A/HRC/15/27 both international treaty law and the Principles and Guidelines affirmed the importance of human rights in combating trafficking. She confirmed that such an approach was important to ensure justice for victims and a fair trial for perpetrators. As it was the Special Rapporteur’s role to offer practical solutions to States, the seminar’s focus on sharing of good practices was expected to be extremely helpful. 10. Introductory remarks from the floor were then made by the Permanent Representative of Germany, Ambassador Reinhard Schweppe, and the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Philippines, Ambassador Denis Lepatan, the two main co-sponsors of Human Rights Council resolution 11/3. Both representatives welcomed the Council’s decision to convene the seminar, noted the growing acceptance of a rights-based approach to trafficking and affirmed the importance of the Principles and Guidelines in guiding the development and implementation of such an approach. They also noted that much remained to be done to ensure that victims’ rights were respected and protected. While the human rights approach was widely accepted, there was still a considerable implementation gap. 11. The Permanent Representative of the United States of America, Ambassador Betty E. King, agreed that the Principles and Guidelines were important as a guide to Member States committed to ending trafficking and protecting human rights. The Permanent Representative introduced a video address to the seminar participants from the United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who affirmed the commitment of the Government of the United States to working together with States to end trafficking and related exploitation. 12. The Permanent Representative of Egypt, Ambassador Hisham Badr, then delivered introductory remarks. He confirmed his country’s commitment to the rights-based approach reflected in the Principles and Guidelines and noted significant developments within Egypt. A short film was then shown, outlining the nature and extent of trafficking and its effect on victims. B. Organization of work 13. In explaining the organization of work, the Chair noted that Human Rights Council resolution 11/3 requested the seminar to focus on: “rights-based responses to trafficking in persons with a view to acknowledging emerging good practices and further promoting the practical application of the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking”. The Chair explained that the seminar would accordingly be organized as follows: (a) Introduction to the Principles and Guidelines, followed by three substantive sessions on good practices, challenges and opportunities with respect to the implementation of a human rights approach to various elements of trafficking; (b) Victim protection and support; (c) Criminal justice responses; and (d) Prevention. For each session a three-person expert panel would introduce the relevant area and share their experiences and insights, followed by a plenary discussion involving representatives of States, intergovernmental organizations, national human rights institutions and civil society. Panel members would be provided with a brief opportunity to provide concluding remarks before an expert respondent provided conclusions drawing on the various presentations and interventions made during the panel and the plenary discussion periods. III. Summary of proceedings 14. This section provides a summary of the expert presentations and of the themes and ideas that emerged during the plenary discussion. 5