WASHINGTON, November 8, 2017—The World Bank today released an Action Plan outlining administrative and operational measures being undertaken to help prevent and respond appropriately to incidences of sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as other forms of gender-based violence (GBV) in World Bank supported projects.
The Action Plan addresses the recommendations of the Global GBV Task Force released in August to strengthen the World Bank’s capacity to identify, prevent and mitigate against GBV in World Bank supported projects.
In its report, the GBV Task Force underlined that preventing sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) requires collaboration and action across different groups including contractors, government partners and communities, as well as the World Bank. The World Bank committed to implementing these recommendations, and to taking the necessary measures to help prevent and respond appropriately to incidences of SEA, as well as other forms of GBV.
“Gender-based violence is an attack on the security, voice, and well-being of individuals, and of whole communities,” World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said. “It also threatens our efforts to end poverty and boost shared prosperity. We are grateful to the Global GBV Task Force for its recommendations which, together with this action plan, will help identify and address GBV in our development operations. It will make our projects better and help us walk the talk to prevent and address incidents of GBV.”
The Action Plan is derived from a review of every recommendation presented in the Task Force Report, and consolidates and groups the recommendations across key institutional areas that reference the priorities of the Task Force Report. A focus on recommendations to ensure the safety and security of women, children and other vulnerable groups, and to ensure regular and dynamic engagement with community partners will be integrated into respective actions outlined in the Action Plan.
The primary actions are to:
- Develop a methodology for, and a roster of technical specialists who can provide the assessment of risk of SEA/GBV in projects the World Bank supports
- Build and improve staff and client capacity to address risks of SEA/GBV through the development of guidance, training, and continuous learning activities and materials
- Develop a clear internal Reporting and Response Protocol to guide World Bank staff in case of incidents
- Strengthen operational processes for projects deemed High-Risk of SEA/GBV, including mandating Codes of Conduct for civil works contractors with prohibitions against SEA/GBV – specifically against sexual activity with anyone under the age of 18, strengthening consultation considerations and recommendations for grievance redress mechanisms, Supervisory Engineers and Third Party Monitors
- Strengthen awareness around GBV issues in development projects among staff and client partners
- Ensure budget is available to realize the Task Force recommendations, including dedicated one-time surge funds to cover training and knowledge development costs, and through the establishment of a two-year GBV Prevention and Mitigation Fund to allocate additional resources to projects at High Risk of SEA/GBV to cover additional budget requirements.
Fundamental to the Action Plan is the continuing emphasis on the guiding principles of the Task Force, including that all actions are ultimately people-centered and enable the safety, dignity and agency of those affected by World Bank-supported operations.
The Global GBV Task Force was created in October, 2016 as part of the Bank’s commitment to learn from the failings of the Uganda Transport Sector Development Project, which involved serious allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse by contractors. The work of the Task Force was informed by related Inspection Panel findings and the management response, the findings of a management review of Lessons Learned from the Uganda case, as well as by the immediate measures taken by management to integrate these findings into the Bank’s 2015 Procurement Framework, current social safeguard practices, the new Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) which was approved in 2016 and which will be implemented by 2018, and the Labor Influx Guidance Note.
For a copy of the Action Plan, click here.
For a copy of the Global GBV Task Force report, click here.
Contacts:
In Washington:
Ana Elisa Luna, (202) 473-2907, alunabarros@worldbankgroup.org
Kristyn Schrader-King, (202) 458-2736, kschrader@worldbank.org
Christopher Walsh, (202) 473-4594, cwalsh@worldbankgroup.org
For Broadcast Requests:
Huma Imtiaz, (202) 473-2409, himtiaz@worldbankgroup.org
