The U.N. human rights office will tackle sexual harassment and establish a volunteer network of in-house “first responders” to address inappropriate conduct, heeding the U.N. secretary-general’s call that more be done to combat sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace.

Peers will act as confidential, trained representatives that offer staff and field workers for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights a new alternative for recourse if they experience abuse or harassment, an OHCHR email obtained by Devex reveals.

The OHCHR placed a call for confidential staffers to help implement the new policy, dubbed Dignity@Work, in an October internal email. The letter addresses the “need to do more,” beyond the work of human resources and the two staff councils responsible for responding to abuse and harassment incidents.

Read the source article at Devex International Development