General Assembly: 48th plenary meeting, 80th session

I declare open the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the appraisal of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. This meeting is held in accordance with resolution 79/286 of April 29, 2025, and takes place under the agenda item 107, entitled Crime prevention and criminal justice. The documentation under this item is listed in the Journal of the United Nations. I will now make a statement as the President of the General Assembly. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, throughout human history, one of humanity's darkest impulses has been the exploitation of others for profit or power. And although societies and technologies have advanced, this impulse has not disappeared. It has simply evolved. Today, it takes new names: human trafficking, sexual exploitation, forced labor, and child and forced marriage. And increasingly, it's enabled by digital tools that allow exploitation to spread faster, further, and with greater anonymity. Despite decades of collective efforts, millions of people remain trapped in trafficking and related forms of exploitation on any given day. Today, we will hear some of the horrific stories behind that number, including that of Sherim McKinsey, who endured 18 harrowing months of trafficking. But as I said during the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, we are not talking about victims. We are talking about survivors, heroes, the strongest fighters for human rights. And this is why I will focus also in my introductory speech on the solutions that Member States are entrusted with carrying forward to prevent trafficking, protect victims, and end impunity. Because even if we cannot eliminate the darkest impulses of humanity entirely, we can eliminate the systems that enable them. Allow me to offer three priorities for our work ahead. First, we need strong, enforced, and comprehensive legislation. Women and girls comprise 61% of victims of human trafficking. most of which for sexual exploitation, and over 20% face forced labor, servitude, or forced marriage. And more fall victim every day. We need laws that explicitly criminalize sexual exploitation, child enforced marriage, and all forms of trafficking. And they must be implemented strictly, uniformly, and without exception. We cannot turn a blind eye when these violations occur every day, and even to major global cities sometimes next door. The challenge extends beyond sexual exploitation. In 2022, forced labor accounted for 42% of trafficking cases, surpassing sexual exploitation. Yet only 17% of global convictions were for labor trafficking. This is a profound protection and justice gap. And there's a close link between exploitation and migration. Because when people flee conflict, disasters, or economic desperation without safe and legal pathways for migration, they are far more vulnerable to exploitation. Migrant workers are three times more likely to be exploited than non-migrants. But we also have examples how strong migrant and refugee protection policies paired with effective coordination can prevent trafficking. Following the conflict in Ukraine, over 14 million people were displaced. Yet, Despite a small increase in 2023, cases of human trafficking are currently significantly below pre-2022 levels. Why? Because neighboring states acted quickly, granting visa-free entry, offering temporary protection, launching information campaigns, and coordinating law enforcement. Human and organized migration policy can dramatically reduce trafficking risks. As we look ahead to the upcoming review of the Global Compact for Migration, Member States have the opportunity to underline the importance of strong global standards that protect migrants and reduce the risk of exploitation. Second, we must confront the new digital frontier of trafficking. Technology has expanded the reach, scale, and sophistication of exploitation. Traffickers now use AI tools, encrypted platforms, and deepfake technologies to create fake personas, hide their networks, and even produce AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Fake online jobs often lure victims into committing cyber scams. generating an estimated 40 billion US dollars a year. Trafficking of persons for exploitation and criminal activity has risen from about 1% of total victims in 2016 to 8% in 2022. Many individuals who commit online scams are in fact victims themselves, coerced, detained, and abused. This is why the non-punishment principle must be upheld to ensure that victims are never criminalized for acts committed as a result of their own exploitation. Our legal frameworks must keep pace with technologies. That means modernized laws, updated standards, and strengthened cross-border cooperation to detect, disrupt, and dismantle digital trafficking networks. The private sector has to play his role too. Online platforms, financial institutions, supply chain actors, and telecom providers must help prevent technology-facilitated trafficking and ensure ethical business practices. We didn't know is simply not an acceptable excuse. Third, we must tackle the root causes of trafficking. poverty, conflict, displacement, gender discrimination, and climate vulnerability. Desperate people are faced with desperate choices, and vulnerable people are preyed upon. In times of war and conflict, the risk of exploitation rise sharply. Women and children face acute threats. from conflict-related sexual violence and sexual slavery to recruitment of children as combatants and laborers by armed groups. And even in times of peace, poverty, hunger, and lack of opportunity provide traffickers with fertile ground for exploitation. To reduce these risks, we must invest in conflict resolution, poverty reduction, climate adaptation, economic opportunity, and safe migration pathways. and ensure that anti-trafficking measures are integrated across education, labor systems, and humanitarian response. Civil society, especially survivor-led organizations, are indispensable. Their expertise strengthens awareness, early detection, and community resilience. Ultimately, preventing crises, implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, and fighting hunger and poverty is the best prevention against trafficking. Ladies and gentlemen, a crime as pervasive and cross-national as trafficking requires an equal determined and coordinated response. A whole of society approach grounded in justice, data, and human dignity is essential to ensure that survivors are supported and that traffickers are held fully accountable. Governments must translate global commitments into national action that is fully funded, measurable, and centered on victims' rights. The private sector must help detect and disrupt exploitation across digital and economic systems. And civil society and survivors must be empowered as partners, watchdogs, and leaders in shaping solutions. If we act together, decisively, urgently, and with clarity of purpose, we can build a world where, to use the words of the United Charter, the dignity and worth of human person is always respected. I thank you. In accordance with rule 70 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly, I now give the floor to the Under-Secretary-General for Policy, Mr. Guy Ryder, to make a statement on behalf of the Secretary-General.

Madam President, Excellences, I thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this fourth meeting on the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. And I'm pleased to convey the following message of the Secretary General: Human trafficking is an abhorrent crime. It is intolerable that members of our human family, including the youngest, are trafficked for labor, domestic service, marriage, criminality, and sexual exploitation. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and the Supplemental Trafficking in Persons Protocol, now almost universally ratified with 185 States parties. It is also the 15th anniversary of the Global Plan of Action to transform our commitments into practice, including through the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons. Yet as we take stock, we must acknowledge that trafficking in persons is growing and evolving. Persistent drivers such as poverty, displacement, discrimination, conflicts, and climate disasters are being compounded by the exploitation of technologies enabling traffickers to profit from human misery with unprecedented speed and reach. Artificial intelligence is being weaponized to recruit, control, and exploit victims. The latest data show that the number of children amongst detected victims has increased by one-third since 2019. Women and girls remain the biggest share of detected victims worldwide and are trafficked mostly for sexual exploitation. The number of convictions for these crimes remains shockingly low, particularly for trafficking in persons for forced labour. And far too often, victims themselves are punished for acts committed under coercion, a clear violation of the principle of non-punishment. As you translate your new political declaration into action, I urge a renewed focus on three key areas. First, Member States must invest in solutions. This includes strengthening laws and remedies, and effectively implementing them to end impunity and to bring perpetrators to justice. We also need investments in programs to help victims rebuild their lives and address their trauma, the traumas that they have endured. And governments need to commit resources into developing and employing technology to detect, investigate, and prosecute this crime in ways that safeguard human rights. As this crime evolves, our responses must keep pace. Second, we must deepen collaboration. This includes strengthening and facilitating the exchange of information and evidence between States, as well as mutual legal assistance, extradition commitments, and joint investigations. We must continue building partnerships with civil society, with academia, and with the private sector, including technology companies, to detect wrongdoing and to deliver justice to perpetrators and to support victims. And we need to strengthen coordination to protect vulnerable migrants from falling prey to trafficking, in line with the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. And finally, we must put victims at the center. In recent years, governments and United Nations have been involving survivors in work to end human trafficking and provide support to victims. And I call on all Member States to ensure that the experiences and the perspectives of victims are heard and reflected across anti-trafficking policies and support measures. Human trafficking is a global crime that demands global solutions. Let's make the most of this moment to strengthen our collective resolve and put an end to the scourge of human trafficking. Thank you.

I thank the Under-Secretary for Policy. Before proceeding further, it is proposed that this high-level plenary meeting also feature a statement by the Acting Chief of Organized Crime Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Mr. Elias Chaddis. as the Executive Director is unable to be with us this morning. May I also take it that the Assembly wishes to proceed accordingly? It is so decided. I now give the floor to Mr. Elias Hatzis, Acting Chief of the Organized Crime Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Madam President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to deliver the statement of the UNODC Acting Executive Director at this high-level meeting on the appraisal of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. I would like to thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this meeting and to congratulate Member States on the successful negotiation of the political declaration presented for adoption today. Today’s meeting offers an important opportunity to reflect on progress made under the Global Plan of Action, to acknowledge remaining gaps, and to renew our commitment. And this year is a fitting moment to take stock, as it marks the 25th anniversary of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Implementing Protocol on Trafficking in Persons. We have come a long way over the last 25 years. The Protocol has grown into a near universal legal framework. with 185 States Parties. Most countries have enacted domestic legislation to better detect, prevent, and prosecute this important crime, and to protect and assist its victims. And we have gained a stronger understanding of trafficking patterns and flows, including through the UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, mandated by this very Plan of Action. Yet despite the progress, we must recognize that the fight against human trafficking is far from over. In fact, the trafficking networks of today are far more complex than those we confronted 25 years ago. Today, trafficking in persons is driven by highly organized criminal groups that are more violent, more transnational, and more difficult to dismantle. Our latest global report shows that globally, 74% of all cases involve organized criminal groups. Methods of exploitation are also evolving. Forced labor is now the most prevalent type, embedded across multiple industries, while trafficking for forced criminality is also on the rise. And all of this is amplified by global crises, which are widening the pool of people at risk of exploitation. Children now account for 38% of detected cases globally, while women and girls remain the majority of victims, overwhelmingly trafficked for sexual exploitation. Excellencies, these challenges call for renewed responses and renewed ambition. First, we must listen to survivors, whose lived experiences provide unique insights. In June this year, UNODC convened the first ever Global Forum for Human Trafficking Survivors, which brought together survivors, civil society, service providers, and government representatives, and produced a powerful call to action. Through the UN Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, managed by UNODC, we have also supported over 220 NGOs across more than 60 countries, directly impacting the lives of thousands of victims. Sustaining and expanding this support remains vital. Second, we must leverage technological solutions to detect, disrupt, and prosecute this crime. UNODC is already working with law enforcement and the judiciary to strengthen digital capacities, to collect and analyze electronic evidence, and to work closely with the private sector. And the new UN Convention against Cybercrime, which recently secured 73 signatures, is an important new tool that must be fully utilized. Third, we must strengthen international cooperation to meet the transnational nature of human trafficking. In 2024 alone, UNODC supported Interpol-led operations in 33 countries that led to the rescue of over 3,000 victims, and more than 17,000 vulnerable migrants. We are also facilitating collaboration between countries along key trafficking routes to share best practices across regions. And lastly, we must fully integrate child protection and assistance into anti-trafficking frameworks, and I commend Member States for recognizing this in the political declaration. As co-chair of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons, ICAT, UNODC is committed to ensuring a coherent, coordinated, system-wide UN response. Ladies and gentlemen, the world has changed, and trafficking networks are changing with it. This appraisal is a chance to ensure that responses are more dynamic, more resilient, and more effective. UNODC stands ready to work with all of you to end the exploitation of people for profit, to bring traffickers to justice, and to help survivors rebuild their lives. Thank you.

I thank the Acting Chief of the Organized Crime Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. I now give the floor to Ms. Jiwane Moolali, Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children.

Madam President, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Trafficking in persons impacts the most vulnerable people, treating human beings as commodities, brutalizing and destroying human lives. It is a serious crime, and it is also a serious human rights violation. As we meet again at this high-level meeting to reflect on progress in the Global Plan of Action, we also mark 25 years of the Palermo Protocol. Now, however, we need more than statements. We urgently need to see a strengthening of political will and increased concrete actions by states to end all forms of human trafficking, prioritizing prevention and the effective protection of the human rights of victims. We need to move beyond crisis responses. Globally, more than 120 million people are forcibly displaced due to conflict, persecution, climate-related disasters, and human rights violations. Displacement, as we know, increases risks of trafficking, where there are only crisis responses, and states fail to ensure effective access to protection. Repeated Security Council resolutions have recognized that conflict increases risks of trafficking in persons. Yet conflict-related trafficking continues with impunity. Despite calls to action from the Security Council, we do not see effective measures to combat conflict-related trafficking. Humanitarian and protection actors are not equipped to prevent trafficking in conflict situations or to provide protection. Conflict-related trafficking is not even documented or reported in many conflict situations. Child protection actors, those responding to sexual and gender-based violence, are not equipped to address the systemic risks of trafficking in conflict situations. And peace operations mandates are not addressing trafficking in persons. Investigative and fact-finding mechanisms of the UN rarely address conflict-related trafficking. And so accountability, and therefore prevention, remains weak. As we mark also 25 years of the Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security, actions to combat conflict-related trafficking is still largely absent from Women, Peace, and Security action plans. While it has been repeatedly recognized that trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation, including sexual slavery, is a form of conflict-related sexual violence, particularly affecting women and girls, The systematic and widespread nature of trafficking in conflict situations is rarely acknowledged, leaving significant protection gaps. The consequences are that women and girls in particular are not insured protection measures, and prevention measures are weak. Girls are abducted and/or recruited for marriage, sexual exploitation, and sexual slavery, domestic servitude, from schools, IDP camps, refugee settings, and protection of civilian camps. Boys are recruited and used by armed groups, forced into dangerous work in illicit mining or in direct hostilities, and also sexually exploited. We know that trafficking in persons is accompanied by other serious harms, including rape, torture, beatings. We also continue to see that men and boys who are at risk of or victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation are not identified or protected. Discrimination, stigma, shame, and stereotyping lead to serious failures of protection. Excellencies, globally, one in three victims of trafficking is a child. The numbers of detected child victims has increased. Behind every number is a child whose life has been taken, brutalized by unimaginable violence. I have highlighted the urgent need to take action to prevent child trafficking in conflict situations. and to ensure that protection is provided without discrimination. Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals commit us to ending child labor, yet we continue to see the worst forms of child labor in conflict situations, recruitment and use of children by armed groups, and in hazardous work such as illicit mining. Excellency's trafficking in persons is the consequences of failures of policy and political will by states. We have the normative tools, legislation and policy, reports of promising practices on paper. We need you now, Member States, to take action. We are witnessing increased numbers of detected victims of trafficking for forced labour in poorly regulated sectors such as domestic work, agriculture, fisheries, mining. We cannot isolate political action to combat trafficking in persons from measures to ensure safe, regular migration. for migrant workers and their families, for people displaced by climate change. Too often, bilateral labor migration agreements are concluded in secret. Migrant women domestic workers return home from situations of brutalizing exploitation if they escape from traffickers. Many do not. Domestic servitude, sexual violence, and rape are the lived experience of migrant domestic workers. Gender inequality continues to be a root cause of trafficking. And the pushback globally against gender equality and women's empowerment is a serious threat to effective anti-trafficking actions. Too often, we see that states instrumentalize and weaponize trafficking in persons to restrict and limit migration routes with deadly consequences, pushing people, including many children, into dangerous, risky journeys by land and by sea. Restricting protection pathways, limiting resettlement, rights-based family reunification, or humanitarian visas leads directly to increased vulnerabilities for people fleeing persecution and conflict. Such vulnerabilities, created by failures of policy and political will, are exploited by traffickers. Excellency's digital technologies and artificial intelligence increase the potential reach and harms of trafficking. targeting and exploiting the hopes of young people and of children. We have, within the global billion dollar tech and AI industry, we have the resources, skills, and capacity to take effective action against trafficking, but we are not seeing the level of urgency or comprehensive actions needed. We are seeing instead increased incidents of trafficking for forced criminality through cyber scamming, for example. But we can, as is recognized in the Global Digital Compact, we can use the potential of technology for international cooperation, prevention, effective investigations. We need more of such cooperation and urgently. As we witness a global humanitarian reset and devastating funding cuts, protection services and prevention measures globally are no longer available. This means a child victim of sexual exploitation or forced marriage is left without safe shelter, medical treatment, or a guardian, and at great risk of re-trafficking, left without protection. Excellency's taking seriously the prevention of trafficking in persons means taking seriously the protection of just and fair conditions of work, as is recognized in Agenda 2030 and the Pact for the Future. Just and fair conditions of work requires effective labor inspectorates, functioning trade unions, and fair recruitment. It requires us to ensure that migrant workers are not tied by restrictive visas to their employer and that there are effective mechanisms in place for safe reporting without fear of punishment, as required in the Global Compact for Migration. Excellencies, we must take urgent action to recognize and address the intersectional harms at the root of trafficking in persons. Disability inclusion and disability rights must be at the heart of action to combat trafficking. People with disabilities, including children with disabilities, are at greater risk of exploitation in conflict settings, in institutional settings, in situations of poverty, where disability rights are not ensured. Racial justice must be critical to actions to combat trafficking. People of African descent, indigenous people, minorities, are today's victims of trafficking. Yet the pursuit of racial justice has remained marginal to the global fight to combat trafficking in persons. Why is that? We must take action to ensure meaningful survivor, victim participation and leadership. in the design and implementation of anti-trafficking measures for all forms of exploitation. Such participation and leadership must be resourced and supported, and must be long-term, beyond short-term photo opportunities. Those who are directly affected by serious human rights violations know firsthand where are the policy and protection gaps and failures of political will. To conclude, Excellencies, now is the time for action. We cannot in four more years continue to reflect on numbers and trends. I will finish with a message of hope and a quote from the Irish poet, Evan Boland: "Freedom is not abstract, it is not a concept. It can also be a hope raised, then defeated, then renewed. Justice no longer blind, inequity set aside, and freedom redefined." Thank you.

I thank the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children. I now give the floor to Ms. Mira So We Know, Board Member of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons.

Thank you, and good morning, Madam President, Ambassadors, Excellencies, survivor leaders, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. I have had the privilege of having been the UNODC Goodwill Ambassador in the global fight against human trafficking from 2009 up until this fall. And I currently sit on the Board of Trustees for the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons. Serving the victims and survivors of human trafficking has been one of the most rewarding challenges of my life. During the 16 years I have partnered with UNODC, I have traveled the world with the Blue Heart Campaign, made four feature films, and involved with three documentaries on the theme, worked with many NGOs and civil society organizations, lobbied foreign and my own federal and state governments for more robust anti-trafficking measures, and interviewed scores of survivors of this heinous crime. They They are the heart of all that I do. Their experience of this horrific human rights abuse, the unfathomable pain they have endured, their bravery and ability to rise phoenix-like from the ashes of their former exploitation to beautifully claim their own self-determined life, and their wisdom and generosity in throwing themselves into the fight as survivor leaders so that others like them will not be left behind, inspire me on a daily basis. Indeed, they should inspire you all and be invited to every table where solutions are ideated to combat this ever-spreading ill. I would beseech you all to hear their voices and look into their eyes. The very first two survivors I met back in 2004 had an astonishing effect on me. Once I saw the deep pain of what they had endured in their eyes. I could not look away. I was forever changed and recruited to the fight against this ultimate evil, this hideous practice that treats humans as things with no rights, no hopes, no capacity for free will, no deservingness of the smallest empathy. Their pain means nothing to their controllers. All for the profit motive. I would implore you all to put yourself or your child or your brother or your husband or your wife or your parents in their position and imagine their suffering and their pain, their stolen possibilities and dreams, the devastation wrought on their families. And allow yourselves to catch fire with the resolve to return to your home countries burning with a newfound commitment to lift each and every one of those still in bondage out of this horrible fate. For although we have done many things since the Palermo Protocol was ratified and the Global Plan of Action was adopted, we still have so, so far to go. Yes, it is true that in general, there is far more awareness of human trafficking on a national and global level. And yes, we have good laws on the books in many countries, though not always downloaded into action on the ground. We have more and more data, although not always shared between agencies and nations, and some convictions going through, although not nearly at the level of the actual scope of the crime. And we have service organizations all over doing the work of the angels. But we could do so much more. For human trafficking has outpaced our efforts to combat it. It grows and claims more and more victims as it employs new technologies and modalities, such as in the booming online scam centers. There has been a 40% increase in trafficking from 2015 to 2024, yet 93% of crimes are still not reported nor investigated. Yes, we are extremely fortunate to have survivor leaders to help guide our actions. But they are part of a tiny minority, the less than 1% of those who will exit human trafficking, either by their own efforts or with outside help. Less than 1%. Is that really a number that an ethical gathering of nations dedicated to improving the world can live with? I know that as of late, some have claimed that empathy is a liability, that only the wealthy matter, that the marginalized are somehow to blame for their own vulnerability. That the pursuit of power and personal gain trump humanitarian and moral calls of conscience, that nothing is holy but money, that war is preferable to peace, that industry merits more than the swiftly shifting climate, no matter the cost to millions upon millions of humans affected and driven into vulnerability to being trafficked. I believe that the United Nations has the chance to exemplify the moral leadership where others have failed of late, to say with certainty that each human being innately holds the same worth, that each life matters, that every child is precious. If we can agree on these principles, then we must do more to fight the trafficking of those precious people, for you all are their guardians. and have the capacity to turn the tide in this fight if only you can sway member states to muster the political will to do so. Currently, so many factors contribute to the vulnerability of millions across the globe to being trafficked: armed conflict, climate and weather emergencies causing displacement, economic inequality, lack of access to adequate food, clean water, or housing, lack of education, and, of course, gender inequality. Traffickers seize upon the desperation of individuals and families in these crises. The majority of these operations are organized crime driven, and yet globally we see more prosecutions of the small time actors, the disorganized traffickers, than the multinational conglomerates that ruin many, many lives and generate billions in profits. And shockingly, although the most current GLOW TIP report shows a higher prevalence of labor exploitation than sexual trafficking globally, the latter comprises the overwhelming majority of criminal cases. This seems to be ubiquitous. Recently, I interviewed a lawyer for CAST, a California-based service provider that the fund has actually supported in the past, who said that although they have multiple complaining victims and evidence on labor trafficking cases, such as farmworker cases, the district attorneys almost always decline to prosecute. When asked why, the answer was perhaps a greater public sympathy for victims of sexual trafficking and a lack of willingness to Go after the job creators. Think about all the industries in the world that exploit people for labor trafficking. They are the job creators. They are the giant multinational companies. We must then entertain the possibility of the protection of corrupt actors in positions of importance as part of the recipe for inaction we see worldwide in taking on these crime syndicates. We certainly see how the news cycle here today is dominated by the current obfuscation of malevolent networks, despite the cries of multiple survivors of child sex trafficking. And speaking as a survivor of sexual violence myself, I find that unconscionable. I come to you today as someone who witnessed and even called for the creation of the trust fund in the early planning meetings for the Global Plan of Action, right after I became a Goodwill Ambassador. I remember being quite out of order, urging with great fervor that the survivors couldn't wait one more minute for the help the fund could provide if created. Now, 15 years later, I have the great honor of actually serving on the board of trustees of that fund and seeing the good it does in action. We recently returned from a mission to Mexico, where we convened at the UNODC office led by our survivor leader, Victoria Nyanjira. I reunited and gave press interviews with one of the very first child survivors I had ever met back with the Blue Heart Campaign in 2010 in Mexico City, Carla Jacinto, the one who estimated she had been raped over 46,000 times between the ages of 12 and 16. has blossomed into an incredibly strong woman and advocate. And she made the salient point that during her enslavement, she would not understand that the anti-trafficking messaging in public PSAs that were posted or broadcast were for her or her fellow victims. She did not know that she had any human rights whatsoever. Her every movement, what she wore, when she took a bite of food, was monitored and strictly punished for any insubordination, including an iron to her and her victim's, her infant baby's face. She said if someone like herself with lived experience had crafted and delivered the messaging, maybe it would have given her the feeling that she could get out and seek support far earlier than she did. We visited two of our grantee organizations there, Antus and El Pozo de Vida. Those visits underscored the absolute essential nature of on-the-ground service organizations in offering survivors a chance for a new, safe, and thriving life. At Antus, we met with girls and young women who ranged from 12 to their early 20s. Many, even the 13-year-olds, had their own children fathered by their traffickers, who used these babies as collateral to try to keep their victims under their sway. Antus was working mightily to help the mothers win back custody and pursue their own educations and sustainable job skills, as well as treating their trauma so they could heal. I cannot tell you how emotional it was to see, to hear a tiny 15-year-old girl, a mom, who started to cry when she told me that she had found forgiveness for her trafficker, but that her children did not deserve this. Her big heart broke mine. And later, we saw the miraculous effect a survivor leader had on the children. Victoria spoke about her experience being trafficked by an armed militia in Nigeria as a girl and how she was able to survive it, get her education, and rise to be the prominent, articulate, and powerful person she is today, that their experience would not define them. You have never seen such an exuberant room full of faces wrapped in joyful attention. They felt seen and inspired with hope. At POZA, we saw the extraordinary program created for child victims of trafficking who had special needs or developmental delays due to having been abused from a very young age. The youngest they treated was only an infant. And many had hit none of the developmental milestones a standard child would for fine and gross motor skills, et cetera. The program was created and run by a survivor leader who slowly and carefully brought the children's biological and mental age together. We saw a joyful environment that rang with laughter and confident, happy kids. UPOSA also has a community outreach program, several, a drop-in center for women in commercial sexual exploitation. And a program both on the street and at the university level that works in a non-judgmental way with habitual buyers of commercial sex to help the men heal their own inner wounds and understand that they were contributing to a market whose very existence encouraged more and more trafficking, more and more destruction of lives. This kind of community engagement and trauma-informed victor and survivor-centric care is crucial and must be encouraged and funded robustly in every society, because a criminal justice response alone tends to re-traumatize survivors. One challenge they face the world over is being treated as criminals rather than victims, especially with the growing trend of trafficking for forced criminality. and the concomitant stigma that comes with a criminal record stymieing their best efforts to be gainfully employed and resuming a normal life. Aid workers from NGOs and CSOs should accompany survivors every step of the way in dealings with the police and court system, which should employ streamlined technological witness testimony gathering and trauma-informed training with female officers conducting interviews. More must be done globally to prevent trafficking, or else all we will ever be doing is triage, helping people after they have already been mightily abused. To that end, as an individual not representing UNODC or the Fund, I urge you all to consider adopting the equality model, or what is known in Europe as the Nordic model of partial decriminalization of commercial sexual exploitation. It decriminalizes this person whose body is being commodified, offers them extensive services while criminalizing the buyer. and the seller. This is one of the only proven models for harm reduction. In the countries where it has been implemented, there has been a decrease in commercial sex and sex trafficking, where the converse is true in countries that have adopted full decriminalization. Pimp traffickers are legitimized by full decrim, and therefore have an easier time filling brothels with trafficked labor, and the encouragement of sex buying expands the marketplace for trafficked victims. The majority of commercial sexual exploitation exists in a relationship of force. The practice dehumanizes and commodifies marginalized individuals, and the terminus point of all sex trafficking is prostitution. So the Nordic/equality model is one of the only paths to a chilling effect on demand. The fund works with over 200 service organizations in over 60 countries and has aided over 100,000 victims and survivors. Last year, we saw an 83% increase in applications, which are scrupulously vetted. Yet we are limited in how many grants we can award and for how much, because we suffer from a real lack of follow through from member states. Many have verbally pledged their support, but in reality, a quite underwhelming amount of funds are donated. I am painfully aware that much aid funding in general from my country has ceased, putting many vulnerable people around the world on the brink of a dire reality. The UNVTF can be the stopgap that keeps these grassroots organizations from shuttering their doors or being incapable of helping survivors who have no other safe place to go. And by educating and engaging the communities they inhabit, these organizations can show people what their actual rights are. alert them to the unscrupulous snares of traffickers trying to recruit them, or give someone a safe haven whose own relatives may be fomenting their own exploitation, which is the case in so many situations of trafficking. They can be part of transforming local culture to be protective of its most vulnerable. I have seen this with my own eyes. I have seen a neighborhood transform thanks to the dedicated and years-long work of an NGO. They can play their part in vital work on root causes, something that member states can dive into as well through expanding partnerships with fellow governments, civil society, and the private sector to fortify and expand the rights of women and girls, end child marriages, provide safety for migrating or displaced people so vulnerable to trafficker snares, increase access to education, and create protection for children around mining or agricultural labor, to name just a few. But none of this progress, this big dent in this terrible seeming monolith can be possible without you. You have the power to muster political will, to fully implement the Global Plan of Action, to invite survivor leaders to guide your way, to donate generously to the fund so that many more lives will be saved and rebuilt, and victims prevented from being victims in the first place, to look into the eyes of one of the children who comprise 38% of all victims and say, I see you. You matter. Your life is meant to be big and beautiful, not horrible and full of pain. We are going to give it back to you. Please do everything you can. Thank you so very much.

I thank Ms. Sorvino. I now give the floor to Ms. Shimiri Mokenzi, Chief Executive Officer of Sun Gate Foundation, anti-trafficking survivor.

Your Excellences, distinguished delegates, colleagues, fellow survivors, family, and friends, it's an immense honor to stand before you this morning. I feel the weight of this moment, but I also feel the hope, the unity, and the power in this room. While I speak to you today as a leader in this field, there was a time when my freedom felt out of reach, when my voice had been stolen, when my worth had been reduced to dollars and violence. I remember the darkness. I remember the silence. And I remember what it felt like to believe that redemption wasn't meant for someone like me. Yet today, This very moment, I stand in the halls of the United Nations, not as a victim, but as a free woman, still healing, but unbroken, surrounded by a community who refuses to let me walk alone. And I want to say thank you to Dr. Nadine Finnegan Carr and my Aunt Lisa Walker, who's here with me today, and to my family and friends who are watching online. I stand before you with a voice that's restored by God, strong, unwavering, and anointed for a time such as this. But let me be very clear. This is not my victory alone. It belongs to every survivor who refuses to be silenced, every advocate who keeps fighting alongside us, and every person in this room who believes that freedom is not a privilege. It is a birthright. Survivors are no longer whispering our stories from the shadows. We are shaping national strategies, advising governments, and leading conversations that once excluded us or spoke for us. We are standing at podiums like this one. And yet the reality still remains stark. Children still account for one third of identified victims globally. Convictions for crimes of forced labor remains disproportionately low despite the magnitude of the crime, which earns its perpetrators an estimated $236 billion per year. Organized criminal networks are stronger, more coordinated, and more digitally sophisticated than ever, and the digital pathways they use to groom and exploit their victims are growing faster than the policies aimed at addressing them. Survivors still face criminal records for crimes they were forced to commit. Families are still being torn apart by misguided policies that only creates more victims. The LGBTQ plus youth are being targeted and discriminated against. Migrants are still being exploited, and far too many survivors still do not receive the long-term care or economic support they so desperately need. Allow me to speak plainly, if you will. Because being gentle doesn't save lives. Human trafficking is succeeding because governments are moving too slowly. In case you didn't hear me, I would like to repeat that. Human trafficking is succeeding because governments are moving too slowly. This is the truth survivors live with every day. We cannot end trafficking with half measures, soft commitments, or symbolic gestures. We cannot fight a modern crime with outdated tools. We cannot continue documenting the problem more thoroughly than we are solving it. And while the Global Plan of Action has sparked meaningful progress, we must acknowledge with honesty and courage that gaps remain far large enough for millions to fall through. We cannot fix what we refuse to face. So I want to ask you three simple questions. Are you doing enough? Are we acting with the urgency that this crisis deserves? Are we willing to be bold? Survivors don't need sympathy. We need systems that honor our humanity and our dignity, that believes us and walks alongside us. Survivors need true freedom. Survivors are not here to inspire pity. We are here to inspire policy. We are not here to decorate agendas. We are here to direct them. We are not merely voices. We are strategists, analysts, leaders, and architects of solutions that work. Our voices must not be an optional part of the anti-trafficking efforts. They must be the very foundation of those efforts. If policies are being written about survivors without survivors at the table, these policies are incomplete. Survivors need to be at the table at the inception, not as an afterthought to review what has already been written. As we look to the next four years of the Global Action Plan, I challenge all of you To fully integrate survivor leadership at every stage of anti-trafficking strategy, not as tokens, but as experts, as paid experts. Make survivor leadership a standard, not a slogan. Strengthen and create uniform protections for victims criminalized as a direct result of their victimization, including those exploited online and forced into digital crime. No survivor should be punished by the law for their own exploitation. Invest in long-term, sustainable services and economic empowerment planning for survivors so that they can rebuild with dignity. And I'm not talking about a 30-day plan, but a plan that lasts long enough for healing. Mandate comprehensive trauma-informed training for all professionals who touch the lives of survivors so that they can identify, support, and protect victims effectively. Invest in true prevention efforts, such as economic opportunities, safe migration, digital protections for children, and community-based solutions led by those closest to the harm. Modernize identification tools and referral pathways to reflect emerging technologies and evolving crime trends. Set tangible goals to increase countries' victim identification rates. Strengthen partnerships across governments, the private sector, and civil society, and hold yourselves accountable with transparent, measurable results. This is our moment to act. This is our moment to act. Not tomorrow, not at the next appraisal, but right now. We need to act now because lives depend on what we choose to do at this very moment. I stand here today because someone provided light when I was surrounded by darkness. Imagine the world we would build if every person in this room choose to be a light for someone else. So the question is, will you be the light? Imagine a world where survivors are doctors, lawyers, ambassadors, CEO, teachers, political leaders, not because we overcame trafficking, but because the world helped us rise after it. So my question again is, will you help survivors rise? Human trafficking is not too big to solve. It is only as big as our inaction. But I believe in everyone in this room. I believe in the global community. I believe in the power of survivors. And I believe that real, collective, unapologetic courage can and will end human trafficking. So let us rise. Let us build. Let us act. Let us choose the kind of world we want our children to inherit. And let us declare with one loud, united voice, Human trafficking will not define our future. Our courage and our action will. My name is Shamere McKenzie, and I thank you for your time.

I thank Ms. McKenzie and all the other speakers for your strong words. The Assembly will now proceed to consider draft resolution A/80/L.8, entitled 2025 Political Declaration on the Implementation of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in persons. Members are reminded that pursuant to resolution 79/286, any explanation of vote on the political declaration shall be incorporated into national statements instead of being made at the opening segment. The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution. May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/80/L.8? It is so decided. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Her Excellency Maria Michail, Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations, and His Excellency Zhonibek Ikmach, Permanent Representative of Tajikistan to the United Nations, who ably and patiently conducted the discussions and complex negotiations in the informal consultations on the draft resolution. I am sure members of the Assembly join me in extending to them our sincere appreciation. The opening segment is now concluded. Before giving the floor to the first speaker from my list, I would like to remind delegations that pursuant to resolution 79/286, The time limit will be three minutes for individual delegations and five minutes for statements made on behalf of a group of states. The time limit for statements will be strictly enforced by means of automatic microphone cut-off. A timer will be projected to the screen. Having said this, I would appeal to all speakers to deliver their statements at a reasonable pace to facilitate interpretation into the six official languages. I invite Her Excellency Corinne Irea, Vice President of the Republic of Guatemala.

Good morning, President, distinguished delegates. As Vice President of the Republic of Guatemala, I am addressing this General Assembly with the belief that combating trafficking in persons requires political will and sustained international cooperation. Guatemala is a reliable strategic partner in the region. We are committed to upholding human dignity, guaranteeing justice, and to moving toward a future in which all people, especially women, children, and migrants, are safe from trafficking. Our government has consolidated significant progress, and we are addressing challenges with determination to provide a comprehensive response to victims. We're commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Global Plan of Action, and at this time we renew our resolve to strengthen its essential pillars. With regard to prevention, we have expanded the community efforts of the SVEAT Secretariat and have benefited almost 600,000 people thanks to awareness raising campaigns and improvement of data analysis. Together with local authorities and private sector initiatives, we are expanding and optimizing free and official anonymous reporting mechanisms. This has allowed us to improve our response capacity through platforms such as 2pista.gt and Crime Stoppers. We have nine UNIVET mobile units, which spread information about prevention of trafficking and sexual exploitation in our country's 10 departments. When it comes to protection and assistance, we prioritize detecting and identifying victims for integration and non-criminalization, especially for women and children, with differentiated attention provided to them. Our Congress has approved the Act for Preventing and punishing trafficking in women, girls, and adolescents in the penitentiary system. When it comes to criminal prosecution, we have built up the capacity of justice actors and security forces. We are a regional example for specialized institutions and for strengthening the interinstitutional commission against the trafficking of persons. At the regional level, we have been reelected as president of the Regional Coalition Against Trafficking in Persons. and illicit trafficking of migrants, as well as the eighth meeting of national authorities of the OEA. We have strengthened cooperation and technical exchange when it comes to trafficking in persons. We are currently facing an increase in the number of victims that have been abducted, including with the help of digital technologies. This requires new actions and new momentum in a regional campaign to combat exploitation, labor exploitation, and forced labor as well. We continue to work with the UNODC, member states, and partners in the region. Microphone was cut off for the speaker.

Agradezco a la vicepresidenta de Guatemala. And now I'm going to give the floor to His Excellency Denys Ilutin, Minister of Social Policy, Family, and Unity of Ukraine.

Mr. President, Excellencies, colleagues, For Ukraine, this discussion is rooted in the human consequences of war. Russia's full-scale invasion has created conditions where trafficking has multiplied and transformed. Displacement, insecurity, and loss of livelihoods increase vulnerability, while digital platforms and AI extend traffickers' reach far beyond borders. Ukraine offers a vulnerable experience, valuable experience of how trafficking evolves in conflict and how protection system must evolve just as quickly to stop it. Children remain among the most vulnerable, especially those who lost or were separated from their parents. Women and children who sought safety abroad also face high risk of sexual and labor exploitation. Men are increasingly targeted for forced labor and conflict-related activities. At the same time, new and more brutal forms of exploitation have emerged. the forced transfer of civilians, including children, to the Russian Federation, use of men from the occupied territories in armed conflict, mixed patterns combining sexual and labor exploitation. We are determined not only to respond, but to build stronger and more resilient system. Ukraine is preparing a new state program on combating trafficking in persons until 2030, aligned with EU law, introducing the ability for legal entities, establishing an independent national repertoire, and integrating anti-trafficking measures into our wider social services, including support for internally displaced people, survivors of violence, veterans, and people returning from captivity. But the scale and speed of trafficking today require global solutions. First, we need deeper and more predictable cross-border cooperation. Victim identification and referral procedures must be harmonized. Second, Technology company must take real responsibility. The misuse of social media and AI demands standards and mandatory cooperation with law enforcement. Third, preventing exploitation is essential for Ukraine's recovery. Protecting people at home and abroad is part of rebuilding a resilient, modern, social inclusivity country. Fourth, we need stable, long-term financing for protection system, shelters, survivor center services, digital case management, and reintegration support. We must act together with more urgency and scale. Every delay means freedom lost for another child, another woman, another man. Trafficking in conflict settings must be addressed through a dedicated global framework that unites protection, accountability, and safeguards against technological misuse. Ukraine remains fully committed to the Global Plan of Action. With our partners, we aim to emerge from this war with stronger institutions and protection systems. Thank you.

I thank the Minister of Social Policy, Family, and Unity of Ukraine, and now I give the floor to His Excellency Georges Wilbert Frang, Minister of Social Affairs and Work of Haiti.

Madam President, distinguished heads of delegation, distinguished delegates, it's with great interest that the Government of Haiti, which I have the honor of representing, is taking part in this high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the appraisal of the UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. As part of efforts to combat this scourge, which undermines human dignity, Haiti commends the significant progress that has been made at a global level. And yet we still have a long way to go. On the national level, the ratification of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its additional protocol. part of the main actions of the Haitian state for strengthening its regulatory framework against trafficking in persons. In 2014, our law against trafficking in persons established the National Commission Against Trafficking in Persons, which was enacted officially in our country. We have decrees as well under our new criminal code that criminalize trafficking in persons. We also have prevention and protection measures that are being funded. Our country has a national strategy to combat trafficking in persons 2025, 2035, and a national policy for social protection and promotion, which aims by 2040 to reduce inequalities and economic, social, institutional injustices in Turalia. Madam President. Poverty, unemployment, and insecurity caused by violent armed groups further expose the population to the risk of trafficking in persons. The number of women, children, young people exploited by gangs is extremely alarming. President, in terms of future prospects, we know that trafficking in persons is a serious violation of human rights. and are aware of its national and transnational nature. Our government, therefore, renews our commitment to continue its actions to combat this scourge in all of its forms and on all fronts. In this vein, the national authorities have adopted necessary measures to fight insecurity, which is one of the root causes of trafficking in persons in our country. I hope this high-level meeting will benefit men, women, girls and boys exposed to this appalling and dehumanizing action that is trafficking in persons throughout the world. Long live international solidarity. Thank you.

I thank the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor of Haiti.

I'm going to give the floor to His Excellency Begmirat Muhammedov, the General Prosecutor of Turkmenistan.

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, At the outset, I would like to express our appreciation to the General Assembly for convening this important meeting. This year marks major anniversaries of the Global Plan of Action and the Palermo Protocol, two milestones which continue to guide global efforts.

Against human trafficking.

Turkmenistan, according to its international commitments, has established a strong legal framework in this area. We remain committed to address trafficking and its fundamental reasons in a systematic manner. In this regard, I would like to highlight key measures recently undertaken by my country. First, in January this year, the President of Turkmenistan approved country's third national action plan for next five years. This action plan serves as a strong national framework, which consists of main pillars: prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership. Second, the newly established interagency commission serves as a central coordination mechanism. The commission's regular meetings ensure coherent action among relevant agencies, also systematically reviews international recommendations. Third, Turkmenistan continue to advance international and regional cooperation. We consolidate our efforts through partnership with UNODC, IOM, and ILO, whose critical work we acknowledge and fully support. Joint cooperation focuses primarily on capacity building and institutional strengthening to ensure effective implementation. Furthermore, Turkmenistan continues to strengthen its legal framework and advancing a victim-centered approach, including new regulations specifically to ensure victim protection, rehabilitation, and reintegration. Excellencies, we recognize the concern outlined in the Global Plan of Action. which highlight the need for stronger early warning systems, better social services, and enhanced cross-border cooperation. We also underlined the risks urged by the growing misuse of digital technology and AI, including emerging forms of cyber trafficking. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that Turkmenistan stands ready to enhance international cooperation and joint action against human trafficking. We must reinforce prevention, enhance protection, and ensure prosecution without impunity. I thank you.

I thank the General Prosecutor of Turkmenistan.

The floor to Mr. the Vice Minister of Technical Affairs of Paraguay.

President, distinguished delegates, 15 years after the adoption of the UN Global Plan of Action, To combat trafficking in persons, we reaffirm our political will and our firm commitment to strengthening measures to put an end to this monstrous crime. We note the actions taken by our government through close coordination between national institutions and in light of the trans-border nature of this crime through international cooperation. Evaluation of the implementation of the National Prevention Plan to combat trafficking in persons allowed us to make progress. in care provided to victims, together with coordination with shelters, health care services, access to justice, and so forth. We have expanded our approach to apply it to internal trafficking as well, which represents 50% of cases. We have established a secretariat to combat trafficking in persons, to develop strategic actions in this area between our interinstitutional bureau and our national chancellery. as well as the participation of other institutions in this area. In the same vein, we have noted an increase in our capacity for investigation and prosecution of cases and have stepped up international cooperation to improve aid to victims and the prosecution of criminal networks. In December 2024, the consular protocol of action to assist victims of trafficking was established. It was developed in cooperation with the Eurofund program and other partners. This instrument strengthens capacity for consular representation to assist and repatriate cases abroad. President, we have consolidated our structures to make concrete accomplishments. ensuring implementation of our national plan and to enhance prosecution, together with international cooperation, allowing us to position our country as one that is committed to the UN Global Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons, although there still are challenges that remain in terms of financing, regional measures, and differentiated care for victims. As for the political declaration that was adopted and the approach taken toward trafficking in persons, In accordance with the provisions of our constitution and our current regulatory framework, we uphold the right to life. No form of discrimination is tolerated. This is a judicial framework that is the basis of relations between men and women in our country. We emphasize positive efforts in Paraguay when it comes to regional and international cooperation and efforts to combat trafficking and related crimes.

Let's cut off for the speaker.

I would like to thank the distinguished speaker from Paraguay.

Excellency Shaikha Jabher Ibrahim Al Duaih Al Sabah, Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights Affairs of Kuwait.

President, ladies and gentlemen, may the peace of God and His blessing be upon you. The delegation of the State of Kuwait is pleased to take part in this high-level meeting in recognition of the growing importance of the United Nations and the international community that they attach to combating trafficking in persons, which is a scourge and a flagrant violation of human rights and a threat to the security and stability of societies. President, the State of Kuwait's commitment to combating trafficking in persons is a firm one. that is rooted in the country's constitution and its guiding principles, as well as a comprehensive legislative framework, including Law Number 91 of 2013 on combating trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, as well as Law Number 114 of 2024 on the residency of foreigners. as well as ongoing reforms in our labor and domestic worker regulations. Kuwait also aligns its national efforts with sustainable development goals, especially SDG 8, and with its international obligations under the Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols. Institutionally speaking, Kuwait has established the Permanent National Committee for Combating Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants, which recently launched the National Strategy 2025-2028 entitled Towards Protecting Rights and Strengthening Justice, with the goal of shifting from traditional approaches toward an integrated methodology based on early detection, institutional responsibility, victim protection, accountability, and combating impunity. Kuwait has also strengthened its protection mechanisms by activating a national referral system, launching an electronic reporting system, and establishing specialized departments in the public prosecutor's office and the Ministry of the Interior. We have also opened shelters for men and women that provide medical, psychological and social services. These centers serve as practical models for taking care of potential victims. Additionally, the State has designated six sites for constructing labor cities that provide safe and dignified living and working environments. The President, at the regional and international levels, Kuwait underscores the importance of effective partnerships. Microphone was cut off for the speaker.

I thank the Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights Affairs of Kuwait for his statement, for her statement, actually.

Thank you.

And now I give the floor to Sheikha Naqba bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Secretary of the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking of Qatar.

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. President, distinguished delegates, may the peace of God be upon you. I'm pleased to speak at this high-level meeting and reaffirm the State of Qatar's support for the adoption of the political declaration on the implementation of the global plan of action to combat trafficking in persons. We also express our appreciation for the efforts that are taken to draft a text that reflects broad international consensus on the need to move from commitment to accelerating effective implementation. My country remains firmly committed to supporting UN efforts to combat trafficking in persons through strengthening the work of our National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking. which plays a central role in preventing crime, protecting victims, prosecuting perpetrators, and enhancing partnerships to ensure integration and sustainability. It's become clear that the main challenge is not the lack of international frameworks, but rather closing the implementation gap and strengthen our collective capacity to confront the changing dynamics of trafficking. We emphasize three essential pathways for the future. First, improving the quality of data and analysis and strengthening cooperation information exchange in accordance with national legislation, which is a key prerequisite to evidence-based policies. Second, strengthening comprehensive prevention approaches, the factors that increase Individuals' vulnerability to exploitation require integrated development and social responses, including by empowering the most vulnerable and regulating recruitment and employment practices and raising awareness. Third, strengthening human-centered protection systems by adopting approaches that place survivors at the heart of the response, ensuring their safety and dignity, and facilitating their access to justice without linking such access to their participation in criminal proceedings. We also need to improve national coordination through effective referral mechanisms. My country is working to expand protection and prevention through a national system that includes psychological, social, and legal support programs, as well as the national referral mechanism. We are also combating forced labor by ratifying two relevant ILO conventions and by undertaking legislative reforms to ensure a fair and safe working environment. Technological developments, which are rapid, require a more flexible and adapted approach. Combating exploitation methods that rely on modern technologies requires strengthening our law enforcement capacities as well as expanding partnerships with the private sector. We must also enhance cross-border cooperation. We need more monitoring and accountability at the international, regional, and national levels. We support the adoption of this political declaration, which is a fundamental step toward a new phase of joint action. Microphone was cut off for the speaker.

I think and the Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Secretary of the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking of Qatar. And now I'm going to give the floor to Judge Abdulrahman Murad Al-Blooshi, Head of the International Cooperation and Legal Affairs Sector, Deputy Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking of the United Arab Emirates.

In the name of God, most compassionate, most merciful. Madam President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, may the peace, blessings, and mercy of God be upon you. At the outset, allow me to congratulate you on the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. We thank the Presidency for convening this very important meeting, which reflects the priority given to or by the GA and United Nations bodies to the prevention of this inhumane crime that preys upon innocent individuals and threatens their safety. The UAE was amongst the first countries that have ratified the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent and Suppress trafficking in persons, in particular women and children. We've undertaken serious steps to establish an integrated ecosystem to protect individuals and prevent impunity. We've also established national policies and frameworks to address this crime while constantly improving the effectiveness of prevention and response efforts. Madam President, we've enacted the first law against trafficking in persons in 2006, and we were amongst the first countries of the region to do so. We've established and amended the relevant national laws to ensure the adaptability of our ecosystems to the developments or to global developments and to provide a wide array of services. victims of exploitation. In 2023, we enacted the latest amendments with stricter penalties that can amount to a life sentence and a fine exceeding 5 million dirhams, while providing an array of protection services to survivors to ensure that we break the cycle of exploitation. In 2012, we've established the National Crime Prevention Strategy based on the four P's approach, so as to align our efforts with United Nations international standards. We've also launched the 2025-2027 National Plan, which is based on the five fundamental pillars of crime prevention, prosecution of offenders, punishment, protection of victims, and international cooperation. In the past few years, our world was in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this crime has shifted to the digital realm, and transnational criminal organizations have been resorting to electronic tools. Therefore, we believe in the need to leverage modern technologies to address this heinous crime. Expertise exchange is of utmost importance. And this is based on our conviction in ensuring strengthened international cooperation. Therefore, in 2026, we will host the International Convention for Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

I thank the head of the International Cooperation and Legal Affairs Sector, Deputy Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking of the United Arab Emirates, And now I'm going to give the floor to the next speaker, the distinguished representative of Belarus on behalf of the Group of Friends United Against Human Trafficking.

Distinguished Chair, this year, the international community marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its supplemented protocol, which form the legal basis for international efforts to combat trafficking in persons. Such events always provide an excellent opportunity to assess the progress made in combating this criminal practice. We would like to recall that these and all previous appraisals are conducted in accordance with the UNGA resolution 68/192, while the Global Plan itself was adopted in accordance with resolution 64/293. We are proud to say that both resolutions were presented by Belarus, the coordinator of the Group of Friends against Human Trafficking. with the close engagement of all members of the group. Trafficking in children is a grave human rights violation, which strips young individuals of their innocence, rights, and potential. According to the latest UNODC report, 38% of all detected victims of human trafficking are children, who are disproportionately impacted by trafficking, experiencing severe long-term physical, psychological, and social consequences. We underline that child protection and assistance must be fully integrated into all anti-trafficking frameworks, and our collective efforts must focus on comprehensive strategies that address prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships, which are the main pillars of the global plan. The Group of Friends continues to advocate for the need of improving the coordination of efforts against trafficking in persons and in this regard, welcomes the adoption of the same-named resolution by the UNGA Third Committee. The aforementioned resolution, the Global Plan itself, and today’s high-level meeting serve a single purpose: to keep the issue of human trafficking in sharp focus and to foster international cooperation, since no country can effectively combat trafficking in persons on its own. The Group of Friends calls on states to strengthen cooperation and coordination in countries of origin, transit, and destination in order to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks, share best practices, and improve information sharing. Cross-border cooperation is crucial to dismantling human trafficking networks and bringing offenders to justice. As a group of friends united against human trafficking, we stand united in our resolution to protect the rights and dignity of every individual, to bring traffickers to justice, and to create a future where exploitation and coercion have no place in our shared humanity.

Distinguished President, we'd now like to continue our statement in our national capacity. Belarus is proud to have spearheaded the idea of developing the UN Global Plan of Action to combat trafficking in persons. In the first years of this century, we took some key decisions on a national level, allowing us to fundamentally improve the situation in this area. This gave us the moral ground to speak out on the international level. The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, at the 2005 UN Summit put forward an initiative to combat trafficking in persons and has become our most important foreign policy priority. The Global Plan is part of these efforts we've made. What are the benefits of the Global Plan? First of all, for the first time, we ended up with a universal document in the area of combating trafficking in persons. because all previous international instruments were developed either within specialized or regional institutions. Secondly, the Global Plan of Action provided a comprehensive approach toward the issue of trafficking in persons and for the first time incorporated human rights into the efforts to fight this scourge. Thirdly, the Global Plan increased global awareness of the issue of trafficking in persons. The UNODC every two years, issues a global report on this topic. At the same time, the Global Plan of Action is not the end of our efforts to combat trafficking in persons. We must continue to move forward, keenly aware of and taking note of new aspects of this problem, especially effectively resolving them. Currently, we need to pay attention to new dimensions of trafficking in persons, including interlinkages between trafficking in persons and technology, AI, trafficking in persons in supply chains, and trafficking in children. in the General Assembly and the UN Commission on Crime have been focused on these aspects over the past few years. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Belarus, and now I'm going to give the floor to the distinguished representative of the European Union on behalf of the EU and its member states.

Thank you, Mr. President. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the group of states, namely Latvia, Poland, Ukraine, and my own country, Lithuania. The appraisal of the United Nations Global Plan of Action marks 15 years of collective commitment to preventing trafficking in persons, protecting victims and survivors, and reinforcing accountability. The political declaration adopted today during this high-level meeting reaffirms these obligations and highlights both achievements and the considerable challenge that persists. Human trafficking continues to evolve, particularly through the use of digital technologies, the activities of organized criminal groups, and the impact of conflicts and humanitarian crises that disproportionately affect women and children. As we take stock, it is essential that the commitments articulated in the Global Plan of Action translate into strengthened national frameworks, enhanced international cooperation, and effective victim- and survivor-centered responses. Upholding human rights, ensuring strong criminal justice measures, and addressing the root causes of the vulnerability must remain central to our efforts. Excellencies. In this context, it is equally important to consider a situation on the ground that tests our collective resolve and the effective implementation of the United Nations' commitments to combat trafficking in persons. Serious concerns remain regarding Belarus' actions, which are inconsistent with the principles and objectives underpinning the Global Plan of Action. The continued instrumentalization of migrants for political purposes at the EU-Belarus border has been extensively documented by international and regional bodies. Hybrid activities orchestrated by Belarus place individuals in vulnerable situations, into dangerous conditions, and expose them to heightened risks of exploitation. The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants condemned Belarusian authorities for the use of migrants as a political tool in violation of their human rights. Belarus is complicit in Russia's aggression against Ukraine. including the unlawful transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories. Independent investigations and regional bodies have documented that children transferred through or into Belarus were placed in institutions where they were subjected to political and military indoctrination. These acts bear a direct connection to trafficking-related abuses in situations of armed conflict and run counter to the protection that the Global Plan of Action seeks to reinforce. Mr. President, additionally, Belarus’ record of systematic human rights violations, including the widespread and unlawful detention of political prisoners, among them citizens of our four countries, severe restrictions of civil society, and breaches of fundamental rights and freedoms, is deeply concerning. It is insufficient measures to address human trafficking, combined with its active role in fueling the ongoing migration crisis through the instrumentalization of persons in vulnerable situations, reflect a persistent failure to comply with international obligations and uphold international law. Belarus' engagement in disruptive airspace incidents is another example of hybrid attacks, which also serves to embolden organized criminal groups, including those involved in smuggling and human trafficking. Taken together, these actions confirm that Belarus falls short of the credibility and reliability required to advance the United Nations agenda on trafficking in persons. Its conduct directly undermines the very commitments that the Global Plan of Action is designed to promote and protect. Excellencies, Latvia, Poland, Ukraine, and Lithuania remain firmly committed to combating trafficking in persons. We will continue to strengthen cooperation at national, regional, and international levels and ensure that victims and survivors receive protection, assistance, and access to justice. We stand ready to work with the partners in civil society to translate the commitments of the Global Plan of Action into concrete results. Combating trafficking in persons requires sustained political will and principled multilateral engagement, and we call on all Member States to uphold their obligations and protect those in the most vulnerable situations. I thank you, Mr. President.

I thank distinguished Ambassador of Lithuania. And now, yes, I'm going to give the floor to distinguished representative of the European Union on behalf of the EU and its member states. You have the floor, madam. I'm sorry about that mistake.

Thank you, Chair, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member states. The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia, as well as Armenia, Monaco, San Marino, align themselves with this statement. Preventing and combating trafficking and supporting victims remains a priority for the EU and its member states. We welcome the adoption of the Political Declaration on the implementation of the Global Plan of Action to combat trafficking in persons. Its implementation is crucial in our joint and multilateral effort to fight this horrible crime. We stand firmly behind the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Trafficking in Persons Protocol. In the European Union, trafficking for sexual exploitation remains the most prevalent form of trafficking in persons. However, there is a concerning shift with an increasing number of victims being trafficked for labor exploitation. Moreover, trafficking for forced criminality is on the rise as organized criminal groups employ deceit and coercion to lure individuals in illegal operations, including drug trafficking and extreme violence. In the European Union, children represent 19% of victims. Safeguarding children from all forms of violence and upholding their right remains a top priority in the European Union. The proliferation of online platform poses additional risks. Technology and artificial intelligence also amplify traffickers' capabilities, enabling exploitation of victims on larger scale while providing greater anonymity and lower risk. To combat these evolving threats, coordinated and comparative actions are imperative. The EU calls for enhanced international cooperation and robust legal frameworks, urging the implementation of innovative technologies and actions for detection, prevention, and the prosecution of traffickers, while ensuring the protection of victims. Empowering law enforcement and judicial bodies to dismantle organized crime groups and enhancing community awareness and resilience are crucial steps. The EU condemns the intensifying hybrid threats along its eastern borders, including the instrumentalization of migration as a tool of political pressure. frequently coordinated by actors aiming to destabilize public order and undermine security. The EU has a solid legal policy framework in place to address trafficking in persons, The revised anti-trafficking directive introduced new forms of exploitation and provides stronger tools for law enforcement and judicial authorities to investigate and prosecute, including those that take place online, ensuring a higher level of assistance and support to victims. EU member states are now required to establish formal referral mechanisms, enhancing early identification and assistance to victims. It is also required to establish national anti-trafficking coordinators and national anti-trafficking plans. The EU's strategy on combating trafficking in persons also provides a comprehensive approach. The EU and its member states will work in 2026 toward a renewed EU strategy to better take into account remaining shortcomings and emerging challenges. The EU and its Member States remain also committed to working closely with international partners to eradicate trafficking in persons and any other form of exploitation, be it for criminal or political purposes, and to ensure responsible actors are held accountable and victims are better protected. We will continue to advance comprehensive measures against trafficking in persons, addressing emerging hybrid threats, including at our external borders, and contribute actively to further developments at international and European level, with full respect for fundamental rights and humanitarian principles. Thank you for your attention.

I thank the distinguished representative of the European Union, and now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Solomon Islands on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, I have the honour to to deliver this statement on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum member states with presence in New York. We welcome this high-level meeting to appraise the United Nations Global Plan of Action to combat trafficking in persons. For the Blue Pacific, transnational organized crimes are a growing threat. Trafficking in persons and trafficking of illicit drugs are proliferating in our communities and continue to stretch national law enforcement capabilities. This threat is a lived reality, one that threatens our security, undermines our development, and violates the dignity of our people. The vast expanse of oceans separating our nations creates a strategic corridor situated between illicit markets and manufacturing centers, which certain actors exploit to take advantage of our vulnerabilities. Our vast ocean borders, limited enforcement capacity, and increasing connectivity have created an enabling environment for criminal networks to exploit our communities. Trafficking of persons in the Pacific is not only about movement, but one also on exploitation. It manifests in forced labor, abuse of migrants, sexual exploitation, particularly women and children. Our own countries are experiencing different forms of trafficking in persons that manifest in different settings across our islands. Trafficking in persons often intersects with other transnational crimes, including the illicit drug trade, cybercrime, and financial fraud. This convergence significantly increases the risks faced by our communities. The Pacific is increasingly being targeted, not just as a transit point, but as a destination. Organized criminal groups are embedding themselves in our communities, exploiting trusted insiders, and camouflaging their operations within legitimate businesses. Mr. President, the Pacific Islands Forum has responded with resolve. In 2018, forum leaders endorsed the Boy Declaration on Regional Security. The declaration also identified transnational crimes as a serious security concern for the region. This is re-emphasized under the peace and security thematic area of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, agreed to by our leaders in July 2022. Last year, the region launched the Pacific Islands Forum Regional Strategy to Disrupt Transnational Organized Crimes 2024 to 2028, which sets out a vision to ensure the Pacific is a place where organized criminal groups find it exceptionally difficult to operate. This year in Honiara, Solomon Islands, Our leaders once again highlighted the dangers of transnational organization crimes, especially the widespread problem of drug trafficking and drugs infiltrating our Pacific communities. This demonstrate a commitment to a whole of government and a whole of society approach, one that prioritizes prevention, strengthens intelligence sharing, and builds capacity across borders. Whilst there is collective effort in this front, more needs to be done. We call for stronger partnerships with the United Nations system, including UNODC, IOM, and OHCHR, to support our efforts in the following areas: one, prevention of trafficking in persons; two, strengthen victim protection; three, improve data collection; legislative reforms that would allow enable prosecutions of perpetrators, as well as sensitizing the courts to trafficking in person cases. We urge member states to recognize the unique vulnerabilities of small island developing states and to ensure the global framework are responsive to our realities. Mr. President, We reaffirm our group's commitment to the principles of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking. This commitment anchored in the 2050 Strategy of the Blue Pacific Continent, which places peace and security.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Solomon Islands and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cyprus.

Mr. President, Cyprus aligns with the statement just delivered by the European Union, and allow me to make some further remarks in my national capacity. We welcome the convening of this high-level meeting as a unique opportunity to assess our progress, address gaps, and reaffirm our determination to combat trafficking in persons. On this 15th anniversary, Cyprus reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. It was indeed a great honour for Cyprus, along with Tajikistan, to co-facilitate this important process leading to today's high-level meeting and the adoption of the 2025 Political Declaration. Today's adoption by consensus is a strong message reinforcing our collective commitment to combat trafficking in all its forms. Mr. President, Cyprus is unequivocal in its position that trafficking in persons is a grave violation of fundamental human rights an affront to our shared values. It is a heinous crime transcending borders with a complex and volatile nature, a serious global issue affecting millions of people of all ages worldwide. We are seriously alarmed by the statistics from the latest UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. Learning from our own weaknesses and challenges, Cyprus has recognized the need for a comprehensive and victim-centered approach, making substantive progress in preventing and combating this crime. And in this respect, we have enacted a robust legal framework to criminalize all forms of trafficking in persons, to strengthen the penalties for offenders, as well as ensuring the protection of victims aligned with European and international standards. For example, Cyprus recently amended the relevant legislation, criminalizing the creation of child sexual abuse material with the use of artificial intelligence, alarmed by the fact that technology is being weaponized for the exploitation and victimization of children. And furthermore, Cyprus has adopted a strategy for the prevention and tackling of human trafficking and the protection of the victims for 23-26, aiming to deal with the issue in a comprehensive and integrated way. The current national action plan includes a set of 38 actions, constantly evaluated by the multidisciplinary coordinating group. Trafficking in persons is a crime driven by economic profit. In this regard, Cyprus, together with the OSCE, developed a strategic analysis report on financial intelligence information for combating trafficking in human beings, with the purpose to alert, assist, and support obliged entities in the detection of suspicious transactions and suspicious activities possibly related to trafficking in persons. Mr. President, We need to stand firm in our conviction that human dignity is non-negotiable. No one, I believe, could have been unaffected.

I thank the distinguished representative of Cyprus, and now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea.

Thank you, Mr. President. As this high-level meeting makes clear, the scourge of trafficking in persons remains a pressing global challenge. Alarmingly, technology-facilitated trafficking in persons, including activities linked to online scam operations and forced criminality, has expanded across regions. No country, including my own, is an exception. The growing misuse of the digital platforms, social media, and generative AI has enabled traffickers to recruit, coerce, exploit individuals with unprecedented reach and speed. It is in this context that the Republic of Korea, together with 43 countries from multiple regions deliberate a joint statement on this issue immediately before today's meeting. Our collective voice reflects a shared understanding. Emerging forms of trafficking pose a serious threat to human rights and may, in certain circumstances, amount to crimes against humanity. The statement also underscores the urgency of the coordinated and comprehensive action. To effectively address these evolving challenges, we must reinforce the core pillars of prevention, prosecution, protection, and partnership. This requires close collaboration among member states, regional bodies, civil societies, and the tech sector, and UN entities, each bringing unique strengths to a shared cause. For its part, the Republic of Korea is deepening practical cooperation with UNODC through regional crime prevention, criminal justice initiatives. Bilaterally and with ASEANAPOL, we continue to expand police-to-police cooperation with ASEAN counterparts to strengthen investigation, information sharing, and joint operations. These efforts reflect our commitment to firmly confronting emerging forms of trafficking together with affected regions. Mr. President, in closing, the Republic of Korea wishes to reaffirm its commitment to working with all member states and partners to advance the Global Plan of Action and to ensure that our collective response remains agile, rights-based, and rooted in international Solidarity. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea, and now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Japan.

Thank you, Mr. President.

On behalf of the Government of Japan, I would like to welcome the convening of this high-level meeting.

Today, against the backdrop of globalization, economic disparity, and technological advancements, trafficking in persons remains a grave crime threatening people around the world, driving other forms of crime, and hindering the achievement of the SDGs. Japan believes that holistic approach focusing on the dignity of each person is indispensable to overcoming this situation. and human security, the foundation for such approach, can be a catalyst in this regard, seeking to protect and empower individuals. Mr. President, in 2022, the government revised action plan to combat trafficking in persons appropriately and comprehensively address current challenges, reflecting Japan's commitment According to the plan, the government reviews its implementation by issuing an annual report on measures taken, which also raises public awareness. Mr. President, the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its supplementing protocol to prevent, suppress, and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, play a central role in the fight against trafficking in persons. Japan has fully and effectively implemented these instruments since becoming party in 2017. Based on the protocol, the government is taking united measure to eradicate trafficking in persons and ensure that vulnerable victims, including women and children.

Are not overlooked.

Mr. President, as a part of its global efforts, Japan has been providing support to strengthen response capabilities by funding projects in Southeast Asia organized by UNODC and other partners. Through collaboration with IOM, over 300 victims have safely returned to their homes since 2005, and more than 200 victims have received reintegration assistance. Additionally, Japan conducts training programs through the Japan International Cooperation Agency to deepen mutual understanding on human trafficking countermeasures with stakeholders in Asian countries and to promote more effective regional cooperation. In concluding, Japan reaffirms its commitment to ending this crime in close cooperation with Member States, relevant UN organizations, and civil society. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Japan, and now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Israel.

Thank you, President. My name is Dina Dominitz, and over the past nine years, I have had the privilege of serving as the Israeli National Coordinator for the Combat of Human Trafficking. leading the Israeli government's consistent and determined actions, together with strong collaborations forged with civil society and international partners. Over these years, Israel has reached outstanding achievements and has taken many important strides in combating trafficking that demonstrate our steadfast commitment to stand up against the cruel use of the innocent, targeting the demand that fosters these crimes, which run contrary to our values of freedom, democracy, and human dignity. I would like to highlight a few example of the Israeli counter-trafficking best practices. First, an advisory committee integrating government, NGOs, and survivors was established as part of a revised victim recognition mechanism in a holistic, trauma-sensitive process which has resulted in a rise in identifications and in government referrals. In addition, a dedicated state-funded NGO social worker has been appointed to be present at the airport borders and enforcement operations in order to support presumed victims referred by the government in the pre-recognition stages. I am proud to share that both the survivor leaders and the social worker will be receiving the President of Israel's award for heroes of the fight against trafficking in an honorary ceremony next week. A third example is the special focus Israel is dedicating to proactive enforcement and prevention of labor trafficking, including a dramatic increase in resources, such as new police units. The implementation is both nationally and internationally, by expanding the bilateral agreement frameworks for the recruitment of foreign workers and providing accessible information in a new online platform and app. Fourth, Israel's new legislation expands state-funded legal aid to victims throughout the criminal process from the preliminary investigation stage. This is in addition to the legal aid provided in civil and administrative proceedings. Lastly, a new fully government-funded one-stop day center for trafficking victims was launched with triple funding and staffing to allow holistic, tailored, trauma-informed support for victims in the community. Honorable President, beyond the particular horrors of the October 7th attack of Hamas and other terrorist organizations on Israel, and in its wake, my coordination unit has faced new challenges not many countries have experienced. We learned that recommendations for prevention and protection in situations of crisis should be included in national action plans, as in situations of emergency and conflict, vulnerabilities are exacerbated and demand a swift response. Looking forward, we still have considerable challenges. The rise of technological advances presents new and complex difficulties for law enforcement, alongside new opportunities. We are facing new rising patterns such as forced surrogacy, organ trafficking, child labor, and forced criminality, and we strive to take part and contribute to global cooperation and dialogue in dealing with these forms of modern slavery. We must continue to.

I thank the representative of Israel, and now I'm going to.

I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Costa Rica.

President. On the 25th anniversary of the Palermo Convention and its Protocol on Trafficking in Persons, Costa Rica celebrates its near universal ratification. This legal framework underpins the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, adopted by the GA in 2010, which we are evaluating today. Allow me to make three points. First, human trafficking is now a large scale transnational phenomenon that demands a concerted international response. According to ILO data, 28 million people are in situations of forced labor, and this crime generates $237 billion annually in illicit profits. Given this alarming volume, it is essential to deepen cooperation among states to guarantee mutual legal assistance. exchange of information and best practices, financial investigations into illicit flows, and cross-border police coordination. Secondly, the gender dimension must be a cross-cutting theme in all actions against trafficking. According to the UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 61% of detected victims are women and girls, a figure that highlights the disproportionate impact on this demographic. Costa Rica urges States to fully implement Article 6.6 of the Protocol through specific measures for prevention, prosecution, and protection. with dedicated resources and differentiated policies. Third, the digital transformation of transnational crime raises questions about the adequacy of our legal instruments. Traffickers recruit through social media, launder assets with cryptocurrencies, and perpetrate exploitation through digital platforms. Costa Rica considers it necessary to examine the development of complementary instruments that establish binding obligations for technology platforms and effective mechanisms for tracking digital assets. President, the successful fight against trafficking depends on international cooperation capable of adapting to the new dynamics and technologies used by criminals. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement.

To the distinguished representative of Kenya on behalf of the African Group.

Madam President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, On behalf of the African Group, we thank you for convening this important meeting 25 years after the adoption of the Organized Crime Convention. and its supplemental protocols on trafficking in persons, and three phases of the appraisal of the General Assembly of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. We hail the collective efforts towards elimination of trafficking in persons and the lessons learned on the best way to effectively address this scourge in the midst of the prevailing challenges, including climate change, conflict, and financial crisis, among others. The African Group takes deep pride in the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. As a universally approved mechanism for coordinating national, regional, and international efforts, the Global Plan of Action acts not only as a coordinating platform for all the member states of the United Nations, but as a strategic facilitating framework for the international community to work coherently towards preventing, fighting trafficking in persons. Excellencies, we are convinced that this plan remains an important pillar to accelerate progress for the implementation of the existing international instruments, including the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, supplementing the 2000 Palermo Convention on Organized Crime. The plan fills the gap existing amongst all instruments, plans, and strategies, whether national, regional, or international, in unified, coherent, comprehensive, and coordinated manner that would not duplicate the work, but consolidate and complement existing efforts to fight both national and international trafficking in persons. Chairperson, the African group is concerned about the continuing increase in the trafficking in persons, especially women and children. This is a profoundly serious threat to human dignity, physical integrity, human rights, and fundamental freedoms, as well as sustainable development. We are of the view that this UN Global Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons is a milestone towards ending victimization, improving the prosecution of perpetrators, as well as preventing and protecting all from falling into the hands of organized crime. Additionally, the plan also facilitates compensation to victims and supports national efforts, relevant organizations in work towards this endeavor. In this connection, we applaud the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children, and we request its increased funding. We are similarly pleased by the role the Interagency Coordinating Group against Trafficking in Persons plays in line with the UN Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons. Ladies and gentlemen, the African Group applauds all global preventive measures undertaken, individual or collectively, to address the trafficking in persons. We additionally recognize the role of all states that continue to carry out initiatives to address the root causes of trafficking in persons and those that have developed academic curricula aimed at addressing trafficking in persons and child sexual exploitation. We therefore thank those states that have put legislation in place for victims' protection and employed efforts to protect and assist trafficked victims. We particularly recognize and call for greater efforts towards the increased engagement of survivors as key stakeholders, the establishment of survivor-led councils, and the enhancement of temporary accommodation, legal aid, medical and psychological care, vocational training, as well as access to labor markets. Madam President, Your Excellencies, in concluding, allow me, on behalf of the African Group, to reaffirm the group's commitment to the full and effective implementation of the UN Global Plan of Action in trafficking in persons by all positive actors. We also thank the UNODC and civil society organization, including the private sector, for their continued support in assisting member states in the fight against trafficking in persons. Let's join hands and count those who are trafficked in order to establish the roadmap ahead of us in eliminating this scourge. It goes without saying, you don't count if you are not counted. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Kenya. And now I'm going to give the floor to the distinguished representative of India.

Mr. President, Excellencies, and distinguished delegates, India welcomes this critical appraisal of the United Nations Global Plan of Action. We stand here today not just in our capacity as a member state, but as a nation unwavering in its resolve to eliminate this profound transgression against humanity. The challenge before us is global, pervasive, and constantly evolving. Criminal groups continue to exploit our defense gaps to traffic victims into modern slavery. We must therefore act together and decisively to secure our borders against these predators. For India, the fight against trafficking is a sacred national commitment. This resolve is legally enshrined in Article 23 of our Constitution, a fundamental mandate that prohibits human trafficking and forced labor. I would like to mention that last year, India achieved a monumental legislative milestone. By enacting three new criminal codes, we have fundamentally reshaped our legal framework. The new laws mandate swift trials for crimes against women and children, and leverage the most advanced investigative technologies and protocols. Mr. President, the chains of trafficking cannot be broken by any single nation working in isolation. India is therefore resolute in its commitment to the spirit of Global Plan of Action. We have ratified the UNTOC and its Palermo Protocol. Regionally, we are working through BIMSTEC, which has a dedicated subgroup on trafficking in persons. We feel that we must utilize this appraisal to move decisively from mere verbal commitments towards high-impact, measurable implementation. India, on its part, is committed to actively engage with all Member States, specialized UN agencies, and civil society organizations to counter and defeat the menace of trafficking. India pledges its continued efforts for dismantling the architecture of trafficking, for securing absolute, non-negotiable freedom of every human being. We assure you of India’s unwavering partnership in this crucial humanitarian mission. Thank you for your attention.

I thank the distinguished representative of India. And now I’m going to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Australia.

President, distinguished delegates, Australia welcomes this opportunity to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to combat human trafficking at home and abroad through prevention, a comprehensive criminal justice response, and supporting, protecting, and empowering survivors. We have delivered on our Human Rights 75 pledge by strengthening Australia's Modern Slavery Act. appointing our first federal anti-slavery commissioner, and driving international cooperation through our ambassador to counter modern slavery and human trafficking. Against today's challenging geostrategic circumstances, human trafficking continues to evolve, presenting new challenges that demand agile and coordinated responses. No country is immune, and no country can effectively respond alone. Implementing the action plan and deepening cooperation remain critical. We thank UNODC for its 2024 Global Report, which exposes alarming trends, particularly trafficking for forced criminality into online scam operations. Australia is deeply concerned about the rise of online scam centers in Southeast Asia and their ties to organized crime, including human trafficking, cyber fraud, and money laundering. We welcome today's discussions and will continue working with partners to share information, dismantle syndicates, and protect victims and survivors globally. Australia continues to drive strong and inclusive partnerships with regional and international organizations. We also champion partnerships with the private sector, civil society, research bodies, and most importantly, people with lived experience. Australia and Indonesia, as co-chairs of the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons, and Related Transnational Crime, brings together 45 states and four UN agencies for policy dialogue and practical cooperation. Australia's flagship human trafficking programs in ASEAN strengthen justice systems and protect victims' rights. Attitudes and actions that blame and punish victims and survivors must end. We are pleased to have supported ASEAN's new guideline on the non-punishment principle launched in June. Human trafficking is one of the gravest violations of human rights and undermines human dignity. It is driven by transnational crime, corruption, exploitation, and undermines stability and resilience. This is not a challenge for one nation. It is a test of our collective will. Together we can stop it, and to succeed, we must share best practices and collaborate meaningfully. Australia stands ready to work with partners equally committed to turning words into action and to building a world free from human trafficking. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Australia, and now I'm going to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Jamaica.

Honorable Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, allow me to extend warm greetings from our beautiful island of Jamaica. This is an opportunity for us to affirm our commitment to the eradication of human trafficking and to strengthen global cooperation on the UN Global Plan of Action. As most would be aware, the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa displaced thousands of Jamaicans. The resulting destruction highlighted just how climate-related disasters can amplify vulnerabilities to trafficking, especially for women and children. Our child protection officers, social workers, and law enforcement practitioners therefore continue to actively monitor displaced communities to mitigate the risk of trafficking. Our children's advocate and national repertoire also collaborate closely with organizations in the field regarding the establishment of child friendly spaces and child safeguarding protocols. So as Jamaica recovers. We are even more committed to including anti-trafficking measures in disaster resilience and emergency response plans. Our efforts to implement the Global Plan of Action are grounded in our Trafficking in Persons Prevention, Suppression, and Punishment Act. Our laws include specific measures that address child protection, cybercrimes, and organized criminal activity, which provide a solid foundation in our anti-human trafficking framework. Notwithstanding evolving threats such as online exploitation, demand agility, and continuous development. Child trafficking and trafficking for forced criminality comprise two key areas of concern, which are compounded by developments in cyberspace and artificial intelligence. While Jamaica has not formally defined forced criminality in law, the government has noted its significance, and efforts are underway to assess legislation and systems for cooperation to close identified gaps. Regarding our implementation, Jamaica has made significant progress in advancing the four pillars. Public awareness campaigns are implemented annually to include a digital course on heightening the awareness of human trafficking and production of a victim survivors handbook by the Office of the National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons. Prevention and victim protection efforts have been strengthened through standardized referral systems, operation of specialized shelters, and expanded social support provided to victims and survivors. Regional and international collaborations have been reinforced to promote better knowledge exchange, data sharing, and capacity development. Jamaica also hosted its inaugural Caribbean Regional Forum against Trafficking in Persons in July 2025, leading to the creation of the Caribbean Coalition Against Trafficking in Persons, chaired by our national rapporteur. As I close, Jamaica calls for continued solidarity in this global imperative and stands ready to work with all partners to continue building global resilience. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Jamaica and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Germany.

Mr. President, thank you very much. Germany aligns itself with the statement by the European Union and its member states. Excellencies, trafficking in persons is one of the most severe human rights violations And as we've heard today, organized criminal networks are becoming more coordinated and digitally sophisticated than ever before. I would like to make three quick points how Germany is trying to ensure justice for victims and holding perpetrators accountable. First, international cooperation. We have the international tools. The Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons is a vital tool with its explicit condemnation of the crime and its broad ratification. And the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime is a tool we remain highly committed to, and one of the most important international instruments, with its review mechanism. And then we need cooperation internationally in practical terms, and especially police cooperation is important, which we work on a lot, because trafficking often happens across international borders. Secondly, anti-trafficking measures need to be firmly anchored domestically. In December 24, Germany took a major step and adopted a comprehensive national action plan to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings and protect the trafficking people, persons. And this plan contains 126 concrete measures across four areas, better protection for victims, stronger law enforcement, expanding prevention efforts and enhanced cooperation, and we've included a monitoring system which will soon provide first results, and I think the action plan sends a powerful message that we are committed to fight this scourge. And thirdly, trafficking is not something that can be combated by governments alone. We do need efficient whole of society approaches, and we need to include an active role for civil society, and we continue to support leading umbrella organizations such

as the German NGO network against human trafficking,

because, Excellencies, Mr. President, ending the scourge of human trafficking is a marathon, not a sprint, and long-term partnerships and funding are the key to foster reliable and effective structures, and rest assured, we remain committed to work on this.

Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Germany.

Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Armenia.

Mr. President, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Human trafficking remains one of the most serious transnational crimes and a grave violation of human rights. Despite the progress achieved under the Global Plan of Action on Combat Trafficking in Persons, new evolving forms of trafficking, underscore the urgent need for sustained, coordinated, and multilateral action. Armenia reaffirms its strong commitment to eradicating all forms of human trafficking exploitation. Guided by its law on identification of and support to persons subjected to trafficking and exploitation and relevant national program, Armenia implements a comprehensive victim-centered, right-based approach. Preventive measures remain the top priority for us. Each year, the government provides financial support through grants to selected NGOs, enabling them to deliver social support services to victims as mandated by legislation. National coordination is strengthened through the Council on Combating Trafficking in and Exploitation of Human Beings. chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and its working group, which oversee policy implementation, inter-agency cooperation, and monitoring. Since 2004, MINIA has implemented seven consecutive national action plans aimed at raising public awareness, developing institutional capacities, and strengthening mechanisms for identifying and responding to trafficking cases, as well as improving the existing legislation. The eighth action plan for 26-28 is currently under discussion. Armenia has a long-standing records of cooperation with international monitoring bodies. A key partner in this regard is the monitoring mechanism under the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings and its expert group, GRETA, which regularly evaluates Armenia's progress. We welcome GRETA's visits and carefully consider its recommendations to enhance victim protection, prevention, and prosecution efforts. In April 25, GRETA conducted a country visit to Armenia under the fourth evaluation round. The finding of the visit, together with additional information submitted by national authorities, will form the basis of GRETA's fourth round evaluation report on Armenia, expected in '26. We've also cooperated closely with the United States Department of State in the context of the annual Trafficking in Persons, TIP, report. According to the 25th TIP report, Armenia demonstrated increased efforts and remains on Tier 2. Additionally, Armenia engages with the OSCE in regional anti-trafficking initiatives, facilitating capacity building, exchange of best practices, and multi-stakeholder coordination. Mr. President, Armenia remains committed to strengthening its anti-trafficking system and ensuring protection for all victims. We underlined

I thank the distinguished representative of Armenia, and now I'm going to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia.

Thank you, President. Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure for us to take part in this high-level meeting and to be here for the adoption of the Declaration. In the light of the major reforms that my country has adopted in the area of human rights, under the auspices of His Majesty the King, as well as His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, we have taken various measures to combat this crime and to prevent this crime from occurring in the first place. These measures are in line with the UN plan to combat trafficking in persons. We have also amended various laws, notably on the issue of human trafficking. We criminalize human trafficking, any contribution or activity pertaining to this crime. These measures aim to combat this crime and to prevent it. There are also measures on work and consular activities, and other programs and platforms that exist in order better to govern practices to combat this scourge and to combat exploitation at work and forced labor. In addition to this, we have launched a national plan on trafficking in persons. notably in order to prevent the crime and to prosecute the perpetrators, as well as protecting the victims. We also have a national mechanism which provides guarantees and services to victims of trafficking and to reintegrate them into society. In terms of the security framework, we have an agency that is dealing with community safety that has been set up, which works under the Ministry of the Interior. In addition to this, the Ministry of Justice has also devoted specific departments to dealing with the issue of human trafficking. In terms of improving international partnerships, we have also signed various agreements with other countries, notably also with the UNODC. International Migration Organization. We have also been working with other law enforcement agencies to improve our performance in this area. 11,000 people have benefited from these programs.

I thank the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Philippines.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Philippines welcomes this high-level meeting as a crucial opportunity to review our joint progress under the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons and a pivotal moment to reaffirm our commitments and pledges made in this regard. More than 15 years since the adoption of the Global Plan of Action, much has been achieved in the fight to combat trafficking in persons. In the last decade, the Philippines has consistently maintained Tier 1 status in the Trafficking in Persons Report of the U.S. State Department, demonstrating serious, sustained, effective action in four priority areas: prevention and advocacy, protection and reintegration, prosecution and law enforcement, and partnership and networking. The Philippine efforts are led by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking in collaboration with relevant stakeholders in a whole-of-government approach that addresses the root causes of trafficking in persons. Since the last appraisal of the Global Plan of Action in 2021, challenges in trafficking in persons have evolved, testing our resolve to combat this reprehensible crime. Traffickers now use now misuse modern technologies, using social media, encrypted apps, and online job offers to lure and coerce victims. The Philippines faces grave challenges from online sexual exploitation of children and trafficking for forced criminal activities, including online fraud and scams. In response, the Philippines has taken decisive policy and legislative action to address this growing concern. The expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, enacted in 2003, was amended in 2022 in response to the emerging trends in trafficking in persons. It broadens the definition of trafficking to include online sexual exploitation and trafficking for criminality, holds internet intermediaries who facilitate trafficking accountable and prescribe severe penalties, particularly when children are involved. On the protection front, the Philippines ensures that shelter, psychosocial, legal, and reintegration services are available for trafficking victims, with our foreign service post working 24/7 to assist distressed overseas Filipinos. Prevention and public awareness are strengthened through traditional and non-traditional channels and partnering closely with civil society, tech platforms, and the international community. As traffickers evolve, so must our response. The Philippines calls for enhancing global cooperation, digital literacy, and intelligence sharing to combat human trafficking through the misuse of technology and sustained approaches in victim-centered and trauma-informed interventions. Let us reaffirm our commitment to an adaptive, coordinated, and forward-looking response, ensuring that the Global Plan of Action

I thank the distinguished representative of the Philippines, and now I'm going to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Slovenia.

Distinguished members and participants, Slovenia aligns with the EU statement. Slovenia remains firmly committed to the global fight against human trafficking. We are a party of the UN Palermo Protocol. and the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, and we continue to implement GRETA recommendations. Within the European Union, we are preparing for the implementation of the new directive, which will further strengthen our legal and institutional framework. At the national level, Slovenia is highly active. Our long-standing interministerial working group and our referral mechanism ensure coordinated prevention, early identification, victim protection, and prosecution of perpetrators. We have adopted the action plan for 2025-2026. which includes measures to address new risks, support programs for victims, and enhanced training for law enforcement and frontline actors. We are equally committed beyond our borders. Slovenia leads the network of anti-trafficking coordinators of Southeast Europe and actively promotes cross-border cooperation, joint actions, and harmonized standards. Today, We face rapidly evolving trends. Traffickers increasingly exploit digital platforms, social media, and even artificial intelligence to recruit and control victims. We observe a rise in labor exploitation linked to labor migration. These dynamics require stronger prevention, better digital capacities, and close partnership with the private sector and civil society. Slovenia therefore strongly supports the political declaration on the implementation of the UN Global Plan of Action to combat trafficking in persons. We view the declaration as a vital opportunity to reaffirm our collective commitment, promote victim-centered approach, and strengthen cooperation at all levels. Excellence is combating trafficking in persons is a moral imperative and shared responsibility. Slovenia stands ready to continue working with all partners to protect human dignity, strength, and justice, and ensure that traffickers have nowhere to hide. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Slovenia. And now I'm going to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Egypt.

Thank you, President. We welcome the convening of this high-level meeting and we reiterate our support for the UN Plan of Action to combat trafficking in persons. We are strongly committed to protecting victims within a balanced approach and a comprehensive approach to achieve prevention, prosecution, and training. We have established a comprehensive institutional framework to combat this crime. We have law 64 from 2010 to do this. We've also established other mechanisms. We have striven also to clamp down on illegal immigration. This is part of a holistic approach to boost training programmes and to roll out awareness-raising programmes as well. We also have a national strategy to combat human trafficking and illegal immigration, looking towards 2026. This is based on four pillars: prevention, to combat its root causes, to help victims, and also to carry out criminal prosecution, and also regional and international coordination. Of course, we're working with other countries in this effort. Nevertheless, implementation is a matter that depends on the national context. We are also launching a national fund for victims. This is an additional measure to strengthen protection and to help victims directly. We also finance reintegration programmes as well. We attach major importance to the needs of the victims within our national efforts. We are convinced that prevention starts by addressing the causes that lead to exploitation, and that is why we need to address the root causes of the phenomenon, notably the lack of opportunities, conflicts, and instability. All of this requires joint coordination at the national and international level, and it also requires capacity building and resilience within communities as well. My country attaches major importance to security, legal cooperation, and the exchange of information and cross-border efforts through the Arab League and the African Union as well. We also call for coordination with UN agencies, notably the UNODC, and also the OIM and the ILO, and UNICEF, UN Women. All of these agencies help us to improve our response. My country remains attached to strengthen the implementation of the POA, and we hope to receive greater support for developing countries.

I thank the distinguished representative of Egypt, and now I'm going to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Bahrain.

Mr. President, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is an honor to participate today in the plenary meeting of the General Assembly on the appraisal of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. This gathering marks a defining moment that affirms our commitment as we commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Global Plan of Action and the 25th anniversary of the Palermo Protocol, to prevent, suppress, and punish trafficking in persons, especially those affecting women and children. These milestones reaffirm the shared values of protecting human dignity and promoting justice and fairness for all. The Kingdom of Bahrain approaches the protection of human rights and the fight against trafficking in persons with deep conviction and national pride, values rooted in our culture. The fight against trafficking in persons is placed at the forefront of its commitments, as demonstrated by active participation in the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention, support for the Palermo Protocol, and alignment with the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2010. Guided by this enduring commitment and alignment of UN global plan, Bahrain continues to strengthen its national framework to combat trafficking in persons and to contribute meaningfully to international efforts. This year, the Kingdom has maintained its Tier 1 ranking in the U.S. Department of State's Trafficking in Persons Report for the eighth consecutive year. This achievement reflects the Kingdom's steadfast dedication to ensuring that its efforts remain responsive to the evolving challenges of trafficking in persons. Our national vision emphasizes the key pillars of prevention, protection, and prosecution, while ensuring the sustainability of efforts and initiatives. Central to this approach are the solidified partnerships and strong institutional framework underpinned by integrated legislation and procedural systems, and this is reinforced through robust collaboration by national and international bodies. Through this integrated and institutionally driven approach, the Kingdom of Bahrain affirms its commitment to combating trafficking in persons and providing protection to victims and vulnerable groups. Some of these initiatives include the regionally unprecedented Expatriate Protection Centre, a specialized prosecution and court dedicated to address trafficking in persons cases, a fund to support victims, a fully integrated national referral mechanism, and adoption of a multi-level screening approach. There are also specialized programs for the correction of status to reintroduce workers to the business ecosystem, which aids in prevention of becoming victims of illegal practices, and the Regional Center for Training and Combating Trafficking in Persons. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, as this meeting is rooted in shared experience and committed to addressing the evolving challenges of trafficking persons, the Kingdom of Bahrain stands.

I thank the distinguished representative of Bahrain, and I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Austria.

Thank you, Mr. President. Trafficking in persons is a crime, a crime that destroys individual lives but also poses a global challenge.

For all of us.

New forms of trafficking require resolute international actions and long-term sustainability strategies. Austria welcomes the adoption of the political declaration on the implementation of the Global Plan of Action, which is an essential instrument as it promotes prevention through addressing root causes, protects and assists victims, strengthens prosecution, and enhances global partnership. Austria is heavily affected by trafficking in persons, both as a transit country and as a destination country. Combating this crime has been a priority of our foreign policy for many years. In 2004, we established a task force on combating human trafficking, contributing to develop Austria's leading role in the global fight against trafficking in persons. The task force develops national anti-trafficking plans and monitors their implementation. Our current anti-trafficking plan focuses on prevention, victim protection, prosecution of perpetrators, as well as developing a national referral mechanism.

In addition to our national measures, Vienna has become a hub of expertise.

Using synergies with all relevant international forums present, including UNODC and OECE. Since 2007, the Task Force has organized the annual Vienna Conference on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, and this year's conference, held on 16th of October, was themed "Building Resilience Now: Preventing Trafficking in Human Beings in Times of Crisis" and attracted a large audience with more than 650 people registered overall. We value the strong cooperation with you, with our international partners, and together we can create an environment in which human trafficking has no chance and where those affected receive long-term support. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Austria.

Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Monaco.

President, Monaco aligns itself with the statement by the European Union, and I would like to focus on combating trafficking of children and young people in sport, a sector that is directly mentioned in the political declaration because of its specific vulnerabilities. The Group of Friends of Sport has for three years been working in partnership with the Mission 89 organization, to say that sport must remain an avenue of opportunity and never an area for exploitation. Mission 89 has proposed an innovative definition of trafficking in this dimension, focusing on three key dimensions: trafficking in, around, and through sport. This definition makes it possible to define realities that were for a long time invisible, and it is in line with the PoA as well. The data also call for urgent action. Cases of trafficking from Western Europe towards Europe involving young athletes have increased by more than 30% since 2018. Criminal networks using fraudulent agents, unregulated academies and dangerous migratory routes are used to exploit young athletes. The Line We Don’t Cross is a campaign that has already affected more than 15 million people. This is fully in line with the PoA: it aims to raise awareness and to prevent and protect, thanks to general mobilisation. President, trafficking is evolving, notably thanks to new technologies and AI that are facilitating recruitment, coercion, and online exploitation. They are also going hand in hand with emerging phenomena such as trafficking for forced criminality, and this is only increasing. We clearly have a responsibility to reduce vulnerabilities, to strengthen protection, and to prevent technology, sport, or migration becoming vectors for exploitation. Monaco today reaffirms its commitment for our common duty to implement the Global Plan of Action. We will continue working notably with UNODC and the OIM to promote integrity and the protection of young people in sports, to support a victim-centered approach and to protect survivors, and to improve the collection of trustworthy data. Thank you.

I thank The distinguished representative of Monaco for the statement.

The floor to the distinguished representative of Oman.

President, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, The delegation of my country is honoured to take part in this high-level meeting on assessing the UNPOA to combat trafficking in persons. We welcome this plan of action, notably in the light of an integrated approach which must be taken to look at recent developments, notably the use of technologies and artificial intelligence and the risks entailed by migration as well. President, based on our national vision, which focuses on human beings in development, my country has adopted measures to combat human trafficking, notably by beefing up our legal and institutional frameworks. We have a law on human trafficking that has been promulgated recently. and has been amended by Decree 78, focusing on the issue of forced labor exploitation and other aspects to protect victims through healthcare facilities, psychosocial support, and other measures to protect victims. In addition to this, we have set up a rapid intervention team that has been set up throughout the Sultanate. In addition to this, we have various departments within tribunals to address cases of human trafficking. We have also decided to bolster support provided. We aim to protect workers' rights by improving practices. defect workers and contracts. We have also launched national campaigns, notably to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking and the forms that it can take, working through the media and other platforms as well. My country wishes to commend the adoption of the UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. This is an important step forward to strengthen national efforts to protect victims and to repress this odious crime. We remain committed to international cooperation and to support the UNODC, as well as to work to ensure that we bring about a world in which human trafficking does not exist. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Monaco.

Luxembourg is the next speaker.

Thank you, President. Luxembourg aligns itself with the statement delivered by the EU, and we'd like to make the following additional remarks in our national capacity. Human trafficking is one of the most serious violations of fundamental rights and human dignity. It is the third most widespread form of trafficking in the world, after drugs and weapons, and it affects women and girls in particular. In this context, Luxembourg welcomes the adoption of the 2025 Political Declaration on the implementation of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. We would like to thank Ambassador the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Cyprus and Tajikistan for facilitating negotiations on this political declaration so successfully. Luxembourg reaffirms its determination to combat human trafficking by taking a global approach, a victim-centred approach, and a gender-sensitive approach to boot. Our national policy hinges on a multidisciplinary approach, and it is based on the ratification of key legal instruments pertaining to the UN and the Council of Europe. Our commitment can be seen through our national legislation and by our implementation of a national plan to combat human trafficking. We have also set up an inter-ministerial follow-up committee which is responsible for coordinating prevention activities and assessing the phenomenon of trafficking. We have an Advisory Human Rights Commission, which has been set up as a national rapporteur, responsible for assessing the results of what we have done. Combating human trafficking is also part and parcel of our second National Action Plan, Women, Peace and Security, to reflect the gender dimension and the fact that women and girls bear the brunt of this crime. Luxembourg recognizes the increasing role of technologies in human trafficking, and we stress the importance of bolstering cooperation between governments, the private sector, and civil society in order to combat online trafficking. Luxembourg will continue to invest in the international level and to support initiatives of the United Nations and the European Union. We welcome the work of UNODC and the European Coordinator in this domain. Combating human trafficking requires coordinated, consistent approaches to be taken to ensure that perpetrators are brought to book, that the rights of victims are fully respected, and that victims can benefit from assistance when they need it. Only collective action will make it possible for us to end this extremely serious crime. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Luxembourg for that statement. And I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Tunisia.

At the outset, we reiterate our support to all efforts to combat trafficking in persons. We support the political declaration adopted today. My country upholds global standards to eradicate this crime that constitutes today a global challenge. Cognizant of the risk posed by trafficking in persons on our societies, we've enacted law number 61 of the 3rd of August, 2016, which provides for combating all forms of exploitation against persons through prevention, the prosecution of offenders, and protection for survivors. Pursuant to this law, The National Commission against Trafficking in Persons was established. It was mandated with the establishment of mechanisms for the detection and identification of trafficking and exploitation victims, in addition to the coordination of governmental efforts to provide protection to irregular migrants. My country combats trafficking in persons and addresses and irregular migration as a socioeconomic and humanitarian issue through law enforcement. In this regard, we've established frameworks to provide necessary care to migrants regardless of their legal status. We've adopted a balanced approach, which combines the rule of law and respect for international conventions. as well as coordination between efforts of national structures and international and national relevant organizations, as well as civil society. Our approach in addressing irregular migration is based on respect for human rights. We do not wish to constitute a country of transit and residency for irregular migrants, victims of trafficking networks. And we recall the need to establish an integrated approach based on human rights, one which is not confined to narrow security dimensions. We have been at the forefront of countries that have abolished slavery in 1846, and we will continue to reinforce our efforts to establish stronger solidarity to protect individuals from all forms of exploitation. Thank you.

I thank Tunisia for that statement.

Of this meeting. We shall hear the remaining speakers tomorrow morning at 10:00 in this hall. Members are reminded that the Panel Discussion 1 will take place this afternoon at 3:00 in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, followed immediately by Panel Discussion 2. The meeting is adjourned.