Policy paper

FCDO 2024 to 2025 progress report on safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in the international aid sector

Published 30 April 2026

Executive summary

This report summarises work led or supported by the FCDO between December 2024 and December 2025 to improve global standards and performance on safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) in the international aid sector (that is, humanitarian, development or peace-related activities). The work is increasingly referred to as Protection from SEAH (PSEAH).

International aid is meant to provide support, partnership and protection to people in need and underpin global efforts to build a safer, more equitable and sustainable future. Acts of SEAH linked to the delivery of aid cause great harm, damage trust and undermine the integrity and impact of this work. FCDO’s PSEAH work is integral to its wider development work, including progressing the 4 shifts aiming to create more effective, modern development partnerships through moving from donor to investor, from service delivery to systems support, from grants to expertise, and from international intervention to local provision.

This is the seventh annual FCDO safeguarding progress report. As was the case last year, this report is framed against the 2024 Common Approach to Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment (CAPSEAH).

CAPSEAH embodies the evolution since 2018 of international efforts on protection from SEAH (PSEAH). CAPSEAH provides a framework to drive progress internationally and to improve standards, identify perpetrators and support victim-survivors of SEAH. As resource constraints increase the risk of SEAH at the same time as impacting the ability of the international system to protect against it, maintaining international focus and maximising efficiency through collaboration and collective PSEAH approaches such as CAPSEAH is more important than ever. Over 250 organisations have now formally endorsed CAPSEAH.

This report uses CAPSEAH’s 6 thematic ‘minimum recommended actions’ (Policies, Leadership, Communication, Prevention, Response, Monitoring) to summarise FCDO actions. 

Annex 1 outlines progress in tackling SEAH across all UK government departments who spend ODA, in line with the 2020 UK Safeguarding Strategy for the aid sector, whose commitments continue to guide FCDO and UK government work on SEAH. CAPSEAH is consistent with the 2020 Strategy. In 2025 FCDO started a process to refresh the strategy.

This report underlines our continued commitment to transparency and accountability. More information about FCDO’s work on PSEAH can be found on the GOV.UK website.

March 2026

1. Policies: set, communicate, uphold and implement clear PSEAH policies

We continued to improve our own policies and procedures and to facilitate sharing of lessons learnt and best practice guidance. We continually strived to improve safeguarding capability to ensure our staff and partners take all reasonable steps to tackle SEAH, for example through the following:

Internal policy

FCDO’s updated Safeguarding against SEAH policy came into effect from September 2024. Key features include: a new 10-point code of conduct regarding SEAH, aligning with international standards and best practice; clear definitions and a section on ‘abuse of power’ to help staff better understand the potential impact of power imbalances; an updated scope of who the policy applies to, including what is expected of senior leaders; more detail on what is meant by ‘zero tolerance for inaction’ to prevent, report or respond to SEAH; and a clear statement about zero tolerance for retaliation against victim-survivors or whistle-blowers. FCDO’s most senior official led the communication campaign about the update. In 2025 FCDO ensured staff awareness of the policy and their responsibilities regarding SEAH, including through mandatory training for all Heads and Deputy Heads of Mission and induction training for all new staff members.    

Safeguarding capability action plan

In December 2024, we updated FCDO’s safeguarding capability action plan (CAP) for its third year of activities in 2025, which aims to ensure FCDO staff understand, uphold and implement PSEAH policies. Over 90% of the 86 actions from the 2025 capability action plan were completed, with widespread activities through training, capability, policy, resources and reactive support for posts and departments. This included translation of SEAH policies, guidance for staff on managing SEAH risks at events and across the programme cycle, refreshed training on tackling SEAH risks, and regular engagement with senior leaders. The 2026 CAP was finalised in late 2025, with a refreshed set of key activities, developed in consultation with staff, underpinned by the same 3 priorities: prevention of SEAH occurring in the FCDO and reducing SEAH risk in programmes, promoting the FCDO’s zero tolerance to inaction approach, and increasing the number of staff who take action after witnessing or experiencing SEAH.

Programme Operating Framework to guide external operations

We ran regular training and developed resources on PSEAH across the full programme lifecycle as it relates to FCDO’s Programme Operating Framework and mapped against CAPSEAH’s minimum recommended actions. We continued to undertake deep-dive sessions with departments and posts, providing advice on managing programme safeguarding risks in specific contexts.

2. Leadership: prioritise and embed a culture of zero tolerance for inaction

SEAH is rooted in power imbalances and often linked to inequality, notably gender inequality. FCDO leaders continued to address underlying inequalities within and beyond FCDO as illustrated below. Leadership on SEAH starts with setting the tone from the top, unambiguous messaging on zero tolerance for inaction on SEAH, ensuring staff understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and holding staff to account for misconduct.

Clear and visible commitment to PSEAH from FCDO’s leadership

FCDO’s Permanent Secretary delivered an all-staff message in October 2025 highlighting leadership’s ongoing commitment to long-lasting cultural change internally and with partners on PSEAH. This followed messaging to senior leaders in the summer, setting out the critical, minimum actions all should take for effective PSEAH. In September 2025 the FCDO Safeguarding Delivery Board approved the Capability Action Plan for 2026. 

Safeguarding Champions Network

The number of Safeguarding Champions across FCDO continued to grow, rising to approximately 380 in this period from 340 previously. Champions act as a liaison point for the central Safeguarding Unit (SGU) and the Safeguarding Investigations Team (SIT) and help to coordinate PSEAH action in their teams. For example, following engagement and feedback from champions, SIT and SGU added to guidance on managing SEAH at social events. The champions’ network met every 2 months to receive updates and training, and a virtual conference was held in November 2025 which convened the network and showcased work being led by Safeguarding Champions.

FCDO’s global leadership in tackling SEAH

FCDO continued to influence international PSEAH efforts, including:

• co-ordinating international dialogue and cooperation by chairing key international groups (see Communication section below) and hosting an international multistakeholder Wilton Park event in April 2025 to identify practical and tangible actions to protect and prioritise PSEAH efforts and drive more efficient and sustainable PSEAH resourcing
• working with other Member States at multilateral boards and events to make clear that Protection from SEAH is a core accountability commitment which is required regardless of budgetary pressures
• working in collaboration with the Resource and Support Hub (RSH) to continue to host and promote CAPSEAH, with RSH continuing its key role as a sector broker national and international coordination
• carrying out a stocktake of CAPSEAH to assess how it has supported organisations’ work on PSEAH, and suggestions to inform improvements of CAPSEAH’s practical guidance

CAPSEAH is a guide which aims to:

• improve accountability and support to survivors
• strengthen existing standards towards a more aligned sector-wide approach across humanitarian, development and peace operations and
• set expectations about behaviours and minimum actions to protect from SEAH

Governments and organisations are encouraged to endorse CAPSEAH to signal commitment to tackling SEAH.

The UK was an early endorser of CAPSEAH. This endorsement represents united cross-HM Government action in line with the UK 2020 Strategy on SEAH (PDF, 309 KB) which sets out actions agreed by all UK government departments who spend ODA, and which are consistent with CAPSEAH.

To date, over 250 governments, ministries, agencies and organisations have endorsed CAPSEAH. A growing number of multilaterals, civil society organisations, private sector and other partners are using it to assess and update their own policies and frameworks, and to showcase good practice in using CAPSEAH to improve PSEAH approach through workshops and webinars.

Advocating for adequate PSEAH resourcing

The framing think piece (PDF, 410 KB) of the CAPSEAH Dialogue on Sustainable Resourcing for PSEAH identified an urgent need for more joined up, coherent coordination and investment at country level. The subsequent April 2025 Wilton Park conference (PDF, 862 KB) gathered participants from civil society and women-rights groups, international financial institutions, United Nations, the private sector, donors and foundations, to explore more sustainable models for resourcing PSEAH across sectors.

An agenda for collective action was agreed. Participants agreed to protect and promote the principle of zero-tolerance to inaction on SEAH and other hard-won gains of recent years. They agreed a prioritised set of actions critical to maintaining PSEAH architecture, evidence and tools, and the capacity and actions which provide levels of protection that populations at risk need. They agreed to make efficiencies through collective action including streamlining, resource-pooling and joined up tools and approaches wherever they make sense.

Several elements of this agenda for collective action have been progressed:

(i) Country pilots are shaping up. They consist in forming strategic multistakeholder PSEAH partnerships at country level, with an action that 2 to 3 countries would be identified to test implementation and learn from successful partnerships. A pilot is planned for 2026 to take this initiative forward.

(ii) The UK is garnering support from others to sustain several global tools and initiatives that were identified as effective and essential to the PSEAH architecture. Efforts will continue in and beyond 2026 to crowd in more contributors to those global goods. These include the Resource and Support Hub, the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (and the UN’s ClearCheck (PDF, 265 KB)), the SEAH Harmonised Reporting Scheme (and the UN’s iReport), the Investigator Qualification Training Scheme (IQTS), the PSEA Capacity Project (PSEACAP), the Interagency PSEA Community Outreach and Engagement Fund (ICVA-UNHCR) and the Common Approach to Protection from SEAH (CAPSEAH).

(iii) The FCDO has looked to address ‘insufficient, unpredictable, often reactive and short-term’^{[footnote 1]} resourcing challenges through investment in a new multi-donor PSEAH Fund. The fund is managed by the Core Humanitarian Standard Alliance (CHSA), with FCDO participating in its advisory board, with the goal of protecting more people from SEAH with collective solutions that improve the safety, accountability and integrity of humanitarian, development and peace-related work. The fund brings collective solutions together into one place to support coordination and use across the HDP sector. The PSEAH Fund is open to annual or multi-year contributions from multiple investors and pooling resources and aligning support will enable collective solutions to be sustained, scaled, and widely adopted.

3. Communication: consult, inform and coordinate with communities/partners

Effective safeguarding against SEAH requires collective action, partnerships and collaboration. FCDO remained committed to consulting local people and communities in a meaningful way to adapt SEAH safeguarding approaches to context, and to working alongside partners to seek out learning and best practice to strengthen and align PSEAH approaches.

Consulting and convening partners

FCDO continued to convene quarterly meetings of the SEAH safeguarding Technical Working Group (TWG) and the Cross-Sector Safeguarding Steering Group (CSSG) to track and maintain progress towards the implementation of SEAH standards across the aid sector, with this year’s work focussed on protecting PSEAH global public goods and strengthening country-level action in line with recommended actions from the April 2025 Wilton Park Conference. The UK also co-chaired the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC) Reference Group on Ending SEAH. FCDO continues to engage and lead on a forum for like-minded donors to discuss best practice, experiences and common challenges in SEAH investigations.

Empowering local communities

In 2025 a new contract was signed to fund the Safeguarding Resource and Support Hub (RSH). RSH continued to be a key element of work to engage at local and national level, providing free support to thousands of organisations working in humanitarian, development and peacekeeping settings to strengthen their measures against SEAH, with a strong focus on supporting civil-society organisations (CSOs). Alongside the global platform, RSH continued its support in providing contextualised mentorship and training across multiple national settings in many languages in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.  

Encouraging learning and best practice

FCDO continued to fund British Expertise International to run a Safeguarding Leads Network (SLN) among UK private sector organisations, and Bond to enhance capability building among UK based Non-Governmental Organisations. SLN hosted sessions on implementing CAPSEAH in the private sector and established a CAPSEAH working group for sharing best practice. Bond actively engaged their membership, including through their website and regular blogs, to showcase good practice in PSEAH.

4. Prevention: assess SEAH risk and take action to prevent SEAH across all activities

FCDO continued to mainstream prevention of SEAH, embedding measures into its culture and operations. Posts and programmes continued to be trained to understand, reduce and manage the risk of SEAH based on local delivery contexts, and to engage affected communities in the design of mechanisms to prevent and report SEAH.

Embedding PSEAH into FCDO culture and operations

The safeguarding capability action plan provided a framework for this work. Staff awareness of FCDO’s policy and approach to SEAH was promoted through an annual Safeguarding Week. Safeguarding training sessions were also offered to staff every quarter and as outlined earlier, extensive work down through an expanding network of Safeguarding Champions across the organisation. New training has been introduced this year focussed on the risk of transactional sex and this has been added to the quarterly learning offer. FCDO also continue to deliver training on safeguarding to Heads of Missions and Deputy Heads of Mission as part of an Overseas Leadership programme and at annual leadership conferences.

Capability engagement and visits

FCDO’s 2 dedicated central safeguarding teams (the Safeguarding Investigations Team, SIT, and the Safeguarding Unit, SGU) regularly engaged remotely and in-person with departments and posts to help them address specific SEAH-related risks and challenges faced internally and in programmes they manage. Activities included broad co-facilitated department/post-wide workshops and awareness raising sessions as well as more bespoke deep dives into programmes, contracts and engagements, reviewing the risks and how they are being managed. A key element is engaging the business area’s leadership, the Safeguarding Champions and other key stakeholders to strengthen the governance structure and approach locally to safeguarding. 

Vetting and recruitment

FCDO continues to explore how it can make more use of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS) in its recruitment processes to make it harder for perpetrators of SEAH to be hired without FCDO’s knowledge. We have introduced specific language in external job advertisements as a first step. We also continued to fund the MDS Secretariat and encourage use of MDS by all partners. We continued to invest in INTERPOL’s Project Soteria which aims to strengthen collaboration between law enforcement and aid sector organisations. Soteria’s Threat Identification Scheme (TIS) and Substantiated Misconduct Referral Mechanism (SMRM) became operational allowing organisations who sign a Cooperation Agreement with INTERPOL to benefit from and contribute to enhanced screening of aid sector workers. Soteria also delivered significant progress in sustainable capacity building, crime analysis, and operational support at global and national levels including in Kenya, Uganda and Nepal. More details are on the Soteria website and Devtracker.

Due diligence partnership

In late 2024 FCDO simplified its due diligence assessment process for organisations applying for international development grants. The new approach reduces paperwork for organisations that have already proven they meet high international standards set by the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS). Organisations certified under the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) can now benefit from a streamlined application process when seeking FCDO grant funding. This certification, verified through independent audits by the Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative (HQAI), demonstrates that organisations meet rigorous quality and accountability standards for humanitarian and development work. This approach provides a strong level of assurance whilst reducing duplication of efforts for partners and FCDO, providing savings in time and funds. HQAI has 91 audit partner agreements, as of September 2025, and 39% of HQAI’s audited partners are local and national non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In 2025 we focused on publicising the new process internally and externally and encouraging other funders to follow suit.

5. Response: encourage reporting, accountability and a victim-survivor centred approach

FCDO continued to use and encourage the use of safe and accessible mechanisms for complaints and detecting concerns relating to personnel, operations and programmes. FCDO continued to provide and promote guidance and training so that personnel know what to do if they experience, witness or suspect SEAH. Help remained available for victim-survivors in line with FCDO’s survivor-centred approach to reports and investigations. Disciplinary actions and referrals to appropriate authorities are part of how individuals are held to account.

Reporting concerns

FCDO used multiple safe, accessible mechanisms for complaints. This includes a confidential email and phone hotline service - “Reporting Concerns” - that relays concerns to the internal investigation team for assessment. Mandatory line manager training on responding to disclosures and quarterly all staff sessions on “What happens after you report an allegation of SEAH” continue to be delivered. Additional sessions aimed at encouraging reporting were also delivered during FCDO’s annual Safeguarding Week and the Civil Service’s Speak Up Week. During this reporting year, Reporting Concerns strengthened its approach with whistle-blowers, introducing a case conclusion survey for them and the team continues to strengthen its safeguarding expertise with several more staff undergoing the CHS Alliance Safeguarding Investigator Qualification Training Scheme.

Support to FCDO victim-survivors of SEAH

Support to victim-survivors remains a central tenet of FCDO’s response to concerns. FCDO apply the “do no harm” principle and consideration is always given to the impact of decisions on survivors. Wellbeing check-ins are a regular part of any response to concerns raised. This has included more recently the introduction of a specialist wellbeing support offer for survivors of SEAH who may present with support needs following an investigation. Wider support is available through the Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders, the Home and Overseas Welfare teams, Staff Counsellors and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub. A survivor blog to all staff this year, in which they anonymously shared their personal experience, helped demystify the investigation process and highlight the support available to survivors of SEAH in the FCDO.  

Supporting non-FCDO victim-survivors of SEAH

The Investigator Qualification Training Scheme (IQTS) which FCDO funding had helped the CHS Alliance to establish, continued to operate. It offers accessible, affordable training, particularly aiming to support women and staff from national NGOs in low and low-middle income countries, and also helping FCDO investigators and staff strengthen their skills. FCDO’s investment in the PSEAH fund will allow IQTS to expand across humanitarian, development, and peace contexts to create a self-sustaining professional ecosystem that builds expertise, retains talent, and drives continuous improvement in victim/ survivor-centred investigations globally. FCDO’s Empowering Survivors of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment programme (ES-SEAH) also invested in the PSEAH Fund to improve victim-survivors’ access to justice and survivor-centred care, including by strengthening the capacity of women’s rights organisations (WROs). Funding from FCDO’s ES-SEAH supported the United Nations’ Office of the Victims’ Rights Advocate (OVRA) and its efforts to seek justice for victim-survivors of SEAH perpetrated by UN personnel.

Accountability

FCDO has a zero-tolerance policy to inaction to SEAH concerns. We continued to offer training to staff on how to appropriately challenge or respond to behaviour they may witness as a bystander. Where SEAH concerns relating to staff are raised, FCDO’s SIT lead the response, taking a survivor-centred approach. FCDO took action to dismiss staff members where their behaviour constituted gross misconduct, in line with policies on the disciplinary process and disciplinary sanctions for cases of SEAH which are upheld. FCDO publishes internal and programme case numbers and outcomes in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts (PDF, 10.3 MB) as part of its commitment to transparency. Externally, FCDO continued to use our due diligence processes and to work with other governments through executive boards and other fora to hold multilaterals to account on SEAH standards and action.

6. Monitoring: check if efforts to protect against SEAH are working

We continued to monitor and assess the implementation and impact of our PSEAH policies and approaches, to learn from experience and make improvements. This included the use of feedback tools for staff, partners, and communities. Internal case numbers are tracked carefully. When cases occurred, we sought to learn and improve from experience. Externally, FCDO participated in joint efforts to strengthen and align PSEAH approaches through funding projects that share data, information and learning on SEAH, helping build the evidence base, knowledge of what works, and track global progress on PSEAH. All this monitoring work fed into the overall capability work undertaken to strengthen practice and organisational understanding of PSEAH. Some specific examples follow.

People survey

In 2024 FCDO included specific SEAH questions in our annual People Survey for the first time, and we did so again in 2025. Capturing data about staff experiences allows us to focus our work on specific SEAH risks and monitor trends over time. The results showed that many hundreds of staff had experienced SEAH linked to their work in the previous 12 months and that while more individuals are reporting SEAH, we must continue to focus on creating a culture where staff feel safe to speak up. When the detailed survey results have been analysed, post and departments will be supported to respond sensitively in teams.

Internal cases

Internal cases are classed as those where either the survivor and/or the subject of complaint are FCDO employees. There were 131 such cases in this reporting period (January to December 2025). This 82% increase compared to 2023 to 2024 is significant and follows a trend in which internal case reports have increased every year. This follows a trend in which internal case reports have increased every year since 2020. Over the last year, FCDO’s Annual Safeguarding Capability Action Plan has helped raise awareness on SEAH and given staff increased knowledge on how to report concerns. This has included clear and consistent messaging that cases involving third parties can and should be reported and also blogs by senior leaders on risk areas such a work social events, which has been accompanied by guidance on managing these risks. The year-on-year increases in reporting since 2020, as well as the significant increase in this reporting period is viewed as a positive indication that confidence continues to rise among staff to report SEAH and that there is growing perception that robust action will be taken.

Internal programme management: new tools for enhanced monitoring

Global Architecture Programme

FCDO’s Global Architecture Programme was launched in October 2024. Despite significant geopolitical and financial challenges affecting PSEAH work and the wider international development and humanitarian system, the programme has maintained momentum in PSEAH efforts, built consensus around and support for key PSEAH tools, and deepened dialogue and cooperation with a wide range of partners to progress policy thinking and evidence. The programme plays a pivotal role in shaping global standards and driving alignment across global PSEAH architecture.

During this reporting period it funded various initiatives to strengthen the evidence base on SEAH, including those listed below.  

The Harmonised Reporting Scheme (HRS) platform to collect and analyse SEAH data and produce trend analysis scaled up significantly last year. It now has 102 members worldwide and produces bi-annual trend analysis reports that help inform and improve policies, strategies, and actions for better SEAH risk mitigation, prevention and response.

The Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative (HQAI) established 91 new audit partners (48% of which are local) verifying that they meet the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS). FCDO now recognises HQAI Core Humanitarian Standard certification for a significant proportion of our due diligence process and there is growing interest from other donors in this potential to align and streamline approaches to due diligence.

Co-ordination and development of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS) to share misconduct data between employers to stop perpetrators moving between organisations undetected. This is a well-established global PSEAH tool that has grown to over 380 members and under which 220,000 checks have been carried out and helped prevent 677 applicants from progressing through recruitment processes because of concerns about sexual misconduct of the potential employee. As outlined above, the FCDO is working towards making its processes more consistent with the MDS.

Annex A – Progress with implementing the UK Strategy: Safeguarding against SEAH within the aid sector

This framework provides headline results indicators to track implementation and overall direction of travel as ODA spending departments implement the 3 pillars of the September 2020 UK Strategy. It uses a BRAG^{[footnote 2]} rating against the strategy’s high-level monitoring framework and gives examples. While individual ODA-spending departments are accountable for their own spend, and responsible for tracking detailed progress against relevant commitments made in the Strategy and for reporting, as appropriate, to their own internal and external accountability bodies, the indicators below have been selected to provide a high-level summary of progress.

Pillar 1: Delivering sector-wide change including support to survivors and greater accountability

Safeguarding strategy commitment	Results indicator	BRAG [footnote 3]	Progress	Example
1.1. Provide global leadership.	i. Continuing to convene donor Technical Working Group and the Cross Sector Safeguarding Steering Group (CSSG) quarterly and publishing annual progress reports.	Green	All indicators on track.	FCDO continued to convene quarterly meetings of the SEAH safeguarding Technical Working Group (TWG) and the Cross-Sector Safeguarding Steering Group (CSSG) to track and maintain progress towards the implementation of SEAH standards across the aid sector.
1.2. The UK will put measures in place to make it much more difficult for perpetrators to escape justice, make it easier for organisations to have confidence in those they recruit and allow communities to have confidence in the people sent to help them.	ii. Three Employment cycle programmes operational	Amber	Work continuing with good progress on 2 programmes and slower progress on one.	Programme 1: over 380 organisations have now signed up to the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS) funded by FCDO. By the end of 2025, more than 220,000 checks have been conducted, resulting in 677 applications being rejected at recruitment stage. Programme 2: Project Soteria with Interpol has continued its work with law enforcement agencies and development partners including in the UK, Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Moldova. Programme 3: work to design the pilot of the Aid Worker Registration Scheme remains on pause as goals are currently felt to be best met through MDS and Soteria.
1.3. The UK has endorsed international minimum standards on SEAH and supporting organisations to verify adherence to the IASC on PSEA and/or the CHS. We will work with other donors to agree alignment with these standards and ensure adherence through our respective funding agreements and due diligence assurance arrangements.	iii. All our funding agreements reflect the agreed donor language	Amber	Work continuing with good progress made.	FCDO continued to work closely with donors to agree SEAH language for use in UN funding agreements. A larger number of funding agreements reflect the agreed language, but not all just yet. FCDO also continued to support the Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative (HQAI), as an independent auditor that certifies aid sector organisations’ adherence to the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) on Quality and Accountability, and thereby builds good practice, transparency and accountability across the sector. FCDO simplified its due diligence assessment process for organisations applying for international development grants. This approach reduces paperwork for organisations that have already proven they meet high international standards set by the CHS.
1.4. Survivors and victims will be responded to with respect, confidentiality, safety and non-discrimination.	iv. Departments can point to examples/evidence of procedures and anonymised cases if asked	Green	Work continuing with good progress made.	The Home Office has a “Raising a Concern” Policy and Procedure which includes whistle-blowing and a safeguarding procedure. The Modern Slavery Programme has involved survivors to inform the programme assurance. Donors within funded programmes are expected to involve survivors to inform knowledge and understanding in service delivery. Programme leads complete gender and equality training and conduct survivor engagement.
1.5. Hold ourselves to account for delivering this Strategy through transparent reporting in our Annual Reports, scrutiny from the UK’s Independent Commission on Aid Impact and relevant committees of the UK Parliament, internal management and board oversight, and periodic public reporting against the 2018 London Safeguarding Summit commitments.	v. Include text on safeguarding as part of annual report to Parliament/public on ODA activities	Amber	Work continuing with good progress made.	See the most recent: FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025 (PDF, 8.7 MB)

Pillar 2: Delivering organisational change within UK aid spending departments

Safeguarding strategy commitment	Results indicator	BRAG	Progress	Example
2.1. We will ensure that all departments have a clear staff code of conduct in place, making it explicit what behaviour is expected of staff.	vi. Codes of conduct explicitly prohibits ODA staff from paying for sex in every ODA spending department	Green	All indicators on track.	The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) continues to make expectations on SEAH safeguarding explicit to staff.  In addition to a code of conduct, Defra launched its ODA SEAH Safeguarding Country Visit guidance in July 2025 which sets out the expectations of staff when travelling internationally based on its 2024 policy.
2.2. Well-signposted reporting mechanisms for staff to raise concerns and robust procedures for handling them.	vii. Whistle-blowing and reporting and complaints     mechanisms are in place, proactively advertised and reporting figures show they are used.	Green	All indicators on track.	The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) continues to proactively monitor its central safeguarding reporting concerns inbox. Details of how to report a safeguarding concern are included in all ODA funding agreements and there is an incident reporting form available for staff and partners. Project delivery reviews/score card meetings are used to seek assurances that delivery partners are maintaining robust safeguarding procedures. DHSC ODA Programmes staff, plus colleagues from UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), attended a one-day training on Safeguarding and SEAH in May 2025 which flagged whistleblowing, reporting and complaints mechanisms. DHSC ODA Programmes received both SEAH and whistleblowing reports in 2025.
2.3. All departments will have a named safeguarding lead to set the tone from the top, including regular messaging out to staff about the importance of the agenda and at least annual discussion at Board level.	viii. Named safeguarding champion in all departmental Senior Leadership teams ix. Annual Board discussion on Safeguarding against SEAH	Green	All indicators on track.	The Defra ODA International Safeguarding Champion continues to be a named Director who is visible to colleagues, informed of allegations and case progress and proactively reiterates messages of the importance of SEAH safeguarding and expectations, including at multi-partner training events. The operational aspects of the Safeguarding Champion role are led at Deputy Director Level. The ODA International Safeguarding Champion is a member of Defra’s Director General chaired ODA Board, where SEAH safeguarding progress, issues and case rates are discussed in depth annually. A simplified accompanying paper on SEAH case management and pertinent issues are included in the ODA board pack on a quarterly basis, as standard.
2.4. Risk Management processes prioritise prevention and response to SEAH	x. Department level risk management framework for ODA spending includes SEAH	Green	All indicators on track.	Ministry of Defence (MoD) risk management approach is covered in the MoD policy on preventing and dealing with Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, set out in Joint Service Publication 769. It includes screening of personnel prior to deployment, as well as Commanders conducting risk assessments.

Pillar 3: Delivering programmatic change across UK aid programmes

Safeguarding strategy commitment	Results indicator	BRAG	Progress	Example
3.1. Applying the Due Diligence Assessment: The Due Diligence Assessment of all UK Aid partners has been strengthened and their performance on safeguarding against sexual exploitation abuse and sexual harassment will continue to be assessed in 6 areas to ensure they meet the standards we require.	xi. Due Diligence assessments of partner organisations includes thorough assessment of the UK’s 6 SEAH standards, and this is universally conducted for all partners prior to entering into a funding agreement	Green	All indicators on track.	All new delivery partners of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) undergo a Delivery Partner Review, and SEAH policies and whistleblowing policies are checked in this process as part of due diligence. If they do not initially meet the standard, DESNZ will work with the delivery partner to ensure relevant policies are implemented.
3.2. The UK will continue to mainstream safeguarding against sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment throughout our programme cycle, using tendering processes, design phases, risk assessments and risk management, regular reporting, routine monitoring and evaluations to assess the implementation of safeguarding standards at the delivery level.	xii. Number of cases of SEAH reported through ODA programming is internally reported to the board at least annually and patterns and challenges are discussed, and processes refined to address concerns within the programme management cycle.	Amber	Work continuing with good progress made in some departments.	Safeguarding progress, issues and case rates were discussed at Defra’s ODA board in early 2025. A second update is planned before the end of FY 2025 to 2026. Additionally, case numbers and risk are presented quarterly at the ODA Board. The case management cycle process is refined and reviewed following the lessons learned from each allegation received. Defra is also in the final stages of developing a SEAH/ Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) commercial annex to guide programme teams on due diligence needed through the tendering and programme implementation process.
3.3. Provide resourcing to partners where needed to ensure that their programmes and delivery chains prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment in a victim and survivor-centred way.	xiii. Departments can point to examples of requests made and approved	Amber	Work continuing with good progress made in some departments.	UK Integrated Security Fund (ISF) Unit has given resources, programme board meeting discussions and masterclasses. Staff are reminded to read the specific guidance on beneficiary engagement, summarising rules, reasons, outcomes and examples. Tools and materials to raise awareness and improve practice in these areas are also available from the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, the FCDO-funded Resource and Support Hub and other international sources. The ISF Unit is increasing its focus on CAPSEAH in its material and conversations with partners.

1. Think Piece: Sustainable and Effective Resourcing for Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Sexual Abuse, and Sexual Harassment (PSEAH) (PDF, 410 KB). ↩

2. ‘Blue’: action is complete; ‘Red’: action not on track with major issues; ‘Amber’: action mainly on track with some minor issues; ‘Green’: action is on track. ↩

3. ‘Blue’: action is complete; ‘Red’: action not on track with major issues; ‘Amber’: action mainly on track with some minor issues; ‘Green’: action is on track. ↩