Conference of the Parties to UNTOC, 13th session [Meeting 6]

We are about to start with the list of speakers.

So now I will give the floor to the representative of the United Arab Emirates.

You have the floor.

Thank you, President. Mr. President, the UAE reiterates the importance of artificial intelligence and innovation in countering trafficking in persons, while the criminal groups are misusing and exploiting technology as well as the virtual space and exploiting victims. So addressing those challenges necessitates appropriate legal frameworks and modern techniques in order to make sure that we are able to follow up with the perpetrators and the has followed an approach that takes victims into consideration and their protection, and thus the National Committee to Countering Trafficking in Persons and other relevant authorities have improved the smart national system through a unified platform to coordinate and exchange information on the follow-up of victims. And the system includes 14 line ministries as well as national authorities, and around 200 staff are employed in in order to expedite the transfer of victims and providing them with support and care. This system as well uses artificial intelligence in collecting data, analyzing data, understanding the patterns of crime, as well as early detection for risks and threats, whereas the specialized notices take into consideration the needs of women, children, and the disabled in order to make sure they are fully protected. And in conclusion, the UAE reiterate the importance of strengthening international cooperation, the exchange of expertise in this regard, while using technology in a responsible way, as well as protecting the dignity and safety of victims. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of Uganda. You have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President. Uganda continues to work with the rest of the world to combat trafficking in persons. For example, Uganda has, in addition to law enforcement, put in place initiatives and actions to prevent and counter trafficking. These include National Action Plan 2026-2031, which focuses on multi-stakeholder collaboration, victim protection, and youth empowerment. Cyber fraud and online protection, specifically, that targets digital recruitment via platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, and other cyber-enabled trafficking. External labor regulation by emphasizing re-registration of labor recruitment agencies and partnering with financial institutions like National Social Security Fund and PAL Bank to protect remittances and savings. Regional and cross-border cooperation, promoting collaboration with regional bodies to monitor transit routes, fight syndicates, and address human trafficking along southern route and Middle East corridors. Though the statistics of reported cases slightly decreased in 2025, Uganda still grapples with high exploitation rates because of deceptive overseas job offers made by traffickers. The Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act criminalizes sex trafficking and labor trafficking with prescribed punishments of up to 15 years imprisonment for offenses involving adult victims and up to life imprisonment for those involving child victims. These penalties are sufficiently stringent. The Act provides for the prohibition of trafficking in persons, creates offenses, provides for prosecution and punishment of offenders, as well as prevention of the vice of trafficking in persons, including protection of victims of trafficking in persons and related matters. In compliance with the UNTOC, Uganda enacted the Act which is anchored on four pillars, that is protection, prevention, partnership, and prosecution. Uganda continues to show our commitment to decimating trafficking by using a multi-sectoral approach to improve the justice system response to human trafficking. The investigators, prosecutors, immigration officers, and other key agencies worked tirelessly to rescue, protect, and timely respond to the justice needs of victims of trafficking in persons, given the growing threat of online trafficking and cyber-enabled scams. The coordination with different agencies has proved to yield timely results in terms of securing the safety of the victims, preservation of evidence, and maintaining the chain of evidence. Being a state party to the UNTOC and the protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, supplementing the UNTOC, the international cooperation remains key in combating trafficking in persons. Today, we know that crime is borderless and the only way to find solutions is to commit to offer and respond in a timely manner to mutual legal assistance requests. Uganda is still committed to ensuring that transboundary crime is effectively investigated and prosecuted. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the Organization of American States. You have the floor.

Thank you very much, Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. Thank you for the opportunity to inform this body on behalf of the OAS of our efforts to support implementation of the Trafficking in Persons Protocol. I start by reaffirming the OAS's commitment to strengthening international and regional cooperation to respond to trafficking in persons. In the Americas, the recommendations adopted at the 2026 OAS 8th Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons, chaired by Guatemala, provide an important roadmap for advancing our collective efforts. They reflect priorities of OAS member states, including addressing the recruitment of children and adolescents by organized criminal groups, combating forced labor in the context of human mobility, strengthening responses to trafficking facilitated by digital technologies, and ensuring access to comprehensive and transformative reparation for survivors. They also emphasize early identification and protection, effective criminal justice cooperation, improved information systems, and respect for the principle of non-punishment of victims compelled to engage in unlawful activities as a consequence of their exploitation. The OAS attaches great importance to its partnership with the UNODC and other international organizations. were honored to co-chair the interagency coordination group against trafficking in persons ICAT with UNODC in 2025 and with UN and and with UNICEF in 2026. These opportunities have helped to foster greater understanding of shared challenges and promote more coordinated and complementary responses. We also recognize that effective responses must be informed by by the experiences and expertise of survivors themselves. In this regard, the OAS is advancing efforts in cooperation with UNODC toward the establishment of an inter-American network of survivors of trafficking in persons. Our regional mapping initiatives engaging survivors provides a valuable basis for this work. It helps identify existing initiatives, promising practices, and opportunities to strengthen survivor participation. Building on these findings, we seek to foster a regional space for exchange, collaboration, and meaningful survivor engagement in policy development and implementation, with appropriate safeguards and support. The OAS remains committed to working together with international partners to strengthen regional action, uphold the rights and dignity of survivors, and ensure that our collective commitments translate to meaningful progress across the Americas. Thank you.

I would like to thank the Organization of American States for its statement, and now I give the floor to the delegate for Interpol.

Thank you, Mr. President. Trafficking in persons is a complex transnational threat with diverse forms of exploitation and increasingly interconnected criminal activity. From Interpol's global vantage point, trafficking for sexual exploitation remains the most common form we see, while trafficking for forced labour and forced criminality are growing concerns. One trend we've been following closely is the global spread of scam centers, where human exploitation and cyber-enabled crime come together in a highly profitable criminal model. For law enforcement, it adds to the growing challenge of distinguishing those orchestrating the crime from those trafficked into it. Mr. President, INTERPOL supports international efforts to address human trafficking in three key ways. First, by providing the unique, neutral platform for police in 196 countries to connect, share information, and link investigations. Through this platform, police circulate Interpol notices to seek cooperation across borders. Red notices help track down wanted fugitives, while yellow notices help locate missing persons. These tools are particularly important in trafficking cases where victims may be moved between countries and continents and the networks behind them operate in multiple jurisdictions. A second area of support is the coordination of operations at both the regional and global level. Regional operations draw on Interpol's global network to support coordinated action across borders. And these efforts come together in one of our flagship global operations, Liberta. The latest edition brought together 119 countries and helped safeguard more than 4,400 trafficking victims and identify nearly 13,000 irregular migrants. We're grateful to the United Kingdom for their support of this operation. A third area of support is bringing countries together around specific criminal threats through INTERPOL's new regional task force model. One of the first task forces supported by the United Kingdom and code named Shadow Storm was announced at the Global Fraud Summit, co-organized by Interpol and UNODC earlier this year. It will bring investigators together on site, convened by Interpol, to work jointly on cases targeting the criminal networks, trafficking routes, and high-value targets behind scam centers in Southeast Asia. By examining these threats from different national perspectives, investigators can build a more complete picture and coordinate action in their respective countries. Trafficking networks exploit the gaps between jurisdictions and institutions. Closing these gaps requires strong multilateral cooperation and a response that places victims at its center. Whatever the route, wherever the network, INTERPOL remains committed to working closely with member states to counter trafficking in persons while ensuring full respect for the rights, dignity, and protection needs of victims. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to Hope for Justice.

Thank you, Chair. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, my name is Philippa Roberts from Hope for Justice. We're an international anti-trafficking organization working to identify victims, support survivors, and prevent exploitation. Human trafficking interconnects across organized crime, including fraud, migrant smuggling, and drug trafficking. Criminals exploit silos and gaps between systems, sectors and borders. This means we must be more connected and coordinated across sectors than ever before. With our Survivor Leadership Council, we make four recommendations. First, survivors must be treated as equal partners. This means shared power, dedicated budgets, funding survivor leadership councils, ethical participation, and accountability for how lived experience influences decisions, implementation, and review. Secondly, address harm before it's done. Member States should invest in whole-of-community prevention that tackles the vulnerabilities traffickers exploit. When communities closest to the issue lead, prevention is more effective and sustainable. Thirdly, strengthen identification and safeguarding. Mandatory frontline training, trauma-informed practice across justice and protection systems is critical to early identification and safeguarding. Fourthly, protection must be holistic, long-term and rooted in rights and recovery in practice. Justice must not be measured only through prosecutions, but through the wider lens of what justice may mean to survivors. safety, non-punishment, support, housing, legal representation, regularisation of status, accountability and the ability to rebuild their lives. Every survivor should have access to an independent advocate, so rights are understood, exercised and realised in practice across multiple systems and services. These priorities intersect and reinforce each other. Finally, this Conference of the Parties must be a moment of resolve. Organised criminals are becoming more connected, innovative and sophisticated. Only by coordinating survivor leadership, community and civil society action with public and private sector systems across prevention, protection, accountability, justice and borders can we close the gaps criminals exploit. It takes connected protection networks to dismantle criminal networks. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Hope for Justice and now give the floor to Zonta International.

Greetings, Mr. President. I'm Renee Copic, Vice President of Zonta International.

We appreciate the opportunity to contribute to this discussion.

Committed to advancing the rights of women and girls, Zonta views trafficking as a grave human rights violation.

A form of gender-based violence and modern-day slavery.

We remain deeply committed to preventing and eliminating trafficking and exploitation, particularly when affecting women and girls. Our experience underscores the importance of sustained action at international, national, and local levels.

Our international initiatives have supported trafficking prevention in Bosnia, Nepal, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, and the Mekong region.

Zonta Clubs worldwide support displaced women and children from Ukraine and Afghanistan through shelter, transportation, direct assistance, and education. Our members have witnessed the devastating impacts of trafficking and forced migration on individuals and communities.

While.

Welcoming UNODC's continued efforts, we recognize persistent implementation gaps and the need for responses grounded in human rights and non-discrimination.

Zanta calls for stronger implementation and accountability through six priorities:.

Address the structural causes of vulnerability, including poverty, discrimination, gender inequality, limited access to work and social protection, and unsafe migration pathways. Prioritize victim identification and protection, ensuring accessible, non-discriminatory services, meaningful access to justice and remedies, and sustained recovery and reintegration support.

Strengthen gender responsive and child sensitive approaches, recognizing the particular risks faced by women and girls.

Deepen cross-border cooperation among criminal justice, labor, migration, and social protection authorities in partnership with civil society. Prevent the criminalization and further endangerment of victims through effective application of non-punishment principles. Ensure meaningful survival and civil society participation in shaping, implementing, and evaluating policies and programs. Their experiences are essential to identifying gaps and improving responses.

Full and effective implementation of the.

Protocol requires political commitment, adequate resources, strong institutions, and cross-sectoral and international cooperation to advance human rights and gender equality.

Zonta reaffirms its commitment to working with member.

States, the UN, and civil society to prevent trafficking, protect victims and survivors, and advance a future in which all people can live with dignity.

And freedom. Thank you.

Thank you for your statement. And I now give the floor to the representative of Amazon Watch.

President, thank you very much for this opportunity to address the Assembly. In recent years, we have grown used to looking at the Amazon from our satellites, measuring deforested hectares, clandestine landing strips, the dredging of rivers and tons of extracted timber. However, this overview ignores the central machinery of this illicit undertaking: human subjection. Environmental crime in the Amazon cannot operate without slavery. Behind the ore that fuels global markets or illegal logging in protected areas and in indigenous territories, there is not an informal sector, rather there are victims of forced labor and trafficking in persons. This is a perverse and systematic mechanism. It starts by offering false work opportunities in vulnerable urban sites. It ends with clandestine encampments that are days away from the nearest state checkpoint. Here, the traditional pattern of enlistment or recruitment or deception is reinvented using armed violence. Workers are forced to take on an artificial and unpayable debt for their transport, for their tools, for the water that they drink. If they try to escape the system, isolation and the territorial control by armed factions, bringing together mining, illegal logging and drugs trafficking, closes the noose around them. In gold mining encampments and in illegal settlements, women and adolescents are captured for sexual exploitation and domestic servitude, working in canteens and outlying brothels. In the border areas of Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Ecuador, indigenous communities are forced to process coca leaves, to dredge the local rivers, to transport supplies, or to give up their lands at the threat of death. Our state's response has been fragmentary. Law enforcement interdiction that has destroyed machinery, destroyed plantations, but which has abandoned the people. A campsite is easily dismantled, but the victim of trafficking, once again, can fall victim to the very same networks because of the lack of effective protection, or even worse, can end being prosecuted as part of the crime of illegal mining. The Amazon is affected by ecocide, as well as a humanitarian crisis of modern slavery. if security and preservation policies assist on only protecting trees and water without dismantling the human servitude that is sustaining these criminal economies there will be no possible territorial control saving the Amazon and its forests requires essentially restoring the freedom and rights to those who have been held captive beneath the Amazon canopy there will be no peace and security without the participation of local peoples and indigenous peoples thank you.

Thank you very much.

For your statement and I now give the floor to the representative of the Association of Indigenous Councils.

Of the municipality of Villa Garzon, Putumayo.

Good afternoon, esteemed president. My name is Brian Moin Ensoy. I'm speaking on behalf of the Inga people of Villa Garzon, a municipality of Putumayo in the Colombian Amazon bordering Ecuador. The Constitutional Court of Colombia has declared our people to be at risk of physical and cultural extermination. Today I'm here to talk to you about our youth. Armed groups controlling coca and gold are offering our young people between two and a half million and three million pesos monthly, that is worth 700 US dollars, a salary that no local economy can pay. This is how they recruit in our territories. Intermediary networks capture them by offering false job offers, frequently using WhatsApp, and then force them to engage in armed conflicts and criminal structures operating abroad. Some return injured, many never return. According to the Foreign Ministry of Colombia, 173 Colombians have died and 670 have disappeared in conflicts waged abroad, but these are only shadow figures. We are talking about trafficking in persons, where there is deception or a network that is capturing and seizing people based on Article 3 of the Palermo Protocol. Young people victims, they are not combatants, but the prevention campaigns are not being disseminated in our languages nor in our territories, and the families that have been affected have not received support. At the same time, people are fleeing violence. In 2024 alone, more than 4,000 indigenous persons were confined or displaced in the Putumayo. we are subjected to curfews, to threats and to homicide. When a people that is at risk of extermination loses its youth and its lands, it loses its future. However, we, the Indigenous Peoples, are not only victims. With our own guardians, with our spirituality, and with our own economies, we protect our young people where the State is unable to reach. And that is why we call for the following three things: Firstly, for States to identify these young people who are deceived and captured as victims of trafficking. providing particular care, working together with our authorities. Secondly, to promptly facilitate the return of those who have been injured and to repatriate bodies. And thirdly, for UNODC to support prevention campaigns in indigenous languages in our territories. There will be no safety or security without the indigenous peoples. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegate of Katambayi Chiminyi Association.

Good afternoon, representatives of European and international institutions, ladies and gentlemen. I'm taking the floor today in the name of human dignity, in remembrance of victims and to promote the right of survivors to truth and justice. And I subscribe to the statement delivered by the head of the delegation of the EU. For three decades now, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been wracked by extensive violence. Behind the statistics, are broken lives, destroyed families, traumatized communities, as well as women, men, and children who are still waiting for justice to be delivered. Sexual violence perpetrated in conflict situations is such that the suffering of the victims cannot be reduced to mere statistics. Each survivor deserves to be heard, protected, and supported as they rebuild their lives. Reparation for victims is also about seeking truth, preserving the memory of the victims, establishing facts, and identifying those who are accountable. In 2010, the UN mapping report documented grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed in the DRC between 1993 and 2003. This endeavor is an important reference in the struggle against impunity. We urge for continued efforts to take action on the relevant recommendations and to identify those who are accountable in accordance with the law. Our first demand is clear. We demand that initiatives seeking to recognize those who have suffered in the DRC be given serious consideration on the basis of the facts and the criteria of international law. Our second demand relates to justice. We support the opening of dialogue on the creation of an international criminal tribunal for the DRC. so as to consider judicial mechanisms that could meet the needs of rendering justice in complementarity with existing courts. In addition, we call upon European institutions, the United Nations and international partners the documentation of crimes; victim and witness protection, access to justice, and initiatives related to reparations. We, the Katembayi Chiminyi Association, are specialized in victimology, psychotraumatology, and victim protection. We restate that justice is all about placing human dignity at the core of our action. We are not asking for vengeance. We are demanding truth, justice and an end to impunity. Because to recognize victims is to prevent them from being forgotten, while establishing accountability means defending the rule of law. Delivering justice is about contributing to building lasting peace. Ladies and gentlemen, the DRC is not just asking the world to not look away. It is asking the world to look at the facts, to listen to victims, and to consider potential responses in a brave manner. And this for in remembrance of victims, for truth, for justice and reparation, and to ensure that such crimes are never committed again. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the National Whistleblower Center.

Mr. President, Excellencies, and distinguished delegates, As the lead of the international program at the National Whistleblower Center, my mission is to tell you about existing tools for addressing transnational crime, including human trafficking, which are highly effective, economically rational, and rely on democratic principles. These tools are transnational laws that incentivize and protect whistleblowers. Whistleblowers are the key to detecting crime. Around the world, tips from whistleblowers as opposed to government investigations and internal audits are the leading source for uncovering wrongdoing. Insiders are in the best position to discover and accurately report crime. But there needs to be incentives and guaranteed protections for these insiders to be willing to take the risk. By providing these incentives and protections, US transnational whistleblower laws have allowed the US to become the police force of the world. Since the U.S. established rewards programs that compensate whistleblowers for reporting crime, there has been a major deterrence effect and agencies have recovered billions of dollars. Together, the Dodd-Frank Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Act have recovered over $25 billion. The U.S. passed over $14 billion to international law enforcement agencies to bolster their prosecutorial efforts. These laws not only rely on the democratic principles of free speech, but also encourage the moral duty of speaking out against wrongdoing. They protect whistleblowers regardless of nationality, even if they reside in a country with no whistleblower protections. So why are these countries not using these laws? The truth is that most countries are not aware that these laws exist, much less how they can use or replicate them. While we commend UNODC for working with countries around the world to establish new whistleblower policies and frameworks, it has yet to recognize the importance of incentives for whistleblowers. In a world that has been reliant on the US as the international police force against crime and corruption, the US's shrinking role marks a crucial opportunity for other countries to take on greater responsibility for prosecuting transnational crime. We have been delighted to see the momentum of countries taking whistleblowing seriously as part of their anti-crime and corruption strategy. Last year, the United Kingdom's tax agency adopted its strengthened rewards program, which incentivizes whistleblowers to report tax fraud. More recently, South Korea's Anti-Corruption Commission decided to reward whistleblowers 30% of recoveries with no cap. However, these programs shouldn't be limited to developed nations. The National Whistleblower Center is currently working on strategies for how best practice whistleblower laws can be utilized by both developed and developing nations. But the first step is education. Therefore, we implore states parties and civil society groups to engage with these laws and take them into consideration as we work together under COP UNTOC to employ the most effective tools for fighting human trafficking and transnational crime overall. Thank you.

Thank you for your statement. And we have thus heard the final speaker on the list under item 2B. I would now like to invite the Conference to turn its attention to agenda item 2C, Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air. In order to facilitate its consideration, the Conference has before it the following documentation: a report prepared by the Secretariat entitled "Activities of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to promote and support the implementation of the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, contained in document CT/OC/COP/2026/3. A note by the Secretariat transmitting the reports on the meetings of the subsidiary bodies of the conference, including the reports of the 12th and 13th meeting of the Working Group on the Smuggling of Migrants, held in Vienna on 9th and 10th of October 2025 and on 29th and 30th of June 2026, respectively, contained in document CT/OC/COP/2026/5. and a conference room paper by the Secretariat, which includes the summaries by the chairs of the constructive dialogues held on 13 October 2025, following the conclusion of the 12th meeting of the Working Group on the Smuggling of Migrants, and the constructive dialogue held on 1 July 2026, following the conclusion of the 13th meeting of the Working Group on Trafficking in Persons, contained in document CT/OC/COP/2026/CRP.3. To start the deliberations under this agenda item, I would first like to invite the Secretariat to provide some introductory remarks. And I would now like to invite Mr. Martin Folk, the Officer-in-Charge of the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section of UNODC to introduce this item to the Conference. Mr. Folk, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President, distinguished representatives. As we are all aware, irregular migration is an issue that is very present in national discourse and media globally. In that context, the total number of States Parties to the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol is now 156, with four countries having become party since the conference last met. An increase both in ratifications and commitment to full implementation brings a greater demand for technical support to develop national action that aligns with the Protocol. Responding to these needs is the key driver of UNODC's work. Wherever resourced and requested, ongoing capacity building efforts, tailored expert advice on legislative and policy issues, international cooperation support, and global research and analysis by UNODC are enabling government responses to keep pace with the rapidly evolving methods of criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling. Experts trained by UNODC continue to initiate and complete investigations on smuggling activities, while countries are strengthening legislative frameworks with UNODC assistance. For example, UNODC supported Bangladesh in recently adopting its first legislation criminalizing the smuggling of migrants in accordance with international standards. Since COP 12, the Office also supported Cameroon, Guinea, Pakistan, Panama, and Sri Lanka in developing or strengthening their national laws, and assisted Pakistan in developing its first dedicated five-year national action plan on countering the smuggling of migrants. Under its flagship global program, Action Against Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, UNODC continues to advance global standards, normative guidance, evidence-based policy, and deliver expert technical assistance. Additionally, through the global action against the financial and digital based dimensions of the smuggling of migrants project, UNODC is strengthening capacity to better understand the financial and digital dimensions of the smuggling of migrants, including through the follow the money approaches. Within the same period, the Office also delivered targeted technical assistance across Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, covering financial investigations, cybercrime, digital evidence, gender-responsive approaches, and the investigation and prosecution of migrant smuggling. UNODC continued to strengthen international cooperation to address migrant smuggling, including through joint operations with Interpol across many states and regions. In 2024 and 2026, UNODC organized the International Forum of Prosecutors Countering Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling to foster structured cooperation to dismantle transnational criminal networks undertaking smuggling activities. UNODC further supported work within the framework of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling, as well as convening the inaugural regional dialogue on smuggling of migrants in South Asia. Mr. President, of note, since COP12, UNODC launched the revised and practical legislative tools, the legislative guide for the implementation of the protocol against the smuggling of migrants, as well as the model legislative provisions against the smuggling of migrants. In 2025 and 2026, UNODC supported the working group to this conference on the smuggling of migrants, which adopted actionable recommendations to all States Parties to better address evolving crime threats, with corresponding constructive dialogues with civil society also held. UNODC was also actively involved in the second International Migration Review Forum, leading discussions on the Global Compact for Migration objectives related to migrant smuggling. Looking ahead, we would ask all states to review and utilize the legislative guide and the model legislative provisions, and we will be happy to support any related efforts. Similarly, through the Observatory on Smuggling of Migrants, UNODC will, over the coming 12 months, publish multiple materials providing up-to-date evidence on migrant smuggling routes, modus operandi, financial and digital dimensions, and related abuses. including the launch today of new research findings on the financial aspects of migrant smuggling. And we would again encourage States Parties to utilize these materials and put them to work in their counter-smuggling efforts. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you very much for these introductory remarks. And now I am glad to announce that under this item, Mr. Francesco Testa Prosecutor and Deputy National Member of Italy at Eurojust, one of the co-chairs of the Working Group on the Smuggling of Migrants at its 12th session and chair at its 13th session and of the subsequent constructive dialogues, will speak about the work of the Working Group and introduce its reports. He will also deliver his statement on behalf of the co-chair, Ms. Alam Hama, Deputy Director for Criminal Justice at the Ministry of Justice of Algeria. Mr. Testa, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President, distinguished delegates. I have the honor to take the floor as the chair of the 13th meeting of the Working Group on the Smuggling of Migrants, and on behalf of my esteemed colleague, Mrs. Hama Halhem, who co-chaired the 12th meeting with me. I would like to briefly address the Conference of the Parties to summarize the outcomes of the last two meetings of the Working Group. As you know, the Working Group on the Smuggling of Migrants is a valuable platform that brings together practitioners with wide-ranging subject matter expertise and practical experience in countering migrant smuggling. These practitioners were actually instrumental to informing the deliberations of the working group, providing a grounded, practice-based insights that significantly strengthened the relevance, quality, and I would say the innovative content of the recommendations adopted. The 12th meeting of the working group was held, as you mentioned, from 9 to 10 October 2025. and had 372 registered delegates from 101 countries and 12 international and intergovernmental organizations. The working group focused its discussions on legislative approaches and challenges related to smuggling of migrants and other two subtopics. This were, one, legislating on the smuggling of migrants, approaches, challenges and lessons learned, and second, legislative and policy solutions to emerging issues related to the smuggling of migrants. The meeting adopted recommendations covering both substantive topics as well as matters pertaining to the mechanism for the review of the implementation of the Organized Crime Convention and the Protocol thereto. In particular, I would like to recall that the working group recommended states to strengthen their legal frameworks to ensure that they are fully aligned with the provisions of the protocol and make full use of digital tools to combat the online facilitation of migrant smuggling. These state parties were further urged to consider enacting policies or legislation aimed at reducing the demand for smuggling activities. They were also encouraged to pay attention and to address the links that may exist between the smuggling of migrants and other forms of transnational organized crime. In addition, the working group recommended the States to enhance implementation of the resolution on strengthening international efforts to prevent and combat the smuggling of migrants that was adopted by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in 2025. This year, the 13th meeting of the working group was held from 29 to 30 of June with 327 registered participants from 103 countries and 11 international and intergovernmental organizations. The working group discussed the following topics: strengthening holistic and integrated transnational approaches to the smuggling of migrants, and second, exchange of information on smuggling of migrants cases, how to better delineate and improve the exchange of relevant information. After extensive deliberations, the working group adopted recommendations encouraging State Parties to inter alia build capacity in financial investigations into migrant smuggling. It further urged State parties to establish and strengthen collaboration with technology companies and financial institutions to address the emerging challenges posed by the criminal misuse of modern technology and digital platforms. In addition, State Parties were encouraged to strengthen bilateral, regional and international cooperation among judicial, law enforcement and other competent national authorities from all countries along migrant smuggling routes. Furthermore, the Working Group recommended that the State Parties strengthen efforts to exchange information in cases of the smuggling of migrants. This year's recommendations demonstrated that the fully and effective implementation of the protocol require a collective approach involving national authorities and a variety of other relevant actors. Mr. President, 2025, we also had the honor of chairing the fourth and fifth constructive dialogues on the smuggling of migrants. These dialogues, mandated by the Conference of the Parties, facilitate constructive exchange between states and relevant stakeholders to advance the implementation of the Convention and the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol. In 2025, the constructive dialogue was attended by up to 80 non-governmental organizations, 30 member states, four academic institutions, and two private sector entities. Meanwhile, The 2026 Constructive Dialogue, the first one to be held entirely online, was attended by 58 NGOs, 38 member states, one academic institution, and six private sector entities. The chair reports, which summarize the discussion and contain a list of important observations based on the recommendations of participants attending the Constructive Dialogues, are contained in conference room paper. In 2025, the observations included, for example, the need to address the social, economic, and governance-related root causes of migrant smuggling, strengthen gender-responsive and human rights-based approaches, expand access to regular migration pathways, and ensure the protection and non-criminalization of smuggled migrants. In 2026, participants also emphasized the importance of strengthening prevention measures, cooperation with civil society and other stakeholders, specialized training and the use of technology, as well as enhancing legislative measures, evidence-based policy making, and international cooperation to effectively counter the smuggling of migrants. To conclude, would like to thank all participants who contributed to the fruitful discussions of the two meetings of the working group. We encourage full implementation of the recommendations adopted by the working group to guide responses to the smuggling of migrants activities. We also extend our appreciation to the states that nominated expert panelists to showcase their respective national specific experience. and help shape and guide the discussion during the two meetings of the working group. Finally, we thank all the participants who actively engaged during the constructive dialogues and encourage States to attend future constructive dialogues and engage in valuable exchanges with civil society in support for the collective implementation of the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol. I thank you very much, Mr. President.

Thank you very much for your statement. I now would like to open the floor to delegations to make statements under this agenda item. And I call on the European Union.

You have the floor.

Thank you very much.

Honored to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member states. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, the Republic of Moldova, San Marino, and Ukraine align themselves with this statement. Let me also thank the secretariat for the introduction and the chair of the working group for his report. Mr. President, The European Union reaffirms its commitment to saving lives, protecting the rights and dignity of migrants and refugees, dismantling criminal networks, addressing root causes, investigating and prosecuting smugglers, as well as seizing and confiscating the profits of the crime. We call on all parties to take steps to address the smuggling of migrants in line with the commitments taken in the Abu Dhabi Declaration. To address migrant smuggling comprehensively, the European Commission launched the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling in 2023, bringing together countries of origin, transit and destination in a comprehensive whole-of-route approach. We would like to invite all our partners to join us in supporting this Alliance. The work plan of the Alliance sets out the key priorities of the Global Alliance based on its three pillars. prevention, response and the development of alternatives. In the same spirit, the European Union is also developing with our partners the Eastern Corridor initiatives, covering the route from South Asia via Libya to Europe. Based on the principle of shared responsibility, this initiative promotes coherent action among countries and stakeholders against the criminal networks. Mr. President, We need to strengthen effective investigations and prosecutions of the smuggling of migrants and related crimes. This requires a strong legal framework aligned with the UNTOC protocol, as also underlined by the UNTOC Working Group on Smuggling of Migrants, as we heard. Thanks to EU funding, the UNODC released a new legislative guide and model legislative provisions this year, 2026. The European Union is also doing its own homework. We are working to update our legislation on migrant smuggling in line with the UNTOC protocol and to develop a new sanctions regime against organised crime targeting, for instance, migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. The European Union and its Member States strongly condemn Belarus's persistent and provocative actions against the EU and its Member States, including state-sponsored migrant smuggling. We call on Belarus to cease these actions and will continue to respond firmly to such hybrid threats. Mr. President, the European Union will also continue to support our partner countries in their fight against smugglers to improve information sharing, financial investigations and digital evidence gathering, as well as to support awareness-raising activities in key countries of origin and transit. All these concerted efforts and the very good cooperation with our partner countries have already contributed to a substantial decrease in irregular arrivals to the EU over the past two years. Finally, the European Union promotes safe, orderly and regular migration pathways and community-based protection so that people do not have to resort to smugglers and dangerous journeys in the first place. In all these efforts, and I underline this, UNODC is a steadfast and appreciated partner. We would like to thank Executive Director Monica Juma and all UNODC colleagues for working so closely and effectively with us. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

Thank you very much for your statement. And now I give the floor to the delegate of Ecuador. You have the floor.

Thank you very much, President. Thank you very much for the presentation of the report. I would like to begin by restating Ecuador's commitment to the full implementation of the protocol against the smuggling of migrants, recognizing the work that has been undertaken by the working group, whose recommendations make a significant contribution in order to enhance and strengthen international cooperation to tackle this crime. As was indicated at the last meeting, we deem it fundamental to address smuggling of migrants as a manifestation of transnational organized crime, focusing our efforts on identifying, investigating, and dismantling criminal networks that profit from this activity. Accordingly, we welcome the recommendations calling for a whole-of-the-root approach a comprehensive approach through better cooperation among countries of origin, transit and destination. We deem it particularly relevant to strengthen joint investigative and financial investigations, exchange of information and coordination among police authorities, prosecuting authorities and financial intelligence units. These actions are vital in order to identify illicit financial flows, to combat associated corruption involved in this crime, and to deprive criminal organizations of the benefits of their activities. In the same vein, we acknowledge the need to bolster national capacity in order to tackle the use of new technologies and other measures used by these networks, while always maintaining an approach for the protection of human rights, in particular of migrants in vulnerable situations. We believe that the effective implementation of the protocol requires further progress towards more practical international coordination, that is, geared towards attaining tangible results in order to combat the criminal organizations and to protect the individuals who are affected by these activities. Thank you very much, Chair.

Thank you very much for your statement. And now I give the floor to the delegate of Indonesia.

Thank you. Mr. President, the nature of smuggling of migrants is transforming rapidly. Transnational networks are increasingly exploiting digital technology, blurring the lines between people smuggling, cyber-enabled fraud, and trafficking in persons for forced criminality. From deceptive digital recruitment to cross-border money laundering, these operations remind us that border management and emergency preparedness can no longer be confined to conventional maritime corridors alone, as they require comprehensive situational awareness across physical and digital spaces alike. To effectively respond to the smuggling of migrants, Indonesia enacted the Law Number 63 of 2024 on immigration. The amended law reinforces a more comprehensive and robust basis for law enforcement agencies to prosecute perpetrators and dismantle the increasingly sophisticated criminal networks involved. Most recently, Indonesia authorities apprehended a fugitive involved in the smuggling of Rohingya through Acehnese waters. They also apprehended 11 suspects and victims of migrant smuggling. On the other hand, Indonesia currently hosts approximately 12,201 refugees and asylum seekers. There are strong indications that people smuggling and trafficking syndicates are operating large vessels equipped with GPS and satellite phones, using Indonesia as a transit point for onward journeys. Mr. President, Significant challenges in combating people smuggling persist due to the transnational nature of the smuggling network, followed by complexities of collecting evidence across jurisdiction and managing migration flows in a way that respects human rights. Indonesia believes that the most effective and sustainable legislative approach is one that is proactively promoting safe, orderly, and regular migration pathways. By creating and promoting accessible, safe channels for migration, we can collectively reduce the demand for dangerous, irregular journeys that are exploited by smugglers. Mr. President, to conclude, Indonesia believes that our approach should rest on two pillars: robust law enforcement and unwavering commitment to migrant protection. National legislation alone, however, is not sufficient. It must be supported by international cooperation where all states work together with concrete and coordinated action between countries of origin, transit, and destination. Indonesia stands ready to work with all parties to prevent and tackle smuggling of migrants. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement. And now I give the floor to the delegate of Algeria. You have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the floor. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, the staff of UNODC Secretariat, Ladies and gentlemen, dear guests, may the peace of God be upon you. On behalf of Algeria, I have the pleasure to meet you today on the occasion of the 13th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Conventions against Transnational Organized Crime. I would like to thank the UNODC secretariat staff for the good preparation for this session. I would like to express as well my appreciation to experts and representatives of States Parties for attending this session where all the items and issues on the agenda will be discussed and I hope that they will be positive. Ladies and gentlemen, Algeria stresses the importance of the phenomenon of migration in its broadest sense, and it's linked to development and all the resulting challenges and issues that need to be addressed. All this in a context that is characterized by a worsening of illegal migration and its linkage to organized crime, namely the smuggling of migrants. This relationship is now governed by supply and demand, between the smuggler and the illegal migrant. Besides, in this situation, we see a tragic recurring events, such as challenges at all levels. And this is due to a number of root causes, including the structural imbalances in the development processes of a number of countries, the deterioration of their economies, and the lack of security stability in those countries. All this alongside armed conflicts and the increasing transnational crimes, as well as terrorism. All this needs to be added to climate change, which is reflected negatively, directly or indirectly, on a number of populations and countries. For these considerations, we are witnessing today a massive displacement phenomena from countries that are deprived and poor towards North Africa and Europe. Algeria has turned from a transit country to a destination country. Ladies and gentlemen, from this perspective, Algeria has made considerable efforts at all levels, including helping poor states in achieving development, and this through the International Agency for Cooperation and Solidarity. At the local level, we have been able to guarantee a good preparation of all our teams that will counter the irregular migration and look into the criminalization of this crime, while at the same time guaranteeing the sovereignty of our territories. We have also aligned our national legislation to be compatible with international regulations, including, one, Law No. 0109, This is a law on an amended penal code that criminalizes now the smuggling of migrants and the illegal exit of the territories. Second, Law number 0811 that governs the entry of foreigners as well as all the arrangements made to facilitate the entry, the exit, or the movement of foreigners in Algeria in an illegal manner. At the institutional manner, different procedures are taken throughout inter-ministerial committee that is in charge of studying migration issues and this inter-ministerial committee includes different representatives and line ministries. At the operational level, central departments have been created in the general directorate of the national security in cooperation with the national police. These teams are now specialized in fighting organized crime, including smuggling of migrants. These operational teams are widespread all over the territories of Algeria. They look into countering the smuggling of migrants and human trafficking. We have 66 specialist teams of that sort. Since the smuggling of migrants is linked to other offences, including fraud and others, we are also looking into tracking and monitoring all the posts and accounts that are being on the social media that will organise illegal migration journeys. The economic and financial teams all over the country under the supervision of the Criminal Investigation Sub-Directorate at the Central Operational Service for Combating Organized Crime under the National Police were tasked to initiate parallel financial investigations, including into matters of corruption, fraud, and money laundering. On the other hand, Algeria focuses on the importance of international cooperation through reinforcing capacities, exchanging information with international bodies such as UNODC, Interpol, IOM and UNHCR. Finally, and in the same context, I would like from this Tribune to call all of you to stand together to counter smuggling of migrants and other related crimes in a very effective manner so that we dismantle criminal networks, help assisting victims, and also addressing the root causes of migration through ensuring security and sustainable development in countries of origin. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

I thank the representative of Algeria for their statement and now give the floor to the representative of Angola. You have the floor.

I thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, the Republic of Angola reaffirms its commitment to the full and effective implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational.

Organized Crime.

And the protocol against the smuggling of migrants by land, sea and air. Angola stresses that the smuggling of migrants is not simply an illegal crossing of borders. It is a criminal activity that takes advantage of people's vulnerability and puts human lives at serious risk. We are particularly concerned about the links between the smuggling of migrants and other forms of transnational organized crime, including trafficking in persons, the forgery of travel documents, corruption of public officials, money laundering, and the financing of armed groups. These links pose serious challenges to security and stability in our region. In response, the government of Angola continues to strengthen its criminal justice system to ensure that smuggling of migrants is properly criminalized and that those responsible are brought to justice. At the same time, Angola recognizes the need to distinguish between prosecuting smugglers and protecting smuggled migrants, in accordance with Article 5 of the Protocol. Under its national migration policy, Angola has also strengthened migration management structures and identified priorities for prevention, monitoring, and emergency response, with particular attention to vulnerable groups. These efforts are supported by the National Development Plan of 2023 to 2027. Mr. President, At operational level, actions carried out by the Border Guard Police, the Migration and Foreigners Service, and the Criminal Investigation Service have contributed to preventing and combating the struggle of migrants and related crimes. Angola also conducts financial investigations and joint intelligent operations to identify criminal networks, trace illicit proceeds, and disrupt activities of those who use our territory as transit for migrants traveling to Europe and other parts of Africa. Regarding protection and assistance, Angola places human rights at the center of its response. We remain committed to ensuring that vulnerable migrants, particularly women and children, receive appropriate protection and assistance and are not penalized solely because they have been smuggled. Mr. President, in conclusion, Angola emphasizes that combating the smuggling of migrants requires strong international cooperation, effective law enforcement, and respect for human rights. We reaffirm our readiness to work closely with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and all State Parties to promote coordinated, effective, and humane responses to this crime. I thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr.

President.

Thank you very much for your statement. And now I give the floor to the United States of America.

Thank you, Mr. President. There is a basic question this conference should be able to answer, and it cannot. How many alien smugglers worldwide were prosecuted last year? Not detained, not arrested, prosecuted. The honest answer is that we do not know, because the vast majority of states parties do not collect or do not share this data. Or worse, and more likely, they are not prosecuting the crime at all. We cannot dismantle what we cannot measure. Right now, we have no clear picture of where, how, or at what scale alien smuggling networks are being disrupted. Transnational criminal organizations smuggle hundreds of thousands of aliens every year, yet prosecution data remains scattered, incomplete, or nonexistent in far too many jurisdictions. Mr. President, the smuggling of migrants protocol is not a suggestion. It sets out clear criminalization obligations that many states parties have failed to implement. States are also obligated, with certain limitations, to establish aggravating circumstances for these offenses, including circumstances that endanger or are likely to endanger lives or safety and circumstances that entail inhumane or degrading treatment. These are the areas of criminalization embedded in the UNTOC and its smuggling of migrants protocol. There is little evidence that countries are criminalizing and prosecuting as comprehensively as these treaties demand. The United States calls on all states parties to do three things. First, fulfill their obligations to criminalize offenses under the UNTOC and the smuggling of migrants protocol and ensure the liability of legal persons as appropriate. Second, establish national mechanisms to systemically track and report prosecution data. Third, submit the data regularly to the secretariat so this conference can finally review our collective progress rather than assume it. We have the legal framework. What countries lack is the will to implement it and transparency to prove that they have done so. We also call on UNODC to make clear where states have failed to criminalize all these offenses, and as a result, have failed to prosecute offenders across every link of these networks. We welcome a gap analysis across each of the factors above, including examples of states that have delivered prosecutions and applied aggravated factor enhancements. The bottom line, Mr. President, states advocating for a new protocol should focus on implementing the existing obligations they are failing to meet. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement. And now I give the floor to the delegation of Chile, followed by Namibia.

Thank you very much, President, and thank you very much to the Secretariat for the report. Chile restates its commitment to the protocol against the smuggling of migrants ratified by our country in 2004. Law number 2507 of 2011 classifies the crimes of smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons and establishes rules and standards for prevention and effective criminal prosecution. Smuggling of migrants involves exploiting human vulnerability and equally challenges our capacity to guarantee safe and orderly migration. Chile, like many other countries, faces this challenge in its double capacity as a country of transit and of destination. The technical group against the smuggling of migrants, which was established in 2020 under the Subsecretariat for Public Safety, brings together relevant institutions in order to coordinate prevention, prosecution and victim care. And indeed, tomorrow, Thursday the 22nd of October, a national awareness raising training day will be held entitled Early Warning and Detection of Smuggling of Migrants, which is being organized in Santiago by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Public Safety, with participation of UNODC's regional office. This activity is part of our National Action Plan for 2023 to 2026 on smuggling of migrants, and will focus on the sectors of transport and tourism, which are two key links in the chain of this phenomenon. Chile will continue sustaining efforts in order to implement preventative and operational measures in order to combat this growing dynamic crime in our region. as well as cooperating with other countries for the prosecution and dismantling of the criminal networks that benefit from this activity. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much for the statement. And now I give the floor to the delegation of Namibia.

Thank you, Mr. President. Namibia reaffirms its commitment to the effective implementation of the protocol against the smuggling of migrants, violence, and air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Migrant smuggling remains a complex transnational challenge that requires coordinated criminal justice responses, effective prevention, international cooperation, and respect for the rights, safety, and dignity of migrants. Criminal networks exploit gaps in national responses and the vulnerability of people seeking to cross borders. Namibia therefore emphasize the need to hold facilitators and those who profit from these operations accountable while ensuring that responses distinguish criminal conduct from the circumstances of the victims. Mr. President, effective implementation begins with appropriate legal frameworks, institutional capacity, and a clear understanding of the conduct covered by the protocol. Our national legal framework, including the Prevention of Organized Crime Act, as amended, to particularly include the criminalization of smuggling, provides a basis for addressing organized criminal activity. Continued review of legislation where necessary should be accompanied by effective investigation, interagency coordination appropriate sanctions, and the practical capacity to translate legal obligations into results. Namibia underscores the importance of distinguishing migrant smuggling from trafficking in persons, while remaining alert to cases in which smuggled migrants may also become victims of trafficking, violence, or other offenses. Accurate identification is essential to appropriate investigation and timely referral to protection and assistance services. The transnational nature of migrant smuggling calls for cooperation across the entire route, among countries of origin, transit and destination. Isolated national measures may displace criminal activity without disrupting the networks responsible. Regular communication, timely information exchange, accessible points of contact, and effective mutual legal assistance can help authorities connect related investigation, obtain evidence across jurisdiction. Coordinated criminal financial investigation, including the tracing of illicit proceeds and financial flow, can help identify those directing and benefiting from these operations. A credible response must place the protection of human life and dignity at its center. Border management and law enforcement should be carried out without discrimination with due regard to applicable protection. Reliable, comparable data can support evidence policy, help identify emerging methods, routes, risk facilitators, and financial flows. Therefore, Namibia recognized the value of technical assistance in strengthening legislation, institutional capacity, investigative skills, document examination, and cross-border cooperation. We encourage the UNODC and relevant partners to continue providing, in consultation with State parties and upon request, targeted training, technical assistance and exchange of experience that respond to nationally identified priorities and complement existing national and regional efforts. In conclusion, Namibia encourages the Conference to advance practical and coordinated implementation of the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol and our collective efforts should strengthen national capacity and disrupt and hold criminal networks accountable.

I thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement. And I now give the floor to the delegation of Italy.

Mr. President, thank you. Migrant smuggling is a transnational criminal business. that is very clear to everybody here, that exploits vulnerability and puts human lives at risk. Its networks operate across borders and along complex routes. No state can address it effectively by acting alone. Italy, therefore, strongly supports our whole-of-route approach, bringing together countries of origin, transit, and destination, and strengthening cooperation at every stage. For us, this is not an abstract principle. As a Mediterranean country, we see the human cost of dangerous journeys and the adaptability of the criminal organizations profiting from them. Our priority is to dismantle these networks, follow their financial flows, and bring those responsible to justice while safeguarding human lives. Italy has consistently promoted stronger international action, including through its G7 presidency in 2024 and within the European Union. Under our presidency, leaders launched the Coalition to Prevent and Counter the Smuggling of Migrants, followed by an action plan focusing on financial investigation and the misuse of digital platforms. We welcome the continued commitment under the Canadian and French presidency, including the recent G7 leaders declaration adopted in Evian. These efforts reflect a shared conviction. Effective responses require sustained cooperation along migration routes, combining prevention, criminal investigation, judicial cooperation, and protection. This was also a central issue addressed by the Working Group on the Smuggling of Migrants at its most recent meeting, together with information exchange in smuggling cases. Its two most recent meetings produced 18 technical and substantive recommendations, as we heard from Dr. Testa, aimed at strengthening implementation of the protocol. As criminal networks adapt their routes, methods, and use of technology, our capacity to share timely information, collect evidence, and coordinate investigations across jurisdictions must keep pace. We attach particular value to the working group as a dedicated forum for exchange among state parties and practitioners on the implementation of the protocol. Italy has contributed to the leadership of this working group through its chairing and co-chairing over the years. We also highly value our close cooperation with the UNEDC in supporting the implementation of the protocol and translating international commitments into concrete operational actions. Building on the work of this group and on our collective responsibility, we must now translate into stronger information sharing and closer operational cooperation and effective national and cross-border action. The comprehensive approach of the Protocol must remain our guide, preventing smuggling and prosecuting those responsible and protecting people from the dangers of smuggling. Criminal networks connect across borders. Our institutions must do even more effectively so. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you very much to the delegation of Italy. And now I give the floor to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. You have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President. Tackling the smuggling of migrants remains a top priority for the UK. It is not a simple immigration challenge, but a transnational organised crime driven by criminal networks that operate across jurisdictions and adapt rapidly, that exploit vulnerabilities and fuel irregular migration. It cannot be addressed by any country acting alone, and our response must therefore be equally integrated and international across the entire migration route. Effective implementation of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol requires strong partnerships between countries of origin, transit and destination, underpinned by information sharing, mutual legal assistance and coordinated operational activity. The UK is strengthening cooperation with partners through law enforcement collaboration, intelligence sharing and capacity building. But we also need to go beyond the more traditional border interventions. Smuggling networks increasingly depend on the financial and digital ecosystems that enable their business models. Along with partners, we are therefore focusing on a follow the money approach and, alongside our statutory frameworks, on strengthening cooperation with digital platforms to tackle the online advertising and facilitation of migrant smuggling. The UK's dedicated sanctions regime provides an additional means of targeting those involved in migrant smuggling and the wider activity enabling it. To date, we have sanctioned over 50 individuals and entities, and we call on partners to introduce their own frameworks in this space so we can target and coordinate our efforts in bringing the smugglers to justice. Enforcement alone, however, is not sufficient. Sustainable responses require investment in resilience, livelihoods, and institutional capacity, reducing vulnerability to exploitation and supporting prevention. The UK is proud to do this through our overseas development programming, such as the Integrated Security Fund and the North Africa Migration and Development Programme. To close, our objective is clear: to make migrant smuggling harder and less profitable, while protecting vulnerable people and upholding our international obligations. That requires sustained practical cooperation across governments, law enforcement, international organizations and industry, and the UK remains committed to work with partners on a robust collective response. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you very much. And now the floor goes to Peru, followed by Uganda.

President, Peru reaffirms the need to strengthen the implementation of the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants and to strengthen cooperation to tackle the networks that benefit from this activity. We welcome the inclusion of Somalia, South Sudan and Qatar to the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants, as well as the increased number of ratifications and adherence, which strengthen our shared response. We are also grateful for the publication of the analysis of existing research in smuggling of migrants, a review of existing research on smuggling of migrants of the UNODC. Its findings call for further efforts to study financial aspects in order to reach those who are responsible at the highest level, for example, focusing on payment methods, illicit flows, and the benefits of criminal proceeds. In this regard, we support further investigations in the Latin American region and the exchange of results with our authorities. President, on the national level, our specialised prosecutors have alerted us to the situation at dynamic border crossings and situations where criminal networks exploit the vulnerability of smuggled migrants to forcibly subject them to exploitation and recruitment. This makes it necessary to appropriately identify acts and to distinguish smuggling of migrants from trafficking in persons, ensuring an appropriate response for each crime. Furthermore, regarding the digital dimension, in Peru, we have heard of cases of compatriots who are being tricked into traveling to areas in conflict. This further strengthens the need to better understand recruitment using digital platforms in order to strengthen prevention, investigation, and international cooperation. Finally, it is necessary to strengthen the exchange of information among competent authorities in the countries of origin, transit, and destination, as well as engaging in joint investigations and monitoring financial flows of the criminal organizations. Accordingly, we hope that further financial resources will be allocated to UNODC in order to extend its support to effective responses through global initiatives on the ground, bolstering national capacity and protecting migrants' rights. Thank you.

As anticipated, the floor goes to Uganda.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. Uganda has established that she's a source, transit, and destination route for smuggling of migrants. The current growing trend of migrant smuggling is mainly attributed to growing economic disparities, greater opportunities for employment, increased barriers for regular migration, especially stringent visa requirements porosity of borders, technological advances in transportation, among others. Mr. President, it should be noted that Uganda keeps the doors open for migrants, most of whom are displaced from different countries for various reasons. Criminal networks have taken advantage of Uganda's hospitality to smuggle migrants into the country. With robust, multi-sectoral, and well-coordinated efforts, Uganda has been able, on several occasions, to intercept such migrants while in transit, process, and, where appropriate, return them to their countries. In strict compliance with the smuggling of migrants protocol, Uganda ensures that the smuggled migrants are not prosecuted but rehabilitated and repatriated back to their countries. On the other hand, the perpetrators of smuggling, of migrants are investigated, charged, and prosecuted accordingly. Uganda remains committed to combating smuggling of migrants in fulfillment of her national and international obligations. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you. And now I have the floor to give, and I have the honor to give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United Republic of Tanzania.

Mr. President. United Republic of Tanzania reaffirms its commitment in the implementation of United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocol against smuggling of migrants by land, sea, and air. The United Republic of Tanzania signed the protocol and ratified it as required by the protocol itself. The following progress have been made to ensure effective implementation of UNTOC and its protocol smuggling of migrants. United Republic of Tanzania has enacted new legislations and amended a wide range of existing laws to align with protocol on smuggling of migrants. The amended laws include but not limited to Immigration Act, Extradition, Anti-Money Laundering, Cyber Crime Act and other laws. These laws criminalizes activities relating to smuggling of migrants and provide for effective coordination of investigation, prosecution, asset recovery, and international cooperation through evidence and information sharing. The United Republic of Tanzania has put in place efforts to combat migrant smuggling by strengthening domestic law enforcement agencies such as Immigration Service Department, Police Force, Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau, Financial Intelligence Unit, and National Prosecution Services to ensure effective and efficient coordination of border operations, intelligence-led investigation, and successful prosecution of offenders. United Republic of Tanzania has enhanced fight against smuggling of migrant through mechanization of border management procedures within the framework of immigration which has improved border control, property code keeping, and fast access to information. The adoption of one-stop border posts, OSBP, within EAC and SADC arrangement has increased collaboration and simplified information sharing between our countries. These milestones enable law enforcement stakeholders to exchange intelligence, evidence, and other critical information in a timely and reliable manner, hence facilitating coordinated investigation, disrupting smuggling networks, and strengthening national, regional, and security cooperation. Monitoring and evaluation has been done through Human Rights Commission, which is the national human rights institution, ombudsman, regarding rights of suspect, victims, and check the conduct of law enforcement institution to ensure conformity to human rights standards as set out in national, regional, and international instrument. In conclusion, Mister President, the United Republic of Tanzania is firmly committed to ensure proper implementation of protocol against smuggling of migrants by land, sea, and air, as ratified through holistic approach and card and law, strengthened institution, regional and international cooperation, focusing on safeguarding borders, protection of rights of victims, and dismantling criminal networks. Thanks a lot.

Thank you. And now I have the honor to give the floor to the distinguished delegation of Maldives.

Mr. President, distinguished delegates, The Republic of Maldives welcomes the continued review of the implementation of the trafficking in person and smuggling of migrant protocols. The effectiveness of these instruments must be reflected not only in national legislation, but in our collective ability to identify victims, disrupt criminal networks, and ensure accountability for those who profit from the exploitation. For the Maldives, a labour-receiving country with a substantial migrant workforce, preventing exploitation remains an important national priority. Our Prevention of Human Trafficking Act provides the legislative foundation for addressing trafficking offences, while the National Anti-Human Trafficking Action Plan 2026-2028 establishes priorities for strengthening victim identification, protection, enforcement, and institutional coordination. Mr. President, trafficking in person and migrant smuggling are distinct crimes, yet vulnerabilities arising from irregular migration, Deceptive recruitment and exploitative employment practices demand coordinated responses from immigration, labour and criminal justice authorities. We emphasize that immigration enforcement must be accompanied by appropriate screening and referral procedures, ensuring that potential trafficking victims are identified and afforded protection. The Maldives is also concerned by the growing exploitation of individuals for forced criminality, including online scam operation. Such development requires States to strengthen cross-border investigation while safeguarding victims who may themselves have been compelled to participate in unlawful activities. Effective implementation of both protocols therefore requires stronger international cooperation, including timely information sharing, coordinated investigation, victim-centered referral mechanism, and specialized capacity building. The Maldives calls for continued international efforts to close the gap between legal commitments and operational implementation, ensuring that criminal networks are held accountable and that victims are not overlooked in enforcement responses. We reaffirm our commitment to working with UNODC and the fellow States Parties towards these objectives. I thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you. And now I have on my list Eswatini. The floor is yours.

Thank you, Honorable President. Eswatini aligns itself with UNTOC and the protocol against smuggling of migrants. We also appreciate, Honorable Chairperson, the presentation of the working groups and constructive dialogues as presented, and further applaud the dedication displayed by the Secretariat. Eswatini has a legislation in place and for the first time we will incorporate activities in line with smuggling of migrants during the review of the national strategic framework and action plan to combat people trafficking so the two will be brought together. The Kingdom of Eswatini also encourages continued joint operations in collaboration with international and regional bodies and organizations particularly given the intertwining and organized nature of smuggling, which touches upon potential criminal activities. The routes used by smugglers are linked to trafficking and other criminal routes, and therefore require a high level of investigative prosecutorial skills and coordination of programs by law enforcement, social services, and national agencies. I thank you, Honorable Chairperson.

Thank you. Now I give the floor to the distinguished delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Is inherently transnational.

Effective responses must therefore address the entire route through which criminal networks operate and cannot be limited to enforcement at a single border.

Iran has four decades experience complex migration dynamics as a country of origin, transit, and destination.

Our practical experience give us a direct understanding of the importance of comprehensive and cooperative responses to migrant smuggling. Iran has consistently supported a coordinated response to transnational organized crime, including smuggling of migrants, our law enforcement agencies have been working tirelessly, demonstrating the indispensable role of Iran in preventing and combating.

Smuggling of migrants in the region, while ensuring that migrants are protected and have every access to necessary assistance.

This is a special regard. to the protection of the smuggling margin have been uniquely addressed in the new bill amending the previous act of 2004 and the law on protection of children and youth 2020. Madam President, a meaningful whole of road approach should combine several limits addressing the road causes that expose people to irregular migration. disrupting organized criminal network along migration routes, protecting migrants from exploitation and abuse, and facilitating legitimate migration in accordance with national law.

The wider condition that generate irregular migration cannot be ignored.

Armed conflict, foreign interference can create environment in which organized criminal groups expand their operations.

At the operational level.

Criminal methods are also changing.

Many states, particularly developing countries, lack equal access to technologies and capacities required to respond. We therefore support effective and need-based technical assistance, including appropriate technology transfer, training, and capacity building for law enforcement and judicial authorities. Such assistance should be provided without discrimination or political conditionality. We must also address external barriers to cooperation. We reiterate that unilateral coercive measures, UCM, are unlawful and illegitimate and contrary to international law and the Charter of the United Nations. Their practical effects can restrict financial channels, access to technology and operational resources.

Thereby weakening collective efforts against smuggling networks.

Madam President, the success of our road strategy ultimately depends on trust and meaningful cooperation among countries of origin, transit, and destination, with full respect for national sovereignty and domestic law. Iran remains ready to contribute constructively to such cooperation.

Thank you, Mr.

Thank you. The following speaker on my list is Sudan. Sudan, the floor is yours.

Madam Chair, thank you very much for giving me the floor. Transnational organized crime is one of the most significant scourges our world faces, in particular regarding smuggling of migrants. As a result of the war affecting our country and events in the Horn of Africa, this has established an environment that is conducive to smuggling of migrants. Madam President, the war has opened up a new scenario for smuggling of migrants and piracy in various regions of our country. Many have fallen victim to networks of drugs trafficking, have been involved in trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. Madam President, the war has led to the displacement of more than 12 million people, 3 million of which have crossed borders to go from South Sudan to Uganda, Chad. 700,000 have been displaced internally. We have sought to uphold law and order and to combat this scourge by implementing a number of operations and actions which have led to the arrests of more than 68 smugglers this year. We are tackling smuggling from bordering countries. as these are often the countries of origin of smuggling of migrants. Madame, we must tackle the root causes of migrant smuggling, chiefly embedded in difficult economic circumstances. We must raise awareness regarding the risks related to smuggling of migrants. and must strengthen the legislative framework as well as awareness raising programs in order to create a better understanding globally and regionally as to the consequences of smuggling. We must therefore adopt collective strategies with all states involved in order to tackle smuggling of migrants. And we must enhance international cooperation exchanging good practices, our experience, in order to together tackle this phenomenon and find the best solutions in order to address this scourge, in particular through the relevant international organization. To conclude, we must act collectively in order to put an end to conflicts, to wars among developing countries. which have led to an increase in smuggling. That is why we must do more internationally to put an end to conflict and tackle the root causes, which are economic causes. Thank you.

Thank you. Now I give the floor to the representative of Interpol.

Madam Chair, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Few crimes cross borders as readily as the smuggling of migrants, and few put so many lives at risk. Organized crime groups exploit the factors driving irregular migration from conflict and economic hardship to environmental degradation. These groups adapt quickly to law enforcement pressure, shifting to alternative corridors and transit hubs, and using digital technologies to expand their operations. The growing sophistication of these networks requires a coordinated intelligence-led response that extends beyond national borders and encompasses countries of origin, transit and destination. Interpol supports a global response in several ways. First, by providing the tools that support the identification of vulnerable individuals. That includes the yellow notice to help locate missing persons and the black notice to identify deceased persons, including migrants who may have lost their lives along dangerous smuggling routes. We also support the identification of criminals including through Interpol's stolen and lost travel documents database, a critical tool for frontline officers to detect document fraud, identify suspicious travel patterns, and support investigations. The database has been checked 4 billion times this year alone. And as smuggling of migrants moves online, so must law enforcement. That's why Interpol brings national investigators together in hackathons to identify smuggling activity online. These efforts have uncovered content used to advertise and facilitate smuggling, which hosting platforms have then taken down. Sustained regional cooperation backed by the global reach of Interpol is also essential. We support regional action through operations such as Turquesa in the Americas, Rock in East Africa, and Himaya along the Mediterranean corridor, bringing countries together to address shared threats. We thank Canada and the European Union for their respective support for these activities. The intelligence gathered through this operation feeds into our Odyssey criminal analysis file, which helps identify emerging trends, criminal networks, and links between investigations, contributing to a more comprehensive intelligence picture to support international law enforcement. Excellencies, every shared alert, database check, and joint operation narrows the space in which these networks can operate. Interpol remains committed to supporting its 196 member countries in translating the objectives of the Convention and its Smuggling of Migrants Protocol into concrete operational results. Thank you.

Thank you. Now I give the floor to the representative of the Jesuit Service for Migrants Montalvo Center. The floor is yours.

Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. President. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, the Jesuit Migrant Service and Centro Montalvo from the Dominican Republic would like to express our sincere appreciation for the continued progress made in this forum towards integrating non-governmental and faith-based organizations into the dialogue. We strongly support the outcomes of the expert working group on migrant smuggling this year. In particularly, we welcome its recommendations, which taking into account the special needs of women and children, call for appropriate protection and assistance for them, as well as the referral of identified victims of crime among smuggled person migrants to appropriate protection services. Therefore, a more gender-responsive approach and non-objectification approach to human beings. This year, Member States experts have also drawn attention to aggravating circumstances, including sexual violence and other forms of abuse, as well as the importance of establishing safe, legal and regular migration pathways that respond to gender-specific needs. Yet perhaps we must ask ourselves, can we generally speak on consent when smuggled migrant women experience sexual violence and threats throughout their journey? Forensic psychologists or legal experts in this room would likely agree that consent cannot be assessed in isolation from violence, coercion, and psychological trauma that might undermine free decision making. At the same time, we must recognize these young girls and women's resilience and their courage in seeking to leave abuse behind. We also strongly resonate with the Member State experts who have highlighted the importance of addressing the root causes and drivers of migrant smuggling. In this regard, we believe that the strengthening dialogue between Global South and Global North would be particularly valuable in addressing the socioeconomic inequalities, conflicts, and other structural factors that contribute to irregular migration and expose human beings to smuggling networks. We align ourselves with the European Union statements for the advocacy to an approach to organized crime that integrates gender transformative and human rights based approach, alongside the contributions of all member states that continue to reinforce the dignity and the rights of every human being. We particularly appreciate the commitments and perspectives expressed on these regards by Angola, Uruguay, Ecuador, Australia, Philippines, the civil society organizations, as well as the efforts demonstrated by Canada and the United Kingdom and other member states on mainstreaming gender in the NTOK. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ultimately, our shared responsibility is to ensure that fight against organized crime remains firmly grounded in the protection of human dignity and human rights, including women and girls, smuggled migrants. Thank you, Mrs. President.

Thank you. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, before passing to the next agenda item, I have been informed that there is a request for right of reply from the distinguished representative of the US. The floor is yours.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The United States wishes to respond to a statement made on so-called unilateral coercive measures and seeks to recall our previous statements on this topic. Economic sanctions can be a lawful, legitimate, important, appropriate, and effective tool for responding to malign activity and addressing serious threats to peace and security. The United States is not alone in that view or in that practice. US sanctions target behaviors that threaten our national security, global stability, and undermine human dignity. US sanctions are not punitive. They are a tool to change behavior. They can be, and regularly are, removed if the damaging behavior stops. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. So, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, I would now like to invite the conference to turn its attention to agenda item 2D, entitled "Protocol against the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components, and ammunition." In order to facilitate its deliberation, the Conference has before it the following documentation: report prepared by the Secretariat entitled "Activities of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to promote and support the implementation of the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, contained in document CT/OC/COP/2026/4. A note by the Secretariat transmitting the reports on the meetings of the subsidiary bodies of the Conference, including the reports of the 12th and 13th meeting of the Working Group on Firearms, held in Vienna on 28th and 29th April 2005 and on 11th and 12th May 2006, respectively, containing document OC/COP/2026/5 and a conference room paper by the Secretariat, which includes the summaries by the Chairs of the constructive dialogues held on the 30th of April 25 following the conclusion of the 12th meeting of the working group on firearms and the constructive dialogue held on 15th May 2026 following the conclusion of the 13th meeting of the working group of firearms contained in document ctoc/ cop/ 2026/ crp3 Under this agenda item, the Conference will first hear introductory remarks by the Secretariat. I would like to invite Ms. Simonetta Grassi, Chief of the Firearms Trafficking Section of UNODC, to introduce the item to the Conference. Ms. Grassi, Simonetta, you have the floor.

Thank you. Thank you very much, Chair. Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to introduce the agenda item. Excellencies, distinguished representatives, ladies and gentlemen, in his 2023 New Agenda for Peace, the Secretary General leaves no doubt that firearms are the leading cause of violent deaths globally in conflict and non-conflict settings alike. His latest report to the Security Council on small arms and light weapons, issued in October 2025, shows how urgent this topic remains. Conflict-related civilian deaths rose by 40% in 2024, and in some conflict areas, small arms were responsible for up to 30% of civilian deaths. The report also documents persistent violations of arms embargoes with diverted weapons arming criminal groups and terrorist networks. Illicit firearms manufacturing and trafficking enables, facilitates and aggravates many forms of crime, conflict and terrorism. Disrupting illicit arms flows and bringing the perpetrators to justice is thus essential to respond to these multiple security threats. I welcome Somalia, South Sudan, San Marino, Qatar and Andorra as the latest States to join the Firearms Protocol, which brings the total number of State Parties to 128. It is our hope that these positive developments of steady increase in State Parties will continue and lead to the universalization of the Firearms Protocol and ultimately make our world safer from firearms-related crime and violence. Distinguished representatives, UNODC, through its firearms trafficking sections, continues to support Member States in the full and effective implementation of the Firearms Protocol. The section aims at providing integrated responses that address both the preventive and control side of the equation as well as addressing close links to other forms of crime. This is done through six interconnected pillars that include legislative assistance and policy support, preventive firearms control measures, criminal justice responses, regular information exchange and cooperation among states, research and analysis on firearms trafficking and its wider criminal context, and also by fostering people centered approaches that address the drivers of the illicit proliferation and demand and misuse for firearms. These pillars are at the core of our strategic approach against illicit firearms to disarm organized crime 2025 2030, which was adopted in 2000 last year. Over the past two years, Our section implemented activities and projects in 12 countries. Our section implemented activities and 12 projects in 40 countries across nine regions, notably in West and Central Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central Asia, West Asia and Southeast Asia, and the Western Balkans, as well as Eastern Europe, with 23 staff members deployed in 10 of these countries.

This has allowed.

UNODC to work directly with authorities in 48 jurisdictions and to train more than 4,250 national stakeholders.

In combating firearms trafficking.

Allow me to highlight some key achievements of this work. The firearms trafficking section provided legislative assistance and technical advice to 25 states, supported the drafting of two firearms bills, and contributed to the promulgation of a new firearms law in one country. We provided 15 countries with substantive specialized equipment and related training, including drones, equipment for police dogs, X-ray scanners for the detection of firearms and their components and ammunition, computer and forensic equipment, to support police and customs officials strengthen their capacities and their skills to intercept firearms trafficking. A notable result was the detection of over 27,000 weapons at three railway stations in Ukraine. We also delivered 14 specialized training programs for criminal justice practitioners through over 100 capacity building activities.

Covering a wide range of issues from.

Investigation and prosecution of firearms trafficking to dark web patrolling and investigations, trafficking by courier, and through postal channels, detection of firearms at land border crossings, evidence collection, et cetera. We also developed 10 knowledge products, such as ballistics manuals for judges and prosecutors, and which offer practitioners hands-on tools. Only in the Western Balkan and West Africa, these capacity-building activities have allowed us to record a total of 137 successful investigations, prosecutions, and adjudications, by law enforcement and criminal justice practitioners that have received UNODC training. Our support to cross-border operations, such as Operation CARFOR in West and Central Africa and Operation PUMA in Latin America, have gathered thousands of police officers across 10 countries and saw the seizure of more than 4,000 firearms, 146,000 rounds of ammunition, and 32,000 explosive devices. Supporting the implementation of United Nations arms embargoes has also become a priority during the reporting period. Our new project, Enforce, strengthens criminal justice responses to embargo violations. And since 2023, UNODC has also submitted quarterly reports to the Security Council addressing this issue. Technical support in the implementation of preventive firearms control measures, including in the development of the integrated firearms record-keeping system called GoIFAR, continues to contribute to enhance the traceability of firearms, which is being piloted and prepared for the deployment in several countries. In 2016, UNODC serviced, of course, the 12th and 13th meetings of the Working Group on Firearms. During these meetings, 42 recommendations were adopted by State Parties. They encouraged, amongst others, the integration of the Firearms Protocol into conflict prevention and peace-building efforts, the strengthening of criminal justice responses to firearms trafficking, and the effective seizure, confiscation, disposal, and deactivation of firearms in line with article 6 and 9 of the Protocol. Finally, under the review mechanism, 58 States have so far submitted their self-assessments on the Firearms Protocol. 21 of them requested technical assistance. Most pronounced were requests for capacity building through the training of criminal justice practitioners and/or the training of trainers, as well as for the assistance to enhance the detection of illicit trafficking flows at cross-border crossings by postal services and by means of the Internet. We look forward to our continued cooperation with partner states, organizations and institutions. However, to assist our partners in a sustainable manner, long-term and predictable funding is needed. Thank you for your attention.

Thank you, Ms. Grassi. Thank you for your introductory statement. And now I would like to invite His Excellency Jose Antonio Sabagoytia, Antonio Domi met with me, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations in Vienna and Chair of the 12th and 13th meeting of the Working Group on Firearms and the subsequent constructive dialogues to deliver introductory remarks and introduce the reports of the Working Group. Antonio, the floor is yours.

Madam Vice President, Welcome as Vice President. I could never be cross with you, Madam, in particular when I know that you've made an effort to speak Euskara, Basque language. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to share with the Conference some progress that has been made in terms of combating the illicit manufacturing and trafficking in firearms. Distinguished delegates, distinguished friends, it is an honour to inform you of the work undertaken by the Working Group on Firearms at its 12th and 13th meetings that were held in 2025 and 2026 respectively, as well as to inform you of the constructive dialogues that were held in the context of the review mechanism. In 2025, the working group focused its deliberations on two main issues: the contribution of the Protocol on Firearms to initiatives for conflict prevention and peacebuilding, as well as the effective criminal justice responses in the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime to the crimes included in the protocol covered by the Firearms Protocol. On the first matter, the working group underscored the contribution made by the protocol to conflict prevention and to peacebuilding by preventing the diversion of firearms, further strengthening the security of stocks and appropriate marking, registration, record keeping and tracing of firearms. Furthermore, emphasis was placed on the need to strengthen inter-institutional coordination as well as international cooperation, in addition to using existing mechanisms for exchanging information and for tracing illicit firearms. Turning to the second matter, the Working Group examined measures geared towards strengthening the criminal justice response to the illicit manufacturing and trafficking in firearms. Among other matters, Emphasis was placed on the need to have appropriate legal frameworks in place, using specialized investigative techniques such as controlled deliveries, surveillance and undercover operations, as well as strengthening international cooperation, including through joint investigative teams and cross-border operations. The Working Group adopted 17 recommendations in 2025, and inter alia, it recommended strengthening measures to prevent the diversion and to improve the tracing of firearms; enhancing international cooperation and inter-institutional coordination; as well as building States' capacities to use specialized investigative techniques and to continue developing and disseminating technical assistance tools in order to support investigations related to firearms trafficking. In 2026, the Working Group focused its deliberations on the implementation of articles 6 and 9 of the Firearms Protocol. pertaining respectively to seizure, confiscation and disposal of firearms and their deactivation. Under article 6, the working group highlighted the need to establish clear and standardized proceedings for the chain of custody for the storage and safe management of seized and confiscated firearms. The working group equally highlighted the need to register, examine and systematically trace these firearms, prevent their diversion to illicit channels, to strengthen coordination among the competent authorities and to guarantee that destruction and/or disposal takes place in a safe, transparent and duly documented manner. Turning to article 9, here the Working Group examined the necessary technical standards and criteria to guarantee that the deactivation of firearms is permanent in order to prevent their illicit reactivation. In particular, emphasis was placed on the need to establish appropriate procedures for verification, marking, certification and record-keeping, as well as guaranteeing that deactivation and verification of deactivation is carried out by competent entities and by duly qualified staff. In 2026, the Working Group adopted 25 recommendations. Inter alia, the Working Group encouraged States that have not yet done so to consider the possibility of becoming parties to the Firearms Protocol, with a view to attaining its universalization. and recommended strengthening cooperation with regional and international organizations. Under Article 6, the Working Group recommended strengthening procedures for the management, registration and tracing of seized and confiscated firearms, as well as preventing their diversion and guaranteeing their safe disposal or destruction. Under Article 9, The Working Group encouraged States to adopt and regularly review technical standards for deactivation and to establish appropriate procedures for verification, marking, certification and record-keeping in order to prevent illicit reactivation. In turn, the Working Group encouraged States Parties to continue participating actively in the review mechanism and to strengthen efforts in order to conclude country reviews in a timely manner. Following the 12th and 13th meetings of the Working Group, then, respectively, the fourth and fifth constructive dialogues were held with interested parties on the review process under the Firearms Protocol. These dialogues allowed interested parties to have an opportunity to exchange views regarding the review process and the Chair, with support from the Secretariat, prepared written summaries of these deliberations, which will be made available to the Working Group. Thank you very much for allowing me to share the reports of the 12th and 13th meetings of the Working Group with this Conference, and the recommendations that were adopted by the Firearms Working Group, the implementation of which will allow us to work towards achieving the goals set forth in our Convention. I would be remiss were I to conclude without thanking the Secretariat, in particular Ms. Simonetta Grassi, for all of her support in the context of our Working Group's work. Thank you very much, Madam.

Thank you. Thank you very much, His Excellency. Thank you, Antonio. Now, yes, we have all already booked slots, so I now give the floor to the delegation on this agenda item, and the first speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the United Republic of Tanzania.

The United Republic of Tanzania extends her gratitude to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for its continued support in addressing challenges associated with manufacturing and trafficking of firearms. In this regard, the United Republic of Tanzania remains fully committed to the prevention, control of proliferation of small arms, light weapons, and ensuring full implementation of the protocol against illicit manufacturing and trafficking of firearms, their parts, component, ammunition, which was ratified in 2006. Mr. President, the United Republic of Tanzania has also domesticated the protocol on the national laws, especially through the Firearm and Ammunition Controls Act, as amended in 2023, which criminalize offenses such as and lawful manufacturing of trafficking, possession or transfer of firearms, ammunition and other related materials. Moreover, the United Republic of Tanzania, on the 3rd February 2026, has strengthened her institution by launching the Arms Management and Control Committee, responsible for advising the government on coordination of the implementation of international and regional agreement on the prevention, combating, and eradication of illicit small arms and light weapons. The United Republic of Tanzania also invested in conducting training on physical security, and stockpile management. This is the same for the purpose of improving responsibility and accountability in relation to safety of the government stockpile and proactively deal with challenge of 3D printed firearms. Mr. President, the United Republic of Tanzania extends her sincere appreciation to Member States, international organizations and development partners for their continued support, particularly in capacity building and technical assistance. These contributions remain invaluable in enhancing our ability to address the complex challenges of illicit manufacturing and trafficking of firearms and ammunition, and promoting regional and international security and cooperation. I thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you for your statement. Now, I have the honor to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Slovakia. The floor is yours.

Thank you. Mr. President, distinguished delegations, Slovak Republic aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European.

Union and its member states and reaffirms its commitment to the effective implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Firearms Protocol. The 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Firearms Protocol provides an important opportunity to reflect on the progress achieved and the challenges that remain. Illicit firearms trafficking continues to represent a serious threat to international security. Criminal networks operate across borders, adapt their methods, and increasingly exploit new technologies.

Addressing these challenges require effective international cooperation, timely informational exchange, and coordinated action by law enforcement authorities.

In this context, Slovak Republic would like to highlight the important role of the national firearm focal points.

In Slovakia, the illegal firearms trafficking unit of the Slovak police force performs.

The function of the National Firearms Focal Point.

It serves as a central information and coordination hub responsible for.

Collecting, analyzing and sharing relevant information on firearms, ammunition and explosives with national and international partners.

Due to its geographical position, Slovak Republic also attaches particular importance to the protection of our external.

Border of the European Union.

Experiences from the Western Balkans have demonstrated.

That the consequences of armed conflicts, including the diversion of firearms into illicit markets, may continue for decades.

Preventive measures, cross-border cooperation and timely informational exchange are therefore essential to reduce these risks. Slovak Republic supports data collection for the UNODC global study on firearms trafficking.

In this regard, Slovak Republic is also developing a new national information system aimed.

At improving firearms data collection, management and analysis.

In conclusion, Slovak Republic wishes to emphasize that international commitments must be supported by their effective practical implementation. Strengthening cooperation between national authorities, international organizations and national firearm focal points remains essential to prevent and combat illicit firearms trafficking. Slovak Republic remains committed to these common objectives and to the continued implementation of the firearms protocol. Thank you for your time, Mr. President.

Thank you for your statement. And now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United States of America.

Madam President, the United States underscores that countries need to do more to eradicate criminal networks harming Americans, and in that regard, calls on countries to reclaim their territory from criminal control, including criminal capacity to steal and use firearms to commit the horrendous acts of violence. This body's resources, including funding, attention, and real-world action, should be focused on meeting UNTOC and the Firearm Protocol obligations, rather than layering on new commitments, mandates, or reporting burdens that dilute the Protocol's original law enforcement and anti-trafficking purpose. Further, UN entities cannot supplant a state's investment in its own physical weapons stockpile security infrastructure, management practices, and destruction protocols. Chair, even as a non-party to the protocol, the United States has done more to implement its key provisions than many parties. The United States remains the world's largest supporter of conventional weapons destruction. Last year alone, we provided over $385 million towards this effort. We call for broader and more predictable burden sharing among states with a view toward building legitimate and effective national systems and practices that don't rely on indefinite assistance. The United States emphasizes the important gains made by regionally owned, regionally driven cooperation. We recognize their measurable results in arrests, seizures, and prosecutions. The United States encourages the COP to reinforce these regional led.

Structures.

Chair, we will continue to vehemently reject attempts by some states to insert language into resolutions that attempt to expand the scope of the protocol or improperly intrude on states' domestic legal practices.

We have consistently opposed any language, study, or future work that could be read as

extending monitoring, data collection, or policy recommendations towards domestic civilian firearm possession or ownership.

As we look forward to future.

Work in support of the Convention, the United States is supportive of verifiable, results-oriented work that addresses the illicit firearms trafficking and manufacturing that endangers American communities and interests. We welcome efforts by all States to counter illicit arms flows in line with the Protocol and the Convention's mandates.

Thank you very much.

Thank you. And now I have the honor to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cote d'Ivoire, followed by Germany.

Madame President, on behalf of my delegation, I would like to thank you for organizing this session, in particular for organizing this segment on the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition. I take this opportunity to thank you for steering our work so well. Cote d'Ivoire reiterates its commitment to the objectives of the Convention and those of this Protocol, which continues to be a crucial instrument for preventing, combating, and eradicating illicit arms flows, which fuel transnational organized crime, terrorism, and insecurity across our regions. President, over the course of recent years, Cote d'Ivoire has continued to make every effort to strengthen its national mechanism to counter the proliferation and illicit circulation of firearms. In this regard, I'm pleased to note that since 2009, my country has had a specialized national entity, namely the National Commission to Counter the Proliferation and Illicit Circulation of Small Arms and Light Weapons, also known as COMNAT-ALPC. The role of this body is to coordinate the national policy related to arms control, as well as to make good on Cote d'Ivoire's international and regional commitments. The endeavors that we have carried out under this body have enabled us to make significant progress, in particular when it comes to marking weapons held by the security and defense forces, building capacity in tracking, improved management of arms and munitions stockpiles, as well as the secure destruction of seized firearms and firearms that have become worn out. Cote d'Ivoire has also stepped up its cooperation with regional and international partners through joint operations to combat cross-border trafficking in firearms, as well as through initiatives aimed at sharing information and building capacity for those involved in law enforcement. President, Cote d'Ivoire is confident that this campaign against the illicit trafficking in firearms cannot be effective unless we engage in stepped-up international cooperation, all the more so in a context marked by a spike in terrorist threats in the West African sub-region, and also bearing in mind the increasingly transnational nature of criminal networks. It is important, therefore, to strengthen information exchange mechanisms, tracking capacities, border control, as well as technical assistance for States who express the need. this reason, Cote d'Ivoire would like yet again to welcome the untiring support of UNIDC, ECOWAS, UNIDIR, as well as various technical and financial partners involved in building national capacity. President, notwithstanding the progress made and bearing in mind the growing and persistent challenges we face, my country intends to continue in the spirit of devotion, its efforts aimed at ensuring a better harmonization of its national legislative framework with the requirements of international and regional instruments on firearms control in order to further boost prevention, law enforcement, and legal cooperation in this area. Cote d'Ivoire remains fully committed to contributing to the work of the review mechanism of the Convention and its protocols in the spirit of transparency and to share good practices and engage in a mutual learning process. By way of concluding, my country would like to reiterate the unwavering determination of Cote d'Ivoire to work alongside States Parties, UNODC, and all international partners to prevent and counter the manufacture and illicit trafficking of firearms, which pose a serious threat to peace, security and sustainable development. Thank you.

I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Germany, followed by Algeria.

Thank you, distinguished Madam President, distinguished delegates. Germany attaches utmost importance to the Firearms Protocol and to supporting the UNDC, given its role for the universalization and implementation of the Firearms Protocol. Firearms and their ammunition cause human suffering across the globe in each and every region. Firearms fuel armed violence and conflicts, nature, organized crime and terrorism. They stabilize societies and entire regions, preventing their well-being and development. These direct implications cause further ripple effects and cross national and even continental borders. after the adoption of the Firearms Protocol, the situation is still bleak. The 2025 UNSG report on small arms and light weapons outlines the continuing and increasing challenges and human hardships we face due to firearms trafficking, illicit manufacturing and diversion. To make things worse, technological developments are often misused used for illicit manufacturing and trafficking, further challenging identification, tracing, and thereby prosecution and prevention. This underlines that addressing firearms trafficking, illicit manufacturing, and diversion is a continuous task, a task that changes as challenges and opportunities change. Here, the Firearms Protocol is an effective tool to implement this important task. First, the Firearms Protocol is the only legally binding document we have to address the issue of firearms trafficking. illicit manufacturing and diversion. It is a key pillar of the international control architecture on small arms and light weapons. And it is an essential contribution to encourage normative and legislative changes on firearms and related crimes. Second, the Firearms Protocol and its working group have shown the capability to react and address technological developments. They have proven a timely contribution to limiting the illicit manufacturing and proliferation of firearms, their components and ammunition, to building adaptive criminal justice responses. Third, the Firearms Protocol highlights the UNDC as an effective body to support State Parties to accede and implement the Firearms Protocol. Allow me to take this opportunity to welcome Qatar, San Marino, Somalia and South Sudan as the newest State Parties among the total of 127 State Parties to the Firearms Protocol. Distinguished Madam President, distinguished colleagues, Germany is supporter of the UNDC, and rightly so. The report of the Secretariat outlines the brevity and depth of the UNDC's efforts to improve universalization and implementation of the Firearms Protocol. The UNDC work is essential to bring the Firearms Protocol to life and make tangible contributions on the ground, building legislative, judicative and operational capacities to identify, intercept, prosecute illicit firearms trafficking and related crimes. We are fond of supporting the UNDC Global Firearms Program. Germany has contributed 2 million euro to the trust fund of Global Firearms Program last year and is planning with a similar substantial contribution this year. This trust fund contribution allows us to support the Global Firearms Program's work in our areas of particular interest, Eastern Europe, West Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean and enable the UNDC to pool resources and coordinate between donors and beneficiaries. We can only encourage other State Parties to make use of the UNDC Trust Fund mechanism for effective and efficient contribution. Chair, I thank you.

Thank you for your statement. And now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Algeria, followed by Ghana.

Thank you, Madam Chair, ladies and gentlemen. Algeria has ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, as well as its supplementary protocols, including the protocol against the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components, and ammunitions. ratifying this convention and its supplementary protocols was accompanied by the commitment of the Algerian legislator to revising domestic law in line with international developments, taking into account the concept and provisions contained in the protocol, especially in the areas of criminalization, marking, tracking, and control. This framework has been strengthened in 2025-2026 with new regulations on the possession and acquisition of certain types of ammunitions and firearms and the organization of the gunsmith profession, as well as other procedures on licensing, registration and control. Madam President, aligning national legislation with Article 5 of the Protocol allowed the prosecution of crimes such as the manufacturing of illicit firearms and other crimes. In this respect, the law enforcement agencies in 2025 have registered and recorded a total of 1,353 criminal acts with the seizure and confiscation of more than 1,242 firearms. Mostly, they have been manufactured in artisanal workshops. With regards to Article 6 of the Protocol, judicial authorities and law enforcement authorities are seizing and confiscating ammunitions and firearms that are illicit, while taking measures in order to secure them and prevent their illicit recirculation. As As for the Article 9 of the Protocol, Algeria emphasized the importance of disabling those firearms to prevent their reactivation. Madam President, with regards to the Convention's implementation review mechanism, Tunisia and Mongolia are responsible for reviewing Algeria, whereas Algeria, alongside Panama, Belgium, and Switzerland, is reviewing South Africa, Mozambique, and France. Algeria continues its efforts and coordinates with the UNODC in collecting data on the illicit flows of firearms. At the end, we would like to reiterate the importance of international cooperation, exchange of expertise and data and information in order to contribute to combating the illicit trafficking in firearms. And thank you.

Thank you for your statement. Now I give the floor to the Distinguished representative of Ghana, followed by the European Union.

Thank you, Madam President. Ghana aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the African group and wishes to make the following remarks in its national capacity. Madam President, the illicit manufacturing and trafficking in firearms, their parts, components, and ammunition continue to pose significant threat to peace, security, sustainable development, particularly in West Africa. where the proliferation of illicit weapons fuels organized crime, communal conflict, and violent extremism. Ghana recognizes the importance of the Firearms Protocol as a vital international framework for preventing and combating illicit firearm trafficking through effective legislation, strengthened national controls, information exchange, and international cooperation. In this regard, Ghana continues to implement measures aimed at strengthening firearms control, weapons traceability, information management, and the safe recovery and destruction of illicit weapons. Madam President, Ghana is pleased to highlight the successful conclusion of its gun amnesty program, which resulted in over 4,000 firearms being presented to the government for registration or surrender. Furthermore, during the country's eighth national arms destruction ceremony, 2,132 illicit firearms were destroyed. underscoring our commitment to reducing the circulation of illicit weapons and promoting safer communities. These achievements reflect effective collaboration among the Ministry of Interior, the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the Ghana Police Service, and other relevant security agencies, with the active involvement of traditional authorities, civil society, and local government. Ghana also continues to strengthen the operational capacities of its security institutions through specialized training, improved armory infrastructure, enhanced border surveillance, and the provision of equipment to support firearms control and law enforcement operations. President, Ghana attaches particular importance to evidence-based responses to illicit firearms tracking. And I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to the UNODC for supporting Ghana in operationalizing its SOP for the collection, sharing, and preservation of admissible evidence at organized crime scenes and terrorism scenes. Our national data collection system supports the monitoring and analysis of firearms-related incidents, including the preparation of quarterly and annual reports to inform policy formulation and operational interventions. In this connection, Ghana appreciates the collaboration between the UNODC and the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons in organizing training on the revised United Nations Illicit Arms Flow Questionnaire. This initiative strengthens national capacities for reliable data collection, analysis, and reporting. Ghana further welcomes the launch on 23rd September 2026 of the EU for a Secure Ghana Project. undertaken in partnership with the European Union and UNODC to strengthen national capacities to address illicit arms trafficking, transnational organized crime, terrorism, and violent extremism. Madam President, despite these efforts, significant challenges remain, particularly regarding porous borders, the growing sophistication of trafficking networks, and limitations in technical and operational capacities. Ghana, therefore, calls for enhanced international cooperation, including improved firearms tracing, intelligence exchange, specialized training, forensic capabilities, and sustained technical assistance to developing countries. We further emphasize the importance of community engagement, effective interagency coordination, and stronger regional cooperation in preventing the diversion and illicit circulation of firearms. In conclusion, Madam President, Ghana reaffirms its commitment to the effective implementation of the Firearms Protocol and to continued cooperation with UNODC. regional partners, and international community to combat illicit firearms trafficking and promote peace, security, and sustainable development. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you for your statement. Now, I have the pleasure to give the floor to the distinguished representative of the European Union, followed by Belgium.

Thank you very much, Madam President. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member states. Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine align themselves with this statement. Let me also thank the Secretariat for the introduction and the Chair of the Working Group for his report. Madam President, Each and every region in the world is affected by the proliferation of illicit firearms and ammunition, which fuel transnational organized crime, terrorism, conflicts and violence. In Europe, some cities are experiencing increasing gang violence involving firearms. The European Union also continues to be concerned over the risks that Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine leads to an increase in the trafficking of illicit firearms and ammunition. The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia's war of aggression and its violations of international law. The European Union calls on Russia to respect Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. Madam President, as we mark the 25th anniversary of its adoption, the Firearms Protocol remains a key international instrument in this area. As a party to the Protocol, the European Union encourages all States that have not yet done so to become parties with a view to achieving its universality. We therefore thank Mexico for their proposed resolution. Sound policy requires sound data. This is why the European Union is funding UNODC's new global study on firearms trafficking with 1.2 million euros. It will provide an updated picture of illicit arms flows and of the extent and impact of trafficking in firearms, their parts and components, and ammunition around the world. The quality of the study depends on the data that we provide. We therefore call on all States to support this global study by contributing to UNODC's data collection. Madam President, the European Union greatly appreciates UNODC's legislative and technical assistance and its training and capacity building to facilitate the implementation of the Firearms Protocol. We are supporting UNODC's activities in the fight against firearms trafficking, notably via the EU Global Threats programmes. Furthermore, the European Union is a long-standing supporter of the Arms Trade Treaty and the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons. We encourage further synergies between relevant international instruments to ensure their effective implementation, further involvement of civil society and the integration of a gender perspective in all activities. Madam President, The European Union welcomes the recommendations adopted by the Working Group on Firearms in 2025 and 2026. The European Union has been working to implement the Protocol and these recommendations through legislative proposals and improved cooperation amongst its Member States. We notably adopted the EU Regulation on import, export and transit of firearms in 2024, effectively implementing Article 10 of the Firearms Protocol. We are also discussing a new EU Directive on combating firearms trafficking and other firearms-related offences, directly implementing thereby Articles 5 and 6 of the Firearms Protocol. These initiatives are our EU contribution to the implementation of the protocol and to the fight against the proliferation of illicit firearms and ammunition within our territory and beyond. Thank you very much, Madam President.

Thank you for your intervention. Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Belgium, followed by Iran.

Madam President, Belgium aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union. As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Firearms Protocol, Belgium wishes to underline the continued relevance of this instrument in addressing a threat that remains closely linked to transnational organized crime. The issue of firearms trafficking is of prime importance for Belgium, as illicit firearms often enable other forms of organized crime, including drug trafficking and trafficking in human beings. We have indeed observed an increase in firearms acquisition by criminal networks, often including younger criminals, linked to the control of illicit drug markets. Belgium is particularly interested in continuing discussions on converted firearms, as well as counterfeit and 3D-printed firearms. We believe effective action against firearm trafficking can deliver tangible results, for instance, We have already achieved notable progress in addressing the issue of reactivated firearms. The adoption of strong deactivation standards at EU level has significantly reduced this source of illicit weapons for criminal networks. On marking and tracing, Belgium welcomes the discussions that took place during the first session of the open-ended technical expert group last June. on the occasion of the 9th biennial meeting of states of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons. It is important to ensure coherence between discussions under the Programme of Action in New York and the Firearms Protocol in Vienna in order to avoid the adoption of different standards and policies. Madam President, while important progress has been made, significant challenges remain. Our collective efforts should focus on harvesting reliable data that can feed investigations and policies, keeping up to date with the developments in new technologies, and fostering international cooperation. Thank you.

Thank you for your intervention. I'll give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, followed by China.

Thank you, Madam President. In the name of God, the good, the compassionate, the merciful, the Islamic Republic of Iran acknowledges the importance of strengthening cooperation to prevent, combat, and eradicate the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms. Despite not being a party to the Firearm Protocol, Iran's national practices and legal framework address many of its key areas. Iran has adopted domestic legislation establishing penalties for trafficking in firearms and ammunition, including measures targeting illegal firearm carriers and armed smugglers, consistent with our national priorities. As a country affected by terrorism, organized crime, and drug trafficking linked to illicit firearms, Iran takes addressing these challenges seriously. Our efforts include interregional action plans against terrorist groups, stronger border controls, and identifying armed trafficking networks. Iran has established a system for recording data involving detected weapons to support systematic documentation and follow-up by relevant national authorities. These measures contributed to the detection and collection of tens of thousands of illicit weapons smuggled from some neighboring countries. One clear example, Madam President, is the public admission by the president of one country on 5 April 2026, when he said, and I quote, "We sent guns to the protesters in Iran, a lot of them." End of quote. These guns were used to kill thousands of our civilians, including women and children. The sacrifices of around 5,000 Iranian law enforcement personnel underlines the human cost of confronting illicit firearms and related crimes, particularly drug trafficking. At the international level, the growing availability of untraceable firearms and the misuse of emerging technologies pose a serious risk. Criminal networks increasingly exploit the internet and the dark web to obtain firearms and parts, while postal and courier services can move illicit firearms across borders. This underlines the need to strengthen cooperation of the states, particularly between law enforcement agencies and customs authorities to prevent and combat illicit trafficking in firearms. More importantly, developing states must receive the assistance needed to address existing challenges and emerging threats without additional burdens. This conference must also give due attention to addressing the adverse impacts of restrictive measures like UCMs and the implementation of the Convention and its protocols. To this end, the conference must call for the removal of such measures and UCMs as they constitute one of the major obstacles to the fight against arms trafficking. Ultimately, preventing and combating the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms is a shared responsibility, and we must fulfill this responsibility responsibly. I thank you, Madam President.

Thank you. Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of China, followed by Peru.

Thank you, Madam President. The Chinese Government upholds the people-first and life-first principle and has established regulations that are more strict than those of the Firearms Protocol. By implementing comprehensive management of firearms throughout the entire process, from production to destruction, China has become one of the safest countries in the world with one of the lowest rates of firearm-related violent crime. Firstly, we have established a comprehensive and robust legal framework. Chinese laws define firearms more strictly and define firearms-related crimes in a more detailed and comprehensive manner. China's Criminal Code, the Law on the Administration of Firearms, and other related laws establish detailed criteria for conviction and penalties for firearms-related criminal offenses, providing a legal foundation for combating such crimes. Secondly, a sound and effective coordination mechanism is in place, led by the Ministry of Public Security. three ministries and government entities including the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the General Administration of Customs have jointly established the inter-ministerial joint conference system for combating and ratifying illegal activities involving firearms and explosives and relevant ministries and departments have jointly participated in the implementation of the firearms protocol. Thirdly, strict control of exports and circulation. China's regulations on the administration of military goods exports stipulate that, in principle, military firearms and ammunition may only be exported to military and police forces legally affiliated with the government and to legally authorized firearm holders. For small arms and light weapons, China enforces standards that exceed relevant international regulations in all stages, including production, marking, transfer, and destruction. Fourthly, China actively participates in international cooperation and supports capacity building for the control of small arms and light weapons. China fully participates in processes of international small arms and light weapons control, such as the Arms Trade Treaty and the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons. We maintain close cooperation with other countries as well as international organizations such as Interpol and the World Customs Organization starting in 2025. We have supported the Africa Small Arms Control Program through the United Nations, China, United Nations, Peace and Development Fund. Last June, China together with the UN and Africa, co-organized a training workshop on small arms control capacity building for five countries in the Great Lakes region as well as regional organizations such as DAU. So as to help those countries improve their small arms control capabilities, reduce the risk of illicit diversion of stockpile weapons and support the AU's silencing the guns in Africa initiative through concrete action. We also hope that this training workshop will create more opportunities for future pragmatic trilateral cooperation among China, the United Nations and Africa. As we speak, the international situation regarding firearms control is grave and complex. We stand ready to work with all parties to continuously enhance the universality and effectiveness of the protocol, and we call upon big firearms countries to strengthen firearms control and accede to the protocol as soon as possible. Thank you.

Thank you. Now I give the floor to the last speaker of today, the distinguished representative of Peru.

Madam

President, Peru is grateful for the report that has been shared and underscores the need to investigate the networks that sustain illicit arms flows, in addition to prosecuting individual acts of ownership. We welcome the ratification of the Firearms Protocol by San Marino, Somalia, South Sudan and Qatar. which brings the number of parties to 127 and thus strengthens the common framework against illicit manufacturing and trafficking. Madam President, for Peru, marking and registration of arms is a matter of priority in order to strengthen traceability and to prevent diversion. We underscore the need for records that cover the full life cycle of firearms, along with sufficient forensic capacity and the timely exchange of information. On the national level, our specialized prosecutors have alerted us to the risk posed by unmarked arms, altered serial numbers, modified arms, as well as diverted munitions. These modalities fuel extortion as well as contract killings and make it difficult to identify supply routes. As a result, as a matter of priority, we must strengthen marking, record-keeping and traceability, along with the exchange of ballistic information and cross-border tracing among competent authorities. Investigations must identify points of diversion, the brokers involved, as well as those who are providing financial backing, as well as links to other illicit economies. Finally, we trust that the survey on the illicit flows of arms will enable States to present more comprehensive reports and to contribute to an updated overview of global trends as well as challenges in the sphere of public policy. We welcome the indicators for new technologies and strengthened data comparability and call for further technical assistance to facilitate their application. You can count on Peru in order to continue the strengthening and implementation of the Firearms Protocol and cooperation against firearms trafficking networks. Thank you very much.

Thank you. I'm sorry. Thank you for your intervention. So, colleagues, I've been informed that there is a request from US for a right of reply. It's going to be taken tomorrow. We have not concluded the agenda item. We have not concluded our list of speakers. So we will resume our work, deliberation, tomorrow at 10:15. Quarta d'ora accademica, we say in Italian. And we will start with the Niger, Angola, then the organization, OAS, Interpol, and the NGOs. So with that, I would say that the meeting is adjourned.