United Nations Comprehensive Strategy on Assistance and Support to Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by United Nations Staff and Related Personnel

A/RES/62/214View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 116 Follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit, published in 2007.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

2 entities

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 3	Advisory services, technical cooperation and field activities	79
	Section 1	Overall policymaking, direction and coordination	20

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

2 entities

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 3	Advisory services, technical cooperation and field activities	79	—
	Section 1	Overall policymaking, direction and coordination	20	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report · 2009

Year	Symbol	Title		Mandate resolution
2009	A/64/176	Implementation of the United Nations Comprehensive Strategy on Assistance and Support to Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by United Nations Staff and Related Personnel report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/62/214

What subjects does this mandate have?

7 subjects

Crime Victims Focal Points Inter-Agency Cooperation Programme Implementation Public Welfare Sex Crimes Specialized Agencies

What’s in this document?

4 operative paragraphs

Adopts the United Nations Comprehensive Strategy on Assistance and Support to Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by United Nations Staff and Related Personnel (“the Strategy”), annexed to the present resolution;

Calls upon relevant organizations of the United Nations system, and invites specialized agencies, to engage in an active and coordinated manner in the implementation of the Strategy, with the support of civil society, as appropriate, working closely with Member States;

Decides to examine, in two years, progress made in the implementation of the Strategy under the agenda item entitled “Follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit”;

Requests the Secretary-General to implement the Strategy and to submit a detailed report in this regard to the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session, including lessons learned, best practices and recommendations.

United Nations Comprehensive Strategy on Assistance and Support to Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by United Nations Staff and Related Personnel

Purpose

The purpose of the Strategy is to ensure that victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations staff and related personnel receive appropriate assistance and support in a timely manner. It is imperative that the Organization respond quickly and effectively when sexual exploitation and abuse occur.

The Strategy also enables the United Nations system to facilitate, coordinate and provide, as appropriate, assistance and support to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations staff and related personnel.

The Strategy shall in no way diminish or replace the individual responsibility for acts of sexual exploitation and abuse, which rests with the perpetrators. The Strategy is not intended as means for compensation.

Scope of application

The Strategy should be implemented to assist and support complainants, victims and children born as a result of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations staff and related personnel in a manner appropriate to the relevant circumstances of each location with due respect to host country legislation.

Definitions

The following definitions are provided here to clarify the terms used in the Strategy:

Sexual abuse: The actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions;

Sexual exploitation: The actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power or trust for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another;

Complainants: Persons who allege, in accordance with established procedures, that they have been, or are alleged to have been, sexually exploited or abused by United Nations staff or related personnel, but whose claim has not yet been established through a United Nations administrative process or Member States’ processes, as appropriate;

Victims: Persons whose claims that they have been sexually exploited or abused by United Nations staff or related personnel have been established through a United Nations administrative process or Member States’ processes, as appropriate;

Children born as a result of sexual exploitation and abuse: Children who are found by a competent national authority to have been born as a result of acts of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations staff or related personnel;

United Nations staff and related personnel: United Nations staff members, consultants, individual contractors, United Nations Volunteers, experts on mission and contingent members;

Implementing partners: Entities or organizations that operate at country level, in accordance with established host country and United Nations procedures, to facilitate and provide the services outlined in the Strategy. Victim Support Facilitators are those selected implementing partners requested by the United Nations to facilitate the delivery of assistance and support to complainants, victims and children born as a result of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Assistance and support

Complainants should receive basic assistance and support in accordance with their individual needs directly arising from the alleged sexual exploitation and abuse. This assistance and support will comprise medical care, legal services, support to deal with the psychological and social effects of the experience and immediate material care, such as food, clothing, emergency and safe shelter, as necessary.

Further to basic assistance, victims should receive additional assistance and support in accordance with their individual needs directly arising from sexual exploitation and abuse. This assistance and support will comprise medical care, legal services, support to deal with the psychological and social effects of the experience and immediate material care, as necessary.

Children born as a result of sexual exploitation and abuse should receive, in accordance with their individual needs, assistance and support addressing the medical, legal, psychological and social consequences directly arising from sexual exploitation and abuse, in the best interests of the child. The United Nations should also work with Member States to facilitate, within their competence, the pursuit of claims related to paternity and child support.

Provision of assistance and support

All assistance and support should be provided in a manner that does not increase the trauma suffered by the complainants, victims and children born as a result of sexual exploitation and abuse, cause further stigmatization or exclude or discriminate against other victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Assistance and support should be provided through existing services, programmes and their networks. However, where necessary, the United Nations should consider supporting the development of new services, while not developing duplicative structures.

A United Nations focal point will be identified to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the Strategy to ensure that the process of referring complainants, victims and children born as a result of sexual exploitation and abuse is simple, safe and respects the need for confidentiality, dignity and non-discrimination.

The United Nations should identify implementing partners to provide the services outlined in the present Strategy, and to act as Victim Support Facilitators, as necessary.

The duration of the provision of assistance and support should be set in accordance with individual needs directly arising from sexual exploitation and abuse.

The provision of any assistance and support by the United Nations in every case of complainants, victims and children born as a result of sexual exploitation and abuse is not an acknowledgement of the validity of the claims or an indication of acceptance of responsibility by the alleged perpetrator.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents

Who cites this mandate in the budget?