Sexual misconduct-including sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, sexual harassment (SEAH), and sexual violence-by our personnel violates the rights, dignity, and well‑being of the people we serve and the people we work with. It stands in direct contradiction to WHO's values and our fundamental responsibility to do no harm.
Sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) affecting the populations we serve, and sexual harassment (SH) within our workforce, arise from the same power imbalances, inequalities, and risk factors. Addressing them together strengthens prevention and response. Using the umbrella term sexual misconduct makes clear that such acts are prohibited for all members of the WHO workforce and result in disciplinary action.
WHO has zero tolerance for any form of sexual misconduct-zero tolerance for inaction, and zero tolerance for retaliation against those who report concerns or bear witness. Our approach puts the rights, needs, and safety of victims and survivors first.
In 2021, following the deeply distressing accounts of sexual exploitation and abuse during the 10th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, WHO undertook an intensive period of reforms and action. Building on the progress made since then, WHO's strategic framework for this work is set out in the Zero Tolerance in Practice: WHO Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Sexual Misconduct 2026-2029, which translates commitment into concrete accountability, prevention, and action across the Organization.