Written question asked by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Thursday, 5 March 2020, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 March 2020. It was answered by Wendy Morton (Conservative) on Thursday, 12 March 2020 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

UNAIDS: Liability

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department plans to take as a result of the ruling by the International Labour Organisation that UNAids had failed in its duty of care towards a former staff member; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: In 2019 following a review by the Independent Expert Panel, the governing body of UNAIDS, of which the UK is a member, approved a Management Action Plan (MAP) to tackle harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying and abuse of power in UNAIDS. Full implementation of the MAP is a condition of DFID’s Performance Agreement with UNAIDS. 50% of DFID’s annual funding to UNAIDS depends on successful implementation of the Performance Agreement. The UK remains committed to driving up safeguarding standards across the aid sector. We have been clear that organisations have a duty of care to staff and must always protect people. The UK has a zero tolerance approach to harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying and abuse of power in any organisation.

Secondary information