New York, 13 October 2017 - GLO.ACT Project Coordinator, Ms. Margaret Akullo, was a speaker at the World Childhood Foundation Conference held on 2 October 2017 at the United Nations. The conference focussed on how organizations were achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for children. In 2015, countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs. The meeting was co-hosted by the Swedish Mission to the United Nations and the World Childhood Foundation USA with the participation of Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden also Founder of the World Childhood Foundation.
The meeting demonstrated that many governments, academia, civil society and the private sector needed to put children first and recognise the important role that children play in shaping their lives. In her opening remarks, Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden stated that "every child deserves to have a happy and healthy childhood. However, more than 200 million children worldwide are victims of sexual abuse and exploitation. It is imperative that we invest in programmes and initiatives that work to eliminate sexual abuse and violence against children."
Ms. Akullo was part of a panel that discussed what progress the UN, governments, civil society private sector and academia had made since the adoption of the SDGs in 2015. Ms. Akullo presented what GLO.ACT, an EU-UNODC funded project - was delivering locally in 13 countries across the globe and how GLO.ACT was investing in the assistance and protection of children with its GLO.ACT partners IOM and UNICEF.
Following the high-level meeting the annual Childhood USA thank you gala took place with distinguished guests including Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, Princess Madeleine of Sweden and the UN Secretary General Mr. António Guterres.
The Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) is a four-year (2015-2019), €11 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project is being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). GLO.ACT aims to provide assistance to governmental
authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries: Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine. GLO.ACT works with the 13 countries to plan and implement strategic national counter-trafficking and counter smuggling efforts through a prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships approach. It supports the development of more effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including providing assistance to victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.
Related Links:
Safeguardkids: World Childhood Foundation - SDGs for Children
For more information, please visit:
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/
Email: glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act