After the surfacing of widespread and persistent sexual abuse and exploitation by the staff of relief organisations in the early 2018, the aid and development community is looking for answers. While prevention and adequate response are fundamental, at the same time the development community needs the courage to evaluate and address the root causes of sexual exploitation and abuse. We explore, among others, the following questions:

• How should organisations working in the fields of humanitarian aid and development respond to discoveries of allegations of abuse by their staff?

• What is required to ensure a wider societal and structural change in behaviour, attitudes and institutional priorities to create progress?

• How to create survivor-centred response mechanisms?

• How to operationalise a culture of integrity throughout the heterogeneous sector?

Programme

Welcome remarks

• Michaela Told, Deputy Director, Global Health Centre, the Graduate Institute
• Thomas Schwarz, Executive Secretary, Medicus Mundi International Network Health for All

Panel discussion with

• Clara Affun-Adegbulu, Researcher, International Health Policy Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp
• Jan Kees den Bakker, Director of Human Resources, Cordaid
• Ignacio Packer, Executive Director, International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA)
• Cécile Pouilly, Spokesperson, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• Rewan Youssif, Project Coordinator, Women in Global Health

Moderator: Michaela Told, Deputy Director, Global Health Centre