The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new dashboard to enhance transparency and accountability in its handling of sexual misconduct investigations. This initiative is part of the WHO's broader commitment to tackling all forms of sexual misconduct, including exploitation, abuse, harassment, and violence, among its personnel.

Sexual misconduct within the WHO workforce undermines the rights and well-being of the people they serve and their colleagues. Such behavior is antithetical to the organization's core values and its responsibility to do no harm. The WHO emphasizes that sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of the populations they serve and sexual harassment (SH) within its workforce require similar prevention and response approaches due to shared underlying issues of power imbalances, inequities, and risks. By using the umbrella term "sexual misconduct," the WHO aims to clarify that these acts are prohibited and subject to disciplinary action.

The organization maintains a zero-tolerance policy for any form of sexual misconduct, inaction, and retaliation against those who report or witness such behaviors. The WHO's approach centers on prioritizing the rights and needs of victims and survivors.

In response to the harrowing accounts of SEA during the 10th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the WHO launched an intensive period of prevention and response actions in 2021. These efforts were part of the Management Response Plan, which concluded in December 2023. Building on this progress, the WHO has developed a three-year strategy to institutionalize and advance its work in preventing and responding to sexual misconduct.

The new dashboard is a critical component of this strategy, providing a transparent platform to monitor the organization's disciplinary actions and reinforce its commitment to addressing and preventing sexual misconduct.