The Group of Friends and ICAT Hold a Joint Event on Trafficking in Persons in Geneva

On 10 July, an anti-trafficking side-event initiated by Belarus on the topic “The Role of Technology in Combating Trafficking in Persons” was held on the “margins” of the 41st 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 23 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 2019, the OSCE and UN Women are its co-chairs.

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 has noted that technology is one of the determining factors of our time. Unfortunately, technology has been successfully used for criminal purposes. Therefore, what the international community should do is to effectively utilize technology to prevent and combat crime. The Permanent Representative of Belarus stressed that the Belarus-sponsored resolution on trafficking in persons and technology, adopted by the UN Commission on Crime Prevention in 2018, gave a new impetus to the consideration of the topic at the international level. According to Yury Ambrazevich, the ongoing side-event must be viewed as a contribution to the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, which is observed annually on 30 July.

Representatives of UNODC, OSCE, UN Women, OHCHR and international NGO Equality Now stood as panelists. In their presentations the panelists deliberated on various aspects of the nexus between human trafficking and technology from the perspectives of international universal, regional and non-governmental organizations.

All panelists praised the leading role played by the Republic of Belarus in enhancing international cooperation against human trafficking, in particular, in taking the initiative to hold the first-ever joint event of the Group of Friends and ICAT in Geneva.

The event aroused great interest among Geneva-based missions, international organizations and civil society organizations.

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