OSCE Special Representative stresses sustainable development essential to combat human trafficking

NEW YORK, 9 February 2016 – At a meeting of the Group of Friends United Against Human Trafficking, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova, stressed the important role that sustainable development can play in eliminating modern-day slavery.

“Last year at the United Nations, countries adopted a robust set of goals as part of the new sustainable development agenda, including taking immediate and effective measures to end modern day slavery,” the Special Representative said. “At the OSCE, we share this commitment, and I work hard at fighting abuse, including the exploitation of children and ensuring that businesses eliminate trafficking from their supply chains.”

The meeting was organized by the Group of Friends United against Human Trafficking to allow United Nations (UN) member states to showcase best practices in preventing human trafficking, increasing prosecutions, and exchanging views on how to intensify the fight against this crime. Representatives from a number of UN bodies participated in the meeting, including the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT).

Jarbussynova also addressed emerging issues in the OSCE region such as trafficking for the purpose of organ removal, as well as the growing problem of trafficking along migration routes and in crisis situations, including Ukraine.

“For more than a year, I have worked with the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (SMM) to provide training that will improve the SMM monitors’ ability to spot victims or situations where trafficking might occur,” she said. “I am gravely concerned by the potential implications of the current situation in and around Ukraine for regional trends in human trafficking.”

The Group of Friends United against Human Trafficking was created in 2010 at the initiative of Belarus. The Group now includes 23 members from across the globe, with Belarus acting as co-ordinator.