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UNODC Supports Ethiopia to Review Legislation on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants

Addis Ababa - 13 June 2018 : UNODC recently assisted the Federal Office of the Attorney General of Ethiopia - and its six-member drafting team composed of experts from the Office of the Prime Minister, Federal Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs - to review its Proclamation to Prevent and Suppress Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (Proclamation 909).

The drafting work session from 1-12 June at Bishoftu, Ethiopia, was organized within the framework of the UNODC Regional Programme for Eastern Africa (2016-2021) and its sub-programme to Counter Transnational Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking, as well as the Better Migration Management (BMM) Programme, funded by the European Union (https://ec.europa.eu/trustfundforafrica/node/1057) and GIZ (https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/40602.html). During this workshop, UNODC experts provided advice and guidance to the drafting team, utilizing UNODC Model Laws on Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants and other UNODC resource material.

The Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the supreme law of the land, prohibits trafficking in persons. Ethiopia has also ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its supplementary Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children and Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air. In addition, the Criminal Code of Ethiopia also prohibits various organized crime activities. Although the promulgation of Proclamation 909 was a positive step in the right direction, the latter proclamation was not fully compliant to the Convention and supplementary Protocols. Subsequently, the government of Ethiopia conducted an assessment on the successful enforcement of these legislation (mainly Proclamation 909). The results of this research assessment were presented and discussed during a workshop at Adama from 21-23 April leading to a decision by the Government - following consultation between the Federal and Regional Governments and international as well as regional organizations - to review the Proclamation. As custodian of the Convention and in line with its mandates received from Member States of the United Nations, UNODC has offered and agreed to support and guide this review process.

The outcome of the most recent drafting work session was draft legislation to comprehensively address the scourge of Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants through prevention, protection, prosecution and partnership. The draft document will be now discussed during at least two additional consultative work sessions before a final draft will be presented to the Government for consideration and adoption.

UNODC will continue to support the Government of Ethiopia within the framework of the BMM Programme in its efforts to counter transnational organized crime, including Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants, through similar upcoming drafting and consultation sessions, but also through capacity building activities for criminal justice practitioners.