Atul Khare (DFS) on the Secretary-General’s report on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse – Press Conference
4 Mar 2016
Video: 42.34
Press Conference by Mr. Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support (Department of Peacekeeping Operations, DPKO) on the Secretary-General’s report on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.

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Special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse
Report of the Secretary-General
General Assembly
A/70/729 :: 41 pages
16 February 2016
Summary
Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 57/306, the present report provides data on allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse in the United Nations system for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2015 and information on measures being taken to strengthen the Organization’s response to sexual exploitation and abuse in the areas of prevention, enforcement and remedial action.

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[Excerpt]
VI. Action to be taken by the General Assembly
98. The General Assembly is requested to take note of progress made in advancing the Secretary-General’s initiatives set out in his previous report (A/69/779) and of new proposals in the present report.

99. The General Assembly is requested to:
(a) Request that Member States assess existing national legislation to determine its applicability to sex crimes committed by nationals while in the service of United Nations peace operations and, if necessary, assess whether new legislative action is required, including allowing nationality-based extraterritorial jurisdiction;

(b) Encourage Member States to provide information, to be included in future reports, on compliance with the United Nations request to amend national administrative frameworks governing police and military contingents to explicitly include sexual exploitation and abuse as a type of misconduct where this is not the case and to ensure that such cases attract the harshest possible sanctions;

(c) Request that Member States adopt a six-month timeline for completing investigations into alleged sexual exploitation and abuse;

(d) Expand the scope of action open to the United Nations in cases of alleged sexual exploitation and abuse by contingent members in order to allow OIOS and Immediate Response Teams to interview witnesses, including contingent members, where no National Investigation Officer is available;

(e) Request that Member States establish on-site court martial proceedings, supported by any judicial infrastructure necessary, when allegations amount to sex crimes under national legislation;

(f) Request that Member States obtain DNA samples of members of military contingents and formed police units who are alleged to have committed sexual exploitation and abuse;

(g) Approve the transfer of payments withheld in substantiated cases of sexual exploitation and abuse by any United Nations personnel to the trust fund for victims;

(h) Encourage Member States to contribute to the trust fund for victims on a voluntary basis;

[i] Urge Member States to receive claims from victims and consider the required mechanisms for doing so, and advise the Secretariat on this process;

(j) Request that Member States appoint paternity focal points for troop-contributing and police-contributing countries, and notify the Secretariat accordingly;

(k) Request that Member States suspend payments in relation to the unit with which the implicated individual was deployed, or a corresponding replacement unit, where an investigation is not completed within one year of the date of notification and agree that, following consultation with the concerned Member State, all further deployments will be suspended pending notification of completion of the investigation.