Today, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) joined representatives of other donors to sign political commitments aimed at eliminating sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment in international assistance. The announcement of the commitments took place at the International Safeguarding Summit, a one-day event hosted by the Department for International Development (DfID) of the United Kingdom that brought together leaders from governments, the United Nations, the private sector, academia, and non-profit organizations to examine sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment from a holistic perspective. The non-profit, private, and research sectors announced similar commitments.

Since March of this year, USAID has engaged with DFID and other donor agencies to strengthen and harmonize policies to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment in the aid community. The commitments at the Summit build on existing protections in USAID funding agreements by establishing a minimum set of standards on countering sexual exploitation and abuse that will apply across all signatory agencies, commit donors to enhancing their oversight and monitoring mechanisms, and emphasize a survivor-centered approach to addressing these issues.

Through the Action Alliance for Preventing Sexual Misconduct announced by Administrator Mark Green earlier this year, USAID is committed to preventing sexual misconduct in all forms, including sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. This promise includes promoting a respectful, inclusive, and safe workplace for its employees, as well as ensuring that all USAID-funded programming protects human dignity.

For more information, please visit: http://www.usaid.gov/PreventingSexualMisconduct