Interview with Christian Saunders, UN Assistant Secretary-General

UN Women

UN Women, the UN agency for women’s rights and economic empowerment marks this week the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. 

We interviewed Christian Saunders, Assistant Secretary General for the Office of the Special Coordinator for Improving the UN Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

Mr. Saunders just came back from a visit to Colombia where he met with community leaders and UN officials based in the country. We discussed what are the main tasks of the Office of the Coordinator for Improving the UN Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA)and the positive changes that are happening in terms of a UN system-wide framework to address the issue.

We also spoke about how a victims' centered approach is becoming standard in the training of first responders, police officers, and the judiciary systems.

What are the challenges when the UN is operating in fragile states and peacekeeping forces, huma…