Director General/Executive Director
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Allow me to begin by thanking the European Union for its unwavering commitment to the fight against human trafficking and migrant smuggling, and for partnering with UNODC, including to organize this important event.
I would also like to thank Ambassador Kupchyna, the CCPCJ Chair, once again for the efforts of Belarus to mobilize the UN system and keep this priority high on the international agenda.
Human trafficking is a crime that affects every country in the world. It preys upon the vulnerable, and flourishes in situations of armed conflict and displacement.
According to UNODC's latest Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, some two hundred and twenty-five thousand trafficking victims were detected between 2003 and 2016. Many, many more instances of trafficking went unreported.
Women and girls make up almost three-quarters of all detected trafficking victims worldwide, and there has been an increase in child victims.
The need for urgent action to stop this human right violation and end impunity for perpetrators has been highlighted by the Nobel Peace Prize awarded last year to our UNODC Goodwill Ambassador Nadia Murad.
UNODC-EU cooperation through projects such as the Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants, or GLO.ACT, has made a real contribution to this fight.
GLO.ACT has been a flagship project for both the EU and UNODC, and has been implemented in thirteen countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
I am proud to say that innovative and impactful programming, implemented in cooperation with IOM and UNICEF, has been a common thread running through all GLO.ACT work.
National Action Plans against Trafficking in Persons have been adopted in Brazil, Mali and South Africa.
Pakistan has in place new legislation against human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
Professional networks of criminal justice practitioners have been set up in Latin America and West Africa.
Another example of our impact on the ground is Operation Vesta in Colombia carried out by the Attorney General's Office working group on human trafficking, a direct beneficiary of GLO.ACT activities at the country level.
Our planning and training efforts resulted in the capture of twenty-four leaders of a group linked to the sexual exploitation of minors and child trafficking in Cartagena and abroad, and the rescue of more than two hundred victims of trafficking.
Ladies and gentlemen,
GLO.ACT is now in its second phase, expanding towards Asia and the Middle East and building on best practices. The project will be implemented in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan.
I am proud to say that global programmes such as GLO.ACT are truly helping to make a difference, to build on the progress that has been achieved since the Protocol on Trafficking in Persons entered into force in 2003.
GLO.ACT is a strong example of how UNODC is helping to ensure that our integrated programming is resulting in field-led initiatives that are locally owned and sustainable.
UNODC is seeking to further strengthen our work against human trafficking, including through more effective partnerships under the Inter-Agency Coordination Group, or ICAT, which we coordinate.
In this context, I would like to thank the EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, Ms. Myria Vassiliadou for hosting a consultative meeting of ICAT agencies in Brussels.
UNODC's membership in the Executive Committee of the UN Migration Network will further help ensure synergies between the Network and ICAT.
Excellencies,
UNODC remains fully engaged in helping to prevent and stop human trafficking, and we look forward to continuing our work with you through GLO.ACT.
In her memoir, Nadia Murad wrote, "More than anything else, I want to be the last girl in the world with a story like mine."
If the world comes together against human trafficking, we will get closer to making this a reality.
Thank you.