Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme [IOAC]
The Director-General has established an Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (IOAC), to provide oversight and monitoring of the development and performance of the Programme and to guide the Programme’s activities. The Committee will advise the Director-General on issues within its mandate and will report its findings to the World Health Assembly.
About

IOAC Sub Committee on the Prevention and Response to Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PRSEAH)

Purpose

The prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment was identified as a priority by the IOAC in 2021. The WHO Director-General on 23 July 2021 accepted a proposal by the IOAC Chairs to establish a Sub Committee of the IOAC to advise him on matters related to prevention and response to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in beneficiary communities and in the workplace (PRSEAH).

The Sub Committee formulated preliminary recommendations on how to strengthen current systems, processes, and internal mechanisms within WHO on behalf of IOAC, within the context of emergency operations, to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) in order to bring these into line with global good practice and to strengthen the Organization’s overall efforts to prevent and respond to SEAH. The Sub Committee reports to the IOAC, which in turn presented its recommendations to the 150th session of the Executive Board in January 2022. While the Sub Committee has been dissolved upon submission of the final report, which marks the conclusion of its mandate from July 2021 – January 2022, the IOAC remains committed to continuing to monitor programmatic elements of the WHE in emergency contexts, including PRSEAH.  

The main functions of the IOAC Sub Committee on PRSEAH were to:

  1. Work closely with the PRSEAH Task Team of WHO to oversee, advise and monitor the implementation of recommendations made to improve prevention and response to SEAH
  2. To constitute and consult with a Reference Group of interested Member States representing diverse geographic perspectives, and including states affected by emergencies, to advise on good practices in safeguarding against SEAH, including in emergency settings;
  3. To review current operational practice in preventing and responding to SEAH in emergencies in other organizations including UN, NGOs and other institutional partners with a view to establishing parameters for ‘best in class’ for policy, procedures and practice for end-to-end systems;
  4. To establish WHOs current status in preventing and responding to SEAH, and to monitor and report on progress and areas for improvement;
  5. To prepare a report on its activities, containing the Sub Committee’s recommendations, for submission by the IOAC to the 150th Executive Board.

Download the full Terms of Reference of the IOAC Sub Committee

Download the list of participants of the Member States Reference Group

Download the final Report of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme’s Sub Committee for the Prevention and Response to Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (EB150/34)

For more information on WHO’s work in Preventing and Responding to Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment, please click here.