2003 (Executive Committee—54th Session) No. 98 (LIV) – CONCLUSION ON PROTECTION FROM SEXUAL ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION 1 (2003) The Executive Committee, Reaffirming its Conclusions No. 39 (XXXVI), No. 47 (XXXVIII), No. 54 (XXXIX), No. 60 (XL), No. 64 (XLI), No. 68 (XLIII), No. 73 (XLIV), No.74 (XLVI), No.79 (XLVII), No.84 (XLVIII), No.85 (XLIX), No.87 (L), No. 91 (LII) and No.94 (LIII) and in particular the need to combat sexual and gender-based violence in refugee situations; and recalling also in this context the relevant goals and objectives of the Agenda for Protection; Recalling the international community's efforts to strengthen the international legal framework for combating sexual abuse and exploitation; Recalling also the report of the United Nations Office of the Internal Oversight Services on the investigation into sexual exploitation of refugees by aid workers in West Africa 2 , and resolution A/RES/57/306; Noting distressing reports over the last few years that refugees and asylum-seekers, in particular women and children, have been victims of sexual abuse and exploitation during flight or upon arrival in their country of asylum, and deeply concerned that this has negatively impacted their access to basic protection and assistance, including health care and education, the issuance of personal documentation or granting of refugee status; Recognizing that sexual abuse and exploitation are a consequence of unequal power relationships; a dynamic that is often exacerbated during humanitarian crises characterized by widespread violence, mass displacement, and the breakdown in family structures, social and value systems; and noting with distress, the involvement of humanitarian workers, officials and other persons working closely with refugee populations; Acknowledging that inadequate protection or inappropriate assistance, particularly the quantity and quality of food and other material assistance, increases the vulnerability of refugees and asylum-seekers to sexual abuse and exploitation; Recognizing the importance of effective mechanisms to prevent and respond to the occurrence of sexual abuse and exploitation in all phases of the refugee experience; Recognizing that the best interest of the child shall be a primary consideration in the design and implementation of all prevention and response measures, to ensure the protection of children from all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence, including sexual abuse and exploitation; Welcoming the June 2002 Report of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Task-Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Humanitarian Crises and its plan of action to address the problem of sexual abuse and exploitation; Recalling previous UNHCR policies and guidelines intended to address violence against refugees, including the 1989 Policy and 1991 Guidelines on the Protection of Refugee Women; the 1993 Policy on Refugee Children and 1994 Refugee Children: Guidelines on Protection and Care, the 1995 Sexual Violence against Refugees: Guidelines on Prevention and Response, as updated in 2003; and the High Commissioner's 2001 Five Commitments to Refugee Women; Noting the issuance in May 2003 of UNHCR's revised Guidelines on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Refugee, Returnee and Displaced Situations, as well as the UNHCR Guidelines on International Protection, Gender-Related Persecution, of May 2002, and noting UNHCR's endeavours to address the problem of sexual and gender-based violence in the field and the various training initiatives undertaken to date to provide staff with the practical skills necessary to meet the protection needs of victims of sexual abuse and exploitation; Welcoming UNHCR's efforts to address the problem through the promulgation and implementation of a Code of Conduct for UNHCR staff, in accordance with the plan of action of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee's Task Force on Protection From Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Humanitarian Crises; and the amendment of its programme implementation sub-agreements to include a requirement for implementing partners to have similar Codes of Conduct and for these to be implemented fully; 1 2 Contained in United Nations General Assembly Document No. 12A (A/58/12/Add.1) A/57/465 157