2021 Working Groups on Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants

Vienna (Austria) 1 December 2021 – The 2021 Working Groups on Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants brought together over 800 delegates from more than 100 countries to discuss a variety of current issues relating to these global crimes.

Topics on the agenda included the need to strengthen procurement processes to address trafficking, and the availability of channels for regular migration as a means to reduce the demand for smuggling.

These annual, intergovernmental sessions provide a unique opportunity for States to identify and discuss solutions to gaps and challenges in the implementation of the UN Protocols on Trafficking in Persons and against the Smuggling of Migrants in their respective countries.

The Chair of the Working Group on Trafficking in Persons , H.E. Manizha Bakhtari, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United Nations in Vienna, said that human trafficking is “a transnational challenge” that requires a “global solution”.

She commended the Working Group for being a “template for decisive action to combat human trafficking in all aspects”.

Speaking about the discussion on human trafficking and the abuse of technology, she added: “We cannot let the good that technology brings us be corrupted by criminals. We can harness technology's potential to better educate and protect vulnerable people by sharing technological advances and cooperating with our international partners.”

Over four intensive days of meetings and discussions, the Working Groups adopted a series of recommendations based on the input received by the experts who attended the events.

These will be put forward to the 2022 Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, which meets every two years.

“I really commend the ability of the Working Group to discuss innovative topics related to the issue of migrant smuggling,” said the Chair of the Working Group on the Smuggling of Migrants, Italian Public Prosecutor, Francesco Testa.

“It demonstrates the importance of multilateralism in such an area. I was very glad to see that delegations achieved consensus, pursuing the common and shared interest to disrupt such a heinous crime.”

According to Mr. Testa, the Working Group on the Smuggling of Migrants represents “the best opportunity, within the international context, to exchange information, experiences, achievements, and ideas on this topic”.

He added that there is also a clear understanding that the full potential of the UN Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants has not yet been “fully explored”.

The Working Groups are the principal forums within the UN system for practical discussions on human trafficking and migrant smuggling among experts from States in the fields of crime prevention and criminal justice.