Director-General/Executive Director
Your Excellency Mr. Carlo Nordio, Minister of Justice,
Your Excellency Mr. Matteo Piantedosi, Minister of the Interior,
Your Excellency, Ms. Maria Tripodi, Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
Distinguished Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honour to be here in Palermo, as we mark twenty years since the entry into force of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the UNTOC.
I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to the government of Italy for bringing us together, and for hosting us in this magnificent city of Palermo and specifically in this symbolic building.
We have heard from Minister Nordio how, here in this radiant capital of Sicily, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino lifted the veil of fear and mystery surrounding the mafia and proved that organized crime can be dragged out of the shadows and confronted by law.
And here, the world came together to conceive the Palermo Convention and its protocols on human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
Today, we are gathering to underline the importance of these international instruments, at a time when they are dearly needed.
Last week, the Summit for the Sustainable Development Goals adopted an ambitious declaration on the conviction of Member States to rescue the SDGs.
Among other things, the declaration underlined the centrality of the rule of law and acknowledged the positive role of migrants and the need to protect them.
Its message of commitment to humanity, solidarity, and justice must be at the heart of our discussions today.
Today, organized criminal groups are feeding on a global deficit in trust and the rule of law, brought about by eroding safety and security as well as failing solidarity.
The false promises of a better life offered by migrant smugglers and human traffickers are finding an eager audience amid vulnerability and desperation.
Around the world, more than 100 million people are displaced, 42 million of them children.
They are fleeing the flames of war, with the number of conflict-related deaths around the world doubling last year.
They are fleeing the sting of hunger, with more than 700 million people worldwide facing chronic hunger in 2022.
And they are fleeing the consequences of catastrophes, some resulting from climate change, others from neglect, and others still from simple misfortune, and the world is still reeling from the flooding in Derna and the earthquake in Morocco.
Others still are seeking to escape rising poverty and the inequalities that have multiplied in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yet global solidarity is lacking.
We still see a shortfall in urgent humanitarian funding, a shortfall in climate funding, and a shortfall in funding for the Sustainable Development Goals.
And we still see development held back by crippling debt. A record number of developing countries spent over 20 percent of their revenues on external debt servicing in 2022, while African countries are still spending more on debt relief than healthcare.
For humanity, these conditions present a recipe for tragedy and disaster.
For migrant smugglers and human traffickers, it is a money-making machine and an opportunity to thrive.
Excellencies,
The exploitation of people’s hopes and desperation is a complex criminal enterprise, concerned only with its bottom line.
UNODC’s monitoring of smuggling of migrants reveals that organized crime is involved, particularly in the Mediterranean, where sophisticated migrant smuggling syndicates operate dynamically and ruthlessly.
A UNODC Study in 2020 revealed that migrants often suffer harrowing abuse when they are under the control of smugglers, with the Mediterranean Sea considered to be one of the most dangerous transit points.
Smuggled migrants were reported to have experienced torture, beatings, burnings, electric shocks, sexual violence, and even murder.
These crimes against migrants often go unpunished.
And of course, the journey can be deadly. Estimates by IOM show that more than 2,400 people lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea in 2022, making it the deadliest year on record since 2017.
People on the move are also highly vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking, even as the world’s ability to deal with this crime seems to be declining in these times of crisis.
For example, UNODC’s Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2022 showed that, for the first time in at least 20 years, the number of trafficking victims detected around the world had declined, while convictions of traffickers had also decreased significantly.
The report also found that women and children victims were more likely to suffer violent forms of trafficking.
In this mix of vulnerability, fear, limited resources and strained capacities, criminal networks are the only winners.
The Palermo Convention and Protocols provide solutions rooted in the values of the United Nations.
With strong political will and international cooperation, countries can make greater use of these instruments.
And Minister Nordio called for this international cooperation in detail in his speech.
You can target the criminal networks that are profiting, and the illicit financial flows they produce.
You can ensure that those held accountable are the true culprits, and not desperate migrants or victims of trafficking.
You can improve cooperation and information-sharing across borders to leave no gaps to exploit.
And you can protect, preserve, and prioritize the lives and rights of people on the move.
Excellencies,
As the guardian of the Palermo Convention and Protocols, UNODC stands with you against human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
We are on the ground, developing human rights-based responses across the Middle East and Africa, building maritime operations capacities along the Mediterranean coast, training frontline officers along the Western Balkan route, and much more.
We are connecting countries of origin, transit, and destination in their efforts, including through our STARSOM project which has led to 15 transregional investigations across three continents.
We are also promoting South-South cooperation by helping countries build judicial and law enforcement cooperation and exchange best practices.
And we are providing global data and analysis to inform responses, including through our flagship Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, and our Migrant Smuggling Observatory, which analyses the characteristics and drivers of smuggling in different regions.
We also help countries follow the money, with our Anti-Money Laundering programmes and tools.
UNODC is well-positioned to help you respond to the challenges at hand.
We count on you to invest attention, resources, and commitment to tackling these crimes.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The countries of the Mediterranean, and of the world at large, are in a confrontation with human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
But the adversaries are not the people looking for safety and dignity, or the people who have been exploited and driven to desperation.
The adversaries are the criminal networks that prey on perpetual crisis and add fuel to the fires.
I urge you to target these criminal groups, and to address the root causes of violence, poverty, and desperation that they feed upon.
Today is an opportunity to fully embrace the Palermo Convention and Protocols, and to place the focus on combating organized crime, while protecting and helping people.
Let us seize this chance, together.
Thank you.