A/HRC/10/64
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10. The General Assembly, for the first time, held a thematic debate on human trafficking
on 3 June 2008. The Assembly President stated that despite the United Nations-backed
agreements and initiatives, “there remains a vast gulf between the letter of the law and the
situation on the ground”.5 The Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed that
Governments have a legal obligation to exercise due diligence to take all appropriate measures to
prevent trafficking and related exploitation.6 The debate underscored the fact that one of the
fundamental prerequisites to successful anti-trafficking efforts is the widest possible
collaboration among Member States, relevant international organizations, civil society and the
private sector.
11. World Congress III against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents was held in
Brazil in November 2008, organized by UNICEF jointly with the Government of Brazil, End
Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes
(ECPAT), and the non-governmental organization (NGO) Group for the Convention on the
Rights of the Child. The Congress reviewed the new dimensions of commercial sexual
exploitation - including trafficking. The outcome document provides a basis for follow-up,
including in the area of trafficking of children.
B. Initiatives by United Nations entities, including
activities in support of national efforts
1. Coordination activities
12. In March 2007, UN.GIFT was launched as a partnership between UNODC, ILO, IOM,
UNICEF, OHCHR, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
which are all members of the Steering Committee. UN.GIFT aims to mobilize State and
non-State actors to eradicate human trafficking. A dedicated website has been launched to
support advocacy efforts and better coordination (www.ungift.org). The initiative is coordinated
by a Steering Committee, which meets monthly.
13. Since 2006, a broad range of activities and partners have been coordinated through the
Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT), chaired by UNODC.
The group aims to foster coordination and cooperation among relevant United Nations agencies
and other international organizations in order to assist States in preventing and combating human
trafficking. The Intergovernmental Organizations (IGO) Contact Group on Trafficking and
Migrant Smuggling is coordinated by OHCHR and includes United Nations agencies,
international organizations and representatives from the NGO Caucus on Trafficking to
strengthen cooperation, particularly in the areas of law and policy. The Global Migration Group
(GMG) is another mechanism for promoting inter-agency coordination on combating trafficking,
which brings together the heads of 18 agencies for better coordinated approaches to international
migration.
5
United Nations Daily News, 3 June 2008.
6
See http://www2.ohchr.org/english/press/newsFrameset-2.htm.
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