A/HRC/10/16 page 12 23. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Convention adopted a definition similar to the Palermo Protocol. Further relevant African initiatives include the 2006 AU/EU Ouagadougou Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, especially women and children and the revised AU Plan of Action on Drugs Control and Crime Prevention (2007-2012). 24. The recent decision on strengthening the cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union in combating trafficking in human beings “directs the Permanent Representatives of the Member States of the African Union to the United Nations in New York to propose and start negotiations on a Global Action Plan for combating trafficking in human beings under the auspices of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, taking the 2006 Ouagadougou Action Plan and other regional action plans, in particular the ECOWAS Initial Action Plan against Trafficking in Persons, as a basis for the African position and to coordinate with other interested Member States with similar action plans or similar positions”.14 25. Another intergovernmental organization taking action to combat trafficking is the Commonwealth. The Aso Rock Commonwealth Declaration, adopted by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja in 2003, recognized the growing problem of trafficking in persons and made a renewed commitment to combating this scourge through international cooperation. Furthermore, the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting held in Edinburgh from 7 to 10 July 2008 focused on the legal issues relating to trafficking in persons and how to improve the legal framework in member States. 26. Of course, the Palermo Protocol is the main legal normative framework to combat trafficking. However, any lacunae or gap in the Palermo Protocol with regard to the rights of victims of trafficking is filled in by several of these international and regional human rights instruments mentioned above. 27. The system of the universal periodic review (UPR), which is a cooperative mechanism based on an interactive dialogue with States under review, affords a unique opportunity for a holistic review of countries’ human rights situation and has been helpful in monitoring the situation of trafficking in countries being reviewed. Thus far, almost all the States reviewed in the UPR process have taken up the problem of human trafficking. This is a very welcome development that will strengthen efforts aimed at combating human trafficking.15 14 Adopted at the Assembly of the African Union, 11th Ordinary Session, 30 June-1 July 2008, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt (Assembly/AU/Dec.207(XI), para. 7). 15 At the first two sessions held in 2008, 32 countries were reviewed. Almost all of the UPR reviews so far discussed the issue of human trafficking. Furthermore, most of them also included a recommendation to the State under review to address the issue of trafficking.