In October 2025, the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), in collaboration with the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), convened a global workshop on sexual harassment in academia. Hosted by the Académie des sciences in Paris and supported by the Henry Luce Foundation, the workshop brought together 21 scholars, practitioners and experts from 16 countries.
Over two days, participants examined how sexual harassment and gender-based violence affect academic communities across different cultural, legal and institutional contexts. Discussions focused on the challenges of defining sexual harassment globally, the significant costs to individuals and the scientific enterprise, gaps in data collection and the importance of sharing effective practices. Case studies from six countries highlighted both progress achieved through legal reform and activism and the persistent gap between policy and lived experience.
The workshop concluded with participants affirming shared values of human dignity, academic integrity and global interconnectedness, and committing to collective action to advance harassment-free academic environments. These commitments include developing flexible, context-sensitive frameworks, improving and expanding data collection, sharing promising practices across borders, applying intersectional approaches and engaging allies and leaders throughout the academic enterprise.
This publication brings together the key insights, shared values and commitments emerging from the workshop and is intended to support academies, institutions and individuals worldwide in strengthening prevention, accountability and cultural change in academia.
