Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 20
20
Not Addressed
Although aid organisations have taken many welcome steps to raise awareness and combat sexual exploitation...
Conclusion
Although aid organisations have taken many welcome steps to raise awareness and combat sexual exploitation and abuse, the changes have focussed on strengthening weak practices and policy development rather than transforming the power dynamics and enabling culture that have been embedded in the aid sector. Until a true transformation takes place, we fear that what happened during the 2018–20 Ebola response in the DRC could continue to occur in humanitarian aid settings around the world. (Paragraph 83) Standards, accountability and regulation
Government response summary AI-generated
The government responds by stating it will continue to support whistleblower protections, citing its work in the UN General Assembly to implement recommendations from a 2018 review of whistleblower policies, without directly addressing the committee's concern about transforming power dynamics and culture.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
We will place the rights, needs and wishes of victims and survivors at the centre of our response. The UK strategy published in September 2020 sets out four commitments on safeguarding for all Departments delivering UK aid: we will continue to provide global leadership; we will hold ourselves to the same high standards that we expect of others; we will transform the aid sector so that everybody is treated with dignity and respect; and we will hold ourselves to account through transparent reporting and external scrutiny.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗