UNITED NATIONS: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has invited world leaders to a special event Monday on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse an issue that has left a black mark on the UN's far-flung peacekeeping operations and persists despite UN vows to combat the scourge.
Guterres told reporters this week that the United Nations has drafted a compact which he hopes the organization's 193 member states will sign. According to the UN it emphasises "the shared principles" of the UN and member states for conducting peace operations including commitments to prevent sexual exploitation.
The UN chief said he is also creating a "Circle of Leadership" comprising heads of state and government who make commitments to end impunity for alleged perpetrators and to strengthen measures to prevent sexual exploitations and abuse in international deployments.