The Group of Friends and ICAT Hold a Joint Side-Event on Trafficking in Persons in Geneva
27.02.2020On 27 February, an anti-trafficking side-event initiated by Belarus on the topic “Addressing Trafficking in Persons in Supply Chains” was held on the “margins” of the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council. The event was organized by the Group of Friends United against Trafficking in Persons and the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Human Trafficking (ICAT).
For reference: The Group of Friends United against Trafficking in Persons was founded in 2010 at the initiative of Belarus. The Group operates in Vienna, Geneva, New York and Paris. Belarus has always been its permanent chairman. The Group includes 22 UN Member States.
The Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Human Trafficking (ICAT) was established in 2006 at the initiative of Belarus, too. The Group brings together 23 international agencies. In 2020, the OSCE and UN Women are its co-chairs. The Group and ICAT staged their first joint event in Geneva in July 2019.
The Permanent Representative of Belarus in Geneva Yury Ambrazevich, who is also Chair of the Geneva-based Group of Friends, addressed the meeting with opening remarks. The Belarusian diplomat welcomed the growing cooperation in Geneva of the Group of Friends and ICAT, including their focus on the so-called “new dimensions” of human trafficking, which include human trafficking in supply chains. An important role in preventing this type of crime belongs to businesses, in whose production forced labor may be involved. At the same time, as the Permanent Representative of Belarus emphasized, success in this area generally depends on the effective interaction among all stakeholders – states, international organizations, the private sector and civil society. Yury Ambrazevich has informed the audience that Belarus is considering the possibility of sponsoring a draft resolution on trafficking in persons in supply chains at the forthcoming session of the UN Crime Commission.
Representatives of UNODC, OSCE, UN Women, IOM, ILO and Australia’s Permanent Mission spoke as the panelists. In their presentations the panelists deliberated on various aspects of the topic from the perspectives of international universal and regional organizations, as well as individual states.
All the panelists praised the leading role played by the Republic of Belarus in enhancing international cooperation against human trafficking, in particular, in initiating joint side-events in Geneva by the Group of Friends and ICAT.
The event aroused great interest among Geneva-based missions, international organizations and civil society organizations.
