“I acknowledge that the Organization has not succeeded in all respects, but neither have we stood still.” - Secretary-General António Guterres.
Secretary-General António Guterres released his annual update on the Organization’s efforts to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse on Tuesday, dovetailing with his system-wide strategy – launched in 2017 - to stamp out incidents by placing victims at the heart of efforts, throughout the system.
Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told a regular press briefing in New York that the report presents special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, looks at progress made over the past five years, since the Secretary-General took office, and explores areas for improvement.
The report includes data on allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse relating to personnel in peacekeeping and special political missions, other United Nations entities, implementing partners, and non-UN international forces authorized by a Security Council mandate covering 1 January to 31 December 2021.
Abuse allegations rise
“Despite clear gains, allegations implicating United Nations personnel continue to emerge,” he said, noting that in 2021, allegations relating to UN peacekeeping personnel in the Central African Republic led to the repatriation of a military contingent.
In addition, an independent commission, established by the World Health Organization (WHO), reported on cases concerning personnel responding to the tenth Ebola virus epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“No one, including the Secretary-General, is pleased with the fact that we still have these cases,” he assured. “We have not let our guard down and we continue working to end impunity and ensure justice for victims.”
According to the report, 445 allegations were received in 2021, representing an increase over the 387 received in 2020, and the highest number recorded since 2016, when 165 allegations were made.
Of the 2021 total, 194 reports were received system-wide, with 75 allegations related to peacekeeping, up from 66 in 2020, and above the average recorded over the last 10 years.
There were 115 related to UN entities, up from 109 in 2020, and 4 involving formerly deployed non-UN security forces.
In addition, 251 allegations involved non-UN related entities, such as non-governmental organizations, an uptick from 244 in 2020 and 174 in 2019.
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Learn more about the UN's efforts to end sexual exploitation and abuse.
