An inter-agency workshop for focal points on  Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) for UN and NGO staff was held, to pilot a revised training programme. The workshop aimed at strengthening the capacity of UN and NGOs to implement comprehensive programmes for protection from and response to SEA by development, humanitarian and peacekeeping personnel.

 

Twenty-seven UN and NGO representatives from Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, Georgia, Kenya, Lesotho, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Zimbabwe participated in the workshop. The workshop was conducted under the auspices of the ECHA/ECPS UN and NGO Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and organised by OCHA’s Policy Development and Studies Branch and Regional Office for South Africa. UNFPA and UNICEF provided facilitation and planning support.

 

The primary purpose of the workshop was to enhance measures to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse in development, humanitarian and peacekeeping settings. OCHA,  on behalf of the ECHA/ECPS UN and  NGO PSEA Task Force is field-testing standardized training tools for use in a series of regional workshops  targeting SEA focal points in UN agencies and NGOs.

Participants were provided with an overview of human rights and protection issues in humanitarian and peacekeeping settings as well as gender, gender-based violence and SEA programming models. The group reviewed the Secretary-General’s Bulletin: Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, using it to inform their discussions on issues of implementation at the country and or field level. Additionally, participants considered the Framework for Taking Action against SEA: The Four Pillars of Community Engagement  includes Prevention, Response, and Management as well as Coordination.