Sustaining Zero Tolerance in Times of Change

Why It Matters

Embedding zero‑tolerance across WHO strengthens trust in global health responses and forces multilateral institutions to adopt transparent, accountable mechanisms for preventing sexual misconduct.

Key Takeaways

• WHO instituted independent commission after 2021 misconduct allegations, pioneering transparency
• Leadership shifted from denial to rapid, system‑wide action on sexual misconduct
• New decentralized model assigns accountability to country offices, demanding vigilance
• Survivor‑centered approach balances fair process for accused and support for bystanders
• 2026‑2029 strategy emphasizes risk assessments, capacity building, and culture change

Summary

The World Health Organization’s #noexcuse podcast revisits its zero‑tolerance policy on sexual misconduct, bringing back former director Ga Gamve and new director Aliyah Alazir to discuss how the agency is navigating a period of organizational change and heightened global uncertainty.

The conversation traces the 2021 trigger—a media‑driven allegation that led the Director‑General to appoint an independent commission, a move described as unprecedented in the UN system. That decision forced WHO to move quickly from denial to a systematic response, establishing a dedicated department, adopting a systems‑wide approach, and embedding survivor‑centered principles while ensuring due process for the accused.

Gamve highlighted the early transparency and rapid deployment of investigators, while Alazir stressed the need for hyper‑vigilance as risks rise. She noted that 92 % of country offices have completed annual risk assessments, and the organization is rolling out a decentralized accountability model that ties resources to performance metrics and a member‑state accountability framework.

The new 2026‑2029 strategy builds on these foundations, focusing on risk‑based assessments, continuous capacity building, and cultural change to embed zero tolerance in daily operations. Successful implementation will require sustained funding, cross‑agency coordination, and robust monitoring, setting a benchmark for other multilateral bodies confronting sexual misconduct.

Original Description

2021 marked one of the most challenging chapters in WHO’s history—one that struck at the heart of its values and its obligation to do no harm.

The response demanded more than correction; it required transformation. What followed was a sustained and intentional effort to fundamentally change how the Organization understands,prevents and responds to sexual misconduct.

With the conclusion of the three-year strategy, WHO now moves into a consolidation phase, supported by a restructured department and new leadership for this area of work.

The question is no longer how to respond to a crisis. It is how to protect, sustain and deepen what was built, and what that requires of everyone, at a moment when the world has grown in complexity and instability.

In this episode, two leaders sit down together: Dr. Gaya Gamhewage, who founded WHO's approach to the prevention and response to sexual misconduct and led the teams that built its foundations, now serving as Acting Director of Communications; and Dr. Alia El-Yassir, who now

directs the Department for Gender, Rights, Equity and Sexual Misconduct Prevention, and is leading the work into its next phase. They speak honestly about what this period demands from WHO, from Member States, and from everyone who has a stake in this not going quiet.

Learn more:

WHO Consolidation Strategy for Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct 2026–2027 : https://www.who.int/initiatives/preventing-and-responding-to-sexual-exploitation-abuse-and-harassment

Final Report of the Independent Commission on sexual exploitation and abuse during the Ebola response in the DRC (September 2021) : https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/final-report-of-the-independent-commission-on-the-review-of-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation-ebola-drc

WHO Management Response Plan to the Independent Commission report : https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-management-response-plan

JIU Review: Policies and practices to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse across UN system organisations (2025) : https://www.unjiu.org/news/review-policies-and-practices-prevent-and-respond-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-united-nations

WHO PRS Accountability Framework : https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/WHO-DGO-PRS-2023.2

PRS Stocktaking Exercise : https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/prs-stocktaking-exercise-final-report