Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
Thank you for joining us today, and for your continued engagement on an issue that goes to the heart of WHO’s values, credibility, and leadership.
Preventing and responding to sexual misconduct is not optional, and it is not confined to a single strategy or moment in time.
It is a permanent responsibility—rooted in leadership, accountability, and transparency—and it will continue to shape how WHO operates in the years ahead.
Today I will address three issues:
First, leadership and responsibility;
Second, the conclusion of our three year PRS Strategy for 2023 to 2025:
And third, the full operationalization of the WHO PRS Accountability Framework for prevention.
First, on leadership and responsibility.
Zero tolerance must be more than a statement of intent. It must be reflected in how leaders lead, how managers manage, and how the Organization responds when standards are violated.
That is why leadership accountability remains central to our approach.
Preventing sexual misconduct is not the responsibility of one office or function. It is a core duty of every manager, at every level, across the Organization.
Transparency is equally essential. WHO will continue to report regularly and openly to Member States—on allegations, on our responses, and on the systems we are strengthening to prevent harm.
Transparency builds trust, and without trust, our work cannot succeed.
Despite significant disruptions in 2025, I have maintained the global PRS function within my office, with a director, a small team as originally designed, and a dedicated victim‑survivor support officer.
Regional Coordinators have been confirmed, and at country level, the network of PRS focal points network remains in place, in line with the PRS Accountability Framework.
Where configurations have changed, adjustments have been operationalized.
Transparency continues to be a priority. We continue to update dashboards on allegations and cases, to maintain- the compendium on disciplinary actions, and to inform staff on a regular basis.
Second, let me reflect on the conclusion of the three‑year PRS Strategy for 2023 to 2025.
This strategy was launched to move WHO from a moment of crisis toward sustained institutional change. Because that is what you told us to do. The guidance was clear.
Despite major operational disruptions in 2025, nearly 80 percent of planned actions across the three‑year period have been completed.
This achievement is not about numbers, it is about foundations.
Over this period, WHO has strengthened policies and standards, expanded prevention capacity, improved risk management, and embedded a survivor‑centred approach across its work.
These, I hope, are lasting changes.
They provide the platform on which the next phase—the PRS Strategy for 2026 to 2029—will build.
The focus now is consolidation, quality, and sustainability.
Of course, I hope Ms Alia El‑Yassir, Director for Gender, Rights, Equity and Sexual Misconduct Prevention, has already presented this next phase.
I thank Member States for their feedback and guidance, as well as the IOAC, the IEOAC, WHO personnel at all three levels, and our UN colleagues, whose inputs have informed the final strategy.
Third, I want to highlight a decisive step supporting this transition: the full operationalization of the WHO PRS Accountability Framework for prevention.
Accountability must be clear, and accountability must sit where decisions are made.
All levels are responsible for prevention – headquarters, regional and country offices.
Of course, WHO has delegated authority for the prevention of sexual misconduct to Regional Directors and Heads of WHO Country Offices, in line with the PRS Accountability Framework and existing managerial responsibilities.
It is now firmly embedded in operational leadership—where risks arise and where prevention has the greatest impact.
This delegation is a cornerstone of the 2026 to 2029 PRS Strategy, which places stronger emphasis on decentralized accountability, leadership ownership, and risk‑based prevention tailored to context.
Headquarters will continue to provide standards, guidance, and oversight.
But responsibility for prevention now clearly rests with those leading WHO’s work on the ground.
Excellencies, dear colleagues,
The progress we have made is real. But we remain fully aware that preventing sexual misconduct is an enduring obligation.
It requires constant leadership attention.
It requires learning and adjustment.
And it requires the courage to act when principles are tested.
WHO remains fully committed—to zero tolerance, to transparency, and to accountability—not because it is expected of us, but because it is fundamental to who we are and to the trust placed in us.
I thank you for your continued engagement and oversight, and I look forward to working together as we enter the next phase of this critical work.
Thank you.