Fully committed to reforms needed to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse by staff: WHO chief Tedros Adhanom

Speaking a day after he was re-elected to a second five-year term, the World Health Organization chief acknowledged that "it is not enough. We're just starting."

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief told member states on May 25 that he was fully committed to reforms needed to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse by staff, acknowledging more needed to be done.

The WHO has been under intense pressure to make far-reaching changes following revelations in 2020 of widespread sexual abuse by humanitarian workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Things are changing," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told country representatives gathered for the UN health agency's main annual assembly. Speaking a day after he was re-elected to a second five-year term, Tedros acknowledged that "it is not enough. We're just starting."

Tedros's first term was marred by horrifying revelations of rape and other sexual abuse by humanitarian workers as the WHO and other organisations responded to the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in the DRC.

An independent commission of enquiry found in a devastating report last year that 21 WHO employees were among humanitarians who committed abuses against dozens of people. WHO's main donor countries subsequently demanded the UN agency speed up and broaden reforms.

The WHO chief, who described the commission's findings as "horrifying", apologised to the victims and presented an action plan for overhauling the organisation's prevention and response to such cases.

On Wednesday, he stressed that the organisation was committed to rectifying the situation and that it was a "daily issue" addressed by management. Tedros said he himself presided over a weekly meeting of all divisions involved in "monitoring our progress based on the plan of action."