Africa has taken a bold and unprecedented step toward strengthening trust and protecting vulnerable communities during public health emergencies. The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, together with 42 Member States and key partners, has officially endorsed a powerful new roadmap designed to prevent and address sexual misconduct during emergency health operations.
This milestone makes Africa the first region in the world where governments and WHO jointly commit to shared accountability in safeguarding communities. It’s a transformative shift one that prioritizes dignity, safety, and ethical responsibility at every level of emergency response.
A New Era of Joint Accountability
For the first time, both national governments and WHO are taking collective responsibility for ensuring that health responses across Africa are conducted with the highest ethical standards. This includes preventing sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment by health workers, partners, and all responders involved in emergency operations.
The commitment was reinforced during the African Strategic Conference on Prevention and Response to Sexual Misconduct, held in Pretoria from 17–20 November. With more than 160 public health emergencies recorded across Africa each year, the need for strong safeguarding systems has never been more urgent.
Dr. Abdourahmane Diallo, Director of Programme Management at WHO Africa, captured the significance of this move perfectly:
“Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment is non-negotiable. This is not about compliance , it is about protecting dignity, safety and trust in every community we serve.”
Inside the New Regional Safeguarding Roadmap
The newly adopted safeguarding roadmap builds on an accountability framework endorsed at the World Health Assembly. It is anchored on three major pillars:
- Clear ethical policies and standards of conduct for all health emergency workers.
- Awareness and mandatory training to prevent misconduct.
- A strong, survivor-centred system for reporting, investigating, and managing incidents.
The roadmap calls on African governments to improve reporting systems, deploy safeguarding experts in all emergency operations, enhance survivor support services, and ensure that allegations are handled swiftly and confidentially. WHO will also support Member States by strengthening national safeguarding capacities and structures.
Crucially, survivors’ voices will guide future policies, ensuring that reforms remain grounded in real experiences and needs.
Building on WHO’s Four Years of Reform
This regional commitment builds on WHO’s ongoing global reforms to improve protection during emergency responses. Since 2021, WHO has implemented stronger systems for early detection, ethical oversight, and prevention of misconduct. All WHO staff and partners are now required to complete mandatory safeguarding training and follow a strict zero-tolerance policy.
Christian Saunders, UN Coordinator for improving response to sexual exploitation and abuse, emphasized that the issue remains one of the most serious ethical challenges in humanitarian work:
“We have a fundamental duty of care. Sexual misconduct in the health sector is the ultimate betrayal of trust.”
A Timely Commitment During 16 Days of Activism
The endorsement comes as the world begins the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a global call to protect and empower women, girls, and vulnerable groups. This makes the roadmap even more timely sending a clear message that health spaces must always be spaces of safety.
A Global Precedent Led by Africa
With this breakthrough, WHO Africa and its Member States have set a new global standard for safeguarding in emergency health operations. Their shared accountability model ensures that:
- Every responder is responsible for ethical conduct
- Every survivor receives support
- Every community can trust the care they receive
This roadmap isn’t just a policy it’s a promise to protect the people who need health services the most, especially in times of crisis.