We, UN and non-UN entities, re-affirm our determination to prevent future acts of sexual exploitation and abuse by our personnel.

We note the issuance of this Statement at the High-level Conference on Eliminating Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN and NGO Personnel on 4 December 2006 in New York, USA and welcome future endorsement of this Statement by others.

In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew–a category 4 storm–swept Haiti, the Bahamas and parts of the southern United States.

June 28, 2016 — On Saturday, April 16, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the northwestern coast of Ecuador, killing hundreds and injuring thousands. The quake–the worst to hit the country since 1987–leveled buildings, destroyed roads and bridges, damaged structures and triggered landslides. Reports estimate that upwards of 73,000 people were displaced while more than 7,000 buildings–560 of which were schools–were either damaged or destroyed.

Operation USA has a unique history in Ethiopia. During the east African famine of 1984-85 we flew the very first 747 cargo jet ever to land at Addis Ababa’s airport, thereby doubling its capacity to receive emergency aid. Our 120-ton shipment of emergency supplies was matched by a second flight we arranged for USA For Africa, the music industry’s response to the crisis, in mid-1985.

On Saturday, April 25th, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake–the worst earthquake to hit Nepal in more than 80 years–struck just outside the country’s heavily populated capital, Kathmandu, impacting areas across the country and its neighboring borders with India, China, Bangladesh and Tibet. The disaster triggered deadly avalanches on Mount Everest and in the Langtang Valley, and caused widespread building collapses, damages to infrastructure, injuries and deaths. Massive aftershocks continued throughout the month, furthering damage and making relief and recovery efforts difficult.