sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment throughout our programme cycle, using tendering processes, design phases, risk assessments and risk management, regular reporting, routine monitoring and evaluations to assess the implementation of safeguarding standards at the delivery level. We will use these processes to learn and adapt our programming. » Including prevention and response to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment in UK contextual and programming analysis of contributing issues such as gender, social impact, inclusion and within our Public Sector Equality Duty assessments.

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One UK Government, One Strategy

The UK’s vision is an aid sector

free from sexual exploitation and

abuse and sexual harassment.

Safeguarding against sexual

exploitation and abuse and

sexual harassment is everyone’s

responsibility. We will achieve

transformational change if we

work together.

The UK will: i) Continue to provide global leadership to tackle SEAH. ii) Hold ourselves to at least the same high standards we expect of others. We will not ask our partners to reach standards that we will not meet ourselves. iii) Remain committed to delivering the 4 Strategic Shifts to transform the sector so that anyone who comes into contact with the aid sector is assured that they will be treated with respect and dignity and be free from undue fear of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment. iv) Hold ourselves to account for delivering this Strategy through transparent reporting in our Annual Reports, scrutiny from the UK’s Independent Commission on Aid Impact and relevant committees of the UK Parliament, internal management and board oversight, and periodic public reporting against the 2018 London Safeguarding Summit commitments. Agreed by all UK Government Departments who spend ODA (list correct at time of publication) » Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office » Cabinet Office » Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy » Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport » Department for Education » Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs » Department of Health and Social Care » Department for International Trade » Department for Work and Pensions » Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs » HM Treasury » Home Office » Ministry of Defence » UK Statistics Authority September 2020

14 UK Strategy: Safeguarding Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment within the Aid Sector