USAID is committed to achieving our mission of promoting and demonstrating democratic values abroad, and advancing a free, peaceful, and prosperous world through partnerships and investments that save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises and progress beyond assistance.

Achieving this mission requires USAID and its implementing partners to first and foremost “do no harm,” and moving beyond that, integrate thorough and effective safeguarding regimes throughout our operations and programming to protect the very people we intend to help from any harm. Effective safeguarding is a necessary enabling factor for our mission—it is not just what we do, but about how we do it. USAID is committed to working with stakeholders across the aid sector to fulfill our collective responsibility for preventing and responding to critical safeguarding issues.

It is important to understand the USAID implementing partner’s role in safeguarding the populations that we serve from harm. All USAID awards (e.g., contracts, cooperative agreements, grants like fixed amount awards, etc.), regardless of financial amount, include requirements that address protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), counter-trafficking in persons (C-TIP), and child safeguarding. USAID’s partners are responsible for complying with existing safeguarding requirements, integrating safeguarding frameworks into programming and operations, and ensuring respectful, inclusive, and safe environments that uphold beneficiaries’ rights. USAID relies on our partners’ previous experience and understanding, especially in the local context, of area-specific risks to inform effective, survivor-centered protection and incident response.

In the Resources, Policies, and Reports and Press Releases sections of this page, partners can find summaries of USAID’s PSEA, C-TIP, and child safeguarding policies, announcements, and related requirements. Together, these requirements support a framework for the implementation of preventative protection and compliance measures across agency programming, especially for populations who may be at increased risk of harm.