PGA Remarks at the Informal interactive multi-stakeholder hearing as part of the preparatory process for the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the appraisal of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons (Delivered by VP)

Excellencies,

Distinguished colleagues,

Esteemed stakeholders,

I deliver this statement on behalf of the President of the General Assembly, I quote:

“I am delighted to welcome you to today’s multistakeholder hearing.

This hearing is part of the preparatory process for the high-level meeting to appraise the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, which will be held in November.

I express my deep gratitude to H.E. Ms. Maria Michail, Permanent Representative of Cyprus, and H.E. Mr. Jonibek Hikmat, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Tajikistan, for their excellent leadership as co-facilitators of the modalities resolution of the high-level meeting and in leading consultations on the political declaration.

The Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons remains central to the implementation of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol on Trafficking in Persons.

The four-year appraisal of the Global Plan of Action is a critical opportunity to reassess commitments aimed at eradicating trafficking in persons.

It is a call to collective accountability.

The political declaration to be adopted must reflect the urgency of ending trafficking in persons, which is a grave violation of human rights.

And it must reflect the diversity of voices affected by this heinous crime – especially those of survivors and populations most vulnerable to exploitation, who are mainly women and children.

For this, we need your insights to better understand realities on the ground – and the multiple, evolving factors that create risk.

Despite our best efforts, the number of victims worldwide has surged 35 percent since 2019, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

Women and girls represent 61 percent of detected victims – most of them are trafficked for sexual exploitation.

Equally concerning is the rapid rise in the number of children being trafficked.

We are also seeing a shift in patterns.

Victims trafficked for forced labour now account for the largest share of victims around the world.

Traffickers are exploiting digital tools to recruit, control, and hide victims, making detection and prosecution increasingly difficult.

And organized criminal networks are adapting, developing new models of exploitation, such as trafficking for forced criminality.

These trends make clear:

Trafficking in persons is a global phenomenon – affecting more nationalities, more destination countries, and increasingly diverse victims than ever before.

It is a crime that affects us all.

And it is one driven by factors that we know all too well: poverty, unemployment, conflict, displacement, and the climate crisis, among others.

This complex landscape demands a vigilant, adaptable, and coordinated global response.

Fortunately, we are not without guidance.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development contains specific goals and targets on trafficking.

Through the Global Plan of Action, we have a roadmap to coordinate our efforts.

Now is the time to realign our actions with our ambitions.

I urge Member States to contribute to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons.

But we cannot win this fight without partnerships.

Civil society, academia, and the private sector all play an indispensable role in prevention – raising awareness, exposing trafficking networks, and supporting survivors.

Your views are central to the design of effective strategies and the setting of priorities.

They will feed into the political declaration and contribute to the ongoing negotiations.

Today’s hearing is our opportunity to listen – and importantly – to learn from your expertise.

With that, I look forward to your insights and invite you to make the most of this hearing.

I thank you.” End quote.

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