Giving Compass' Take:

• Devex interviews Purna Sen, the UN Women's new spokesperson for addressing sexual harassment and assault, about the need for more gender equity and empowerment.

• In the wake of the Oxfam scandal, a post like this could be of vital importance in the development community. Those who work in the aid sector should look at how attitudes and policies should change.

• Beyond #MeToo: Female leaders discuss what needs to happen next.

There’s a new spokesperson and coordinator on sexual harassment and assault at the United Nations.

UN Women’s Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka announced last month that Purna Sen, the director of the organization’s policy division, would take on a new post: Executive coordinator and spokesperson on addressing sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination.

Sen’s work is centered within UN Women, but she will also aim to highlight and contextualize sexual harassment and assault across the U.N., as the system continues to confront the dismissals of several high-level officials for inappropriate conduct. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS recently announced it had reopened a sexual harassment investigation of Luiz Loures, the agency’s former deputy director.

"We recognize that the starting point of suspicion [about victim accounts] when we talk about harassment, abuse, and assault is very dangerous and unhelpful and it is contrary to creating a culture which should enable safety and respect in the workplace," Sen told Devex. "Our first step is to say to women who are speaking, 'We believe you and we stand with you.'"

Read the full interview with Purna Sen about sexual harassment and changes at the UN by Amy Lieberman at Devex International Development.