Expected conduct to prevent Harassment, including Sexual Harassment at UNESCO Events

UNESCO is committed to enabling events at which everyone can participate in an inclusive, respectful and safe environment. UNESCO events are guided by the highest ethical and professional standards, and all participants are expected to behave with integrity and respect towards all participants attending or involved with any UNESCO event.

This document appliesto any UNESCO event, including meetings, conferences and symposia, assemblies, receptions, scientific and technical events, expert meetings, workshops, exhibits, side events and any other forum organized, hosted or sponsored in whole or part by UNESCO wherever it takes place, and any event or gathering that takes place on UNESCO’s premises whether or not a UNESCO entity is organizing, hosting or sponsoring. 

The document applies to all participants at a UNESCO event, including all persons attending or involved in any capacity in a UNESCO event.

Any other entity responsible for a UNESCO event commits to implementing this document. 

The document is not legal or prescriptive in nature. It supplements, and does not affect, the application of other relevant policies, regulations, rules and laws, including laws regulating the premises in which the UNESCO event takes place and any applicable host country agreements.

Harassment is any offensive, undesired conduct that can be reasonably perceived as such, and has the purpose or effect of an affront to the identity, the personality, the dignity or the physical integrity of a person/a group of persons. Harassment in any form because of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical ability, physical appearance, ethnicity, race, national origin, age, religion or any other reason is prohibited at UNESCO events. 

Sexual harassment is a specific type of prohibited conduct. Sexual harassment is any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offense or humiliation. Sexual harassment may involve any conduct of a verbal, nonverbal or physical nature, including written and electronic communications, and may occur between persons of the same or different genders.

Examples of sexual harassment include, but are not limited to:

• Making derogatory or demeaning comments about someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity;
• Name-calling or using slurs with a gender/sexual connotation;
• Making sexual comments about appearance, clothing or body parts;
• Rating a person’s sexuality;
• Repeatedly asking a person for dates or asking for sex;
• Staring in a sexually suggestive manner;
• Unwelcome touching, including pinching, patting, rubbing or purposefully brushing up against a person;
• Making inappropriate sexual gestures, such as pelvic thrusts;
• Sharing sexual or lewd anecdotes or jokes;
• Sending sexually suggestive communications in any format;
• Sharing or displaying sexually inappropriate images or videos in any format;
• Attempted or actual sexual assault, including rape.

A participant who feels that they have been harassed at a UNESCO event may report the matter to the organizer of the UNESCO event or relevant security authority, and a participant who witnesses such harassment should make such a report. The organizer of the UNESCO event will be expected to take appropriate action in accordance with its applicable policies, regulations and rules. 

Examples of appropriate action may include, but are not limited to: 

• undertaking a fact-finding exercise;
• requesting the perpetrator to immediately stop the offending behavior;
• suspending or terminating the perpetrator’s access to the UNESCO event or refusing registration at future UNESCO events, or both;
• conveying the complaint to any investigative or disciplinary authority with jurisdiction over the person accused of harassment;
• conveying a report to the employer or entity with jurisdiction over the person accused of harassment for appropriate follow-up action.

Threats, intimidation or any other form of retaliation against a participant who has made a complaint or provided information in support of a complaint are not tolerated. UNESCO or other entity responsible for a UNESCO event will take any reasonable appropriate action needed to prevent and respond to retaliation, in accordance with its applicable policy, regulations and rules.