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September 28, 2017
‘Time to Stamp Out Human Trafficking,’ says UN Chief; United Nations Pledges Action to Eradicate ‘Heinous Crime’ with Tailored, Effective, Multilateral Efforts to Protect the Victims and Prosecute the Perpetrators
Photo: Miroslav LajÄák, President of the seventy-second session of the UN General Assembly, chairs the Assembly’s high-level meeting to appraise progress achieved in the implementation of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. 27 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Cia Pak.
Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres (right) meets with Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Chair of the Board of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons. 27 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Kim Haughton.
Photo: Miroslav LajÄák, President of the seventy-second session of the UN General Assembly, meets with Mira Sorvino (left), UNODC (UN Office on Drugs and Crime) Goodwill Ambassador for Global Fight against Human Trafficking. 27 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: Félix Braz, Minister of Justice of Luxembourg, addresses the UN General Assembly high-level meeting to appraise progress achieved in the implementation of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. 27 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Cia Pak.
Photo: Mira Sorvino, Academy Award-winning actress and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), addresses the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on the appraisal of the UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. 27 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Cia Pak.
United Nations, 27 September 2017 - With tens of millions of human trafficking victims worldwide, “now is the time to stand together and stamp out this abominable practice,” Secretary-General António Guterres told a high-level meeting at which Member States adopted a political Declaration reaffirming their commitment to implement a United Nations action plan to end the scourge.
“Human trafficking is all around us, in all regions of the world,” said Mr. Guterres, referring to such practices as “Forced Labour” and “Sexual Servitude” in different forms and manifestations.
In the Declaration, adopted without a vote, UN Member States demonstrated their strong political will to take decisive concerted action to end the heinous crime.
“As millions of children, women and men spill out of their countries towards safety, they find themselves at the mercy of merciless people,” Mr. Guterres said.
These criminal networks are global, well-organized, technologically savvy, and highly proficient in taking advantage of gaps in governance and weaknesses in institutions, he added.
Fighting human trafficking requires greater use of relevant instruments, including the UN conventions against transnational organized crime and against corruption, he said.
Also addressing the meeting, Yuri Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said “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.”
To build a robust evidence base, UNODC is currently working with the academic community to develop innovative methodologies to measure the size and scope of the trafficking problem, he added.
General Assembly President Miroslav LajÄák also addressed the meeting, as did Ms. Mira Sorvino, UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for the global fight against human trafficking and Grizelda Grootboom, a civil society representative and victim of human trafficking.
The high-level meeting was addressed by the representatives of Jamaica, Sweden, Italy, Nigeria, Botswana, Zambia, United States, Cuba, Morocco, Brazil, Denmark, Slovenia, Myanmar, Austria, Portugal, Mexico, Philippines, Peru, Paraguay, India, Cameroon, Bahamas, Republic of Korea, Germany, Pakistan, Guatemala, Libya, Argentina, Colombia, Kenya, Canada, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Finland, Liechtenstein, Japan, Cabo Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mongolia, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Switzerland, Hungary, Ireland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Honduras, Viet Nam, El Salvador, Bahrain, Maldives, Iceland, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Bangladesh, China, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saint Vincent and Grenadines and Spain.
The speakers called for tailored, effective, multilateral efforts to protect the victims and prosecute the perpetrators.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 4:46 PM | Link to this Post
