Pretoria—The World Health Organization (WHO) in the African region, Member States and partners have agreed on a roadmap to protect communities during public health emergencies, becoming the first region to formally establish systems that hold both governments and WHO jointly accountable for preventing and addressing sexual misconduct in their shared operations. 

The milestone—designed, led and delivered by WHO— signifies a transformative shift in operational safeguarding and public health. For the first time, national governments are taking responsibility for ensuring that health responses uphold dignity, safety, and trust.

It is the first occasion that an international agency and national leadership have collaborated, with shared accountability, to mitigate the risk of sexual misconduct by their respective workforces, partners and all responders. 

The commitment was endorsed by 42 countries during the African Strategic Conference on Prevention and Response to Sexual Misconduct, held in Pretoria from 17–20 November.

It reflects an understanding that in Africa — where over 160 public health emergencies occur each year — health workers, key stakeholders and WHO staff and affiliates are deeply embedded within vulnerable communities and must be held to the highest ethical standards.

“Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment is non-negotiable,” said Dr Abdourahmane Diallo, Director of Programme Management at the WHO Regional Office for Africa. “This is not about compliance — it is about protecting dignity, safety and trust in every community we serve.”

The newly adopted Regional Safeguarding Roadmap is based on a Member States accountability Framework endorsed at last year's World Health Assembly and built on three pillars - establishing policy and standards of conduct for the workforce; awareness raising and training; and effective management of any sexual incidents, including provisions of a victim and survivor-centred response. 

The Africa regional roadmap urges governments to enhance reporting and investigation systems, deploy safeguarding experts in all emergency operations, expand support for survivors, and ensure misconduct cases are addressed swiftly and confidentially. It also requests the WHO to assist in strengthening Member States' capacity and systems in this regard. 

Crucially, survivors’ voices will influence the development of future policies and accountability frameworks, ensuring they remain central to reform efforts.

Reform within WHO

These commitments build on four years of notable progress by WHO in the region to strengthen prevention, enhance ethical oversight, and regularly evaluate and manage risks before they arise. 

Since 2021, the WHO has carried out significant reforms globally to detect and proactively tackle misconduct in health operations. Specialized PRSEAH expertise is involved in all emergency responses, and all WHO staff and partners are required to complete mandatory training and follow WHO’s strict zero-tolerance policy.

Christian Saunders, Under Secretary General and Coordinator for Improving the UN’s Response to Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment, highlighted that sexual misconduct remains a pressing ethical challenge in humanitarian and development settings. “We have a fundamental duty of care,” he stated. “Sexual misconduct in the health sector is the ultimate betrayal of trust.”

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

The milestone comes as countries worldwide prepare to observe the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence — a reminder that health services should be spaces of safety, not risk.

 With shared accountability, African governments and WHO have set a precedent for the rest of the world — ensuring that every responder is a duty bearer, every survivor gets support, and communities can trust the care they receive.