Director General/Executive Director
Mr. President,
Secretary-General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons remains a keystone for our collective action.
This appraisal and the adoption of the Political Declaration can help us take this commitment forward and sharpen responses to an odious crime that continues to exploit and victimize the most vulnerable, in all parts of the world.
Since the General Assembly adopted the landmark Plan of Action in 2010, we have strengthened efforts to prevent and stop this crime, most of all through the Protocol against human trafficking under the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
To date, 171 Member States have acceded to the Protocol, most of them aligned their domestic laws with provisions of the Protocol.
In the Plan of Action, you entrusted UNODC with preparing biennial global reports on trafficking in persons.
Our research has made it clear that having legislation in line with the Protocol has helped to improve criminal justice responses.
Nevertheless, enforcement gaps remain.
New technologies are being abused to facilitate human trafficking, further straining capacities to detect and investigate this trans-border crime.
The Security Council has highlighted the threat posed by human trafficking to international peace and security, and remains engaged in addressing this crime in the context of armed conflicts.
Going forward, we need to do more to translate this high level of awareness into more effective action, and to make better use of the established international legal framework to protect victims and ensure justice.
I am honoured by your recognition of the institutional role of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in the global fight against human trafficking.
UNODC remains fully engaged in working with our UN and other partners to support you in preventing trafficking in persons, as well as implementing victim-centred criminal justice responses.
We need to strengthen data collection to build a robust evidence base. We must also work together towards common frameworks for defining and assessing progress, taking into account the anti-trafficking targets under the Sustainable Development Goals, namely 5.2 on trafficking in women and girls, 8.7 on forced labour and 16.2 on all forms of trafficking in persons.
To support this, UNODC is currently working with the academic community to develop innovative methodologies to measure the size and scope of the trafficking problem.
At the same time, we need to coordinate support to be as coherent, efficient and effective as possible, including through the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons - ICAT.
We need governments to devote the needed resources to put laws into practice, to support victims, to train practitioners, and to enable inter-agency and cross-border cooperation.
In line with the Protocol, we must help States Parties address challenges that make people, especially women and children, vulnerable to trafficking, including poverty, underdevelopment and lack of equal opportunity.
Finally, I urge you to pledge your support to the UN Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which was established by the Global Plan of Action.
The Fund is providing meaningful direct assistance but its impact will fall short of its potential if it doesn't receive the necessary resources. I thank those of you making pledges today.
Please help us amplify this support to enable more trafficking victims to become survivors.
Thank you.