(3) Efforts to Address Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment in Development Cooperation
In the recent years, there has been a growing international concern about sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) in humanitarian and development assistance. In October 2018, the United Kingdom held an international conference on SEAH, and major donors, including Japan, signed commitments to strengthen efforts to tackle it. Then, in July 2019, the OECD DAC adopted the “DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment in Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance.”
In light of these developments, MOFA conducts awareness-raising activities such as staff training. It also makes available the summaries of Japan’s basic position and the DAC Recommendation on the MOFA websiteNote 30 to promote public understanding.
JICA raises awareness of the importance of SEAH prevention among a wide range of relevant parties involved in JICA projects through its website, which posts the president’s call for eliminating SEAH,Note 31 and through its employment regulations and ethics guidelines for JICA personnel that take into account SEAH prevention measures. In addition, it works to develop a consultation service as well as a response and monitoring system in case of an incident.
The elimination of SEAH was one of the agenda items at the Partnership Promotion Committee Meeting of the NGO-Ministry of Foreign Affairs Regular Consultation Meetings, which were held in August 2021 and January 2022. In response, MOFA took measures such as incorporating SEAH prevention into the implementation guidelines for the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects since FY2022, and is continuously exploring potential measures in collaboration with relevant parties in Japan.
In December 2021, a joint letter to the UN Secretary-General, led by the United Kingdom and other like-minded countries, calling for further efforts by UN agencies to prevent and respond to SEAH, was issued and Japan joined in signing the letter. In 2023, at the G7 Hiroshima Summit under Japan’s Presidency, the G7 leaders confirmed its commitment to the elimination of SEAH in the G7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué.
- Note 30: International Efforts to Address Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (SEAH) in Development Cooperation
https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/gaiko/oda/about/doukou/page24_000019.html (in Japanese only) - Note 31: Ending Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment
https://www.jica.go.jp/english/our_work/compliance/seah_eradication.html