Attachments
Introduction
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These PSEA Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are designed to outline the actions to be taken in the event of an alleged sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) is committed by UN staff and UN related personnel or implementing partner against a beneficiary member of the community served by the United Nations System or its partners in Guatemala. SEA committed by actors who are unaffiliated with the UN and sexual harassment of staff members in the workplace are not included in the scope of these SOPs.
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The Guatemala United Nations Country Team (UNCT) SOPs seek to foster collective accountability in PSEA reporting and response. The objective is to ensure that all SEA complaints reach the appropriate UN entity for investigation, assistance, and follow-up; not to tell them how to carry out their duties which are defined by their own agency, fund and programme rules and regulations. As such, the SOPs are designed to ensure consistency in complaint reporting, logging, and referral for investigations, enhance system-wide accountability and ensure robust victim assistance. They do not replace the existing entities internal complaint referral procedures or mechanisms and the final responsibility to address SEA allegations lies with the concerned agency. They are interim and will be replaced by the global UN system-wide SOPs once the electronic Incident Reporting Form (eIRF) is launched.
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These SOPs will apply from the date of endorsement by the UNCT to all UN agencies, funds, and programmes (AFPs) and their partner organizations in Guatemala.
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This document has three parts. First, the fundamental principles and practices as well as roles and responsibilities are outlined (section 2 and section 3). Second, the functioning of the Community-based Complaint Mechanism (CBCM), including that of its interagency hotline, is explained (section 4). Third, the strategy to assist and support victims of SEA is set out (section 5)