A/HRC/17/2 Part One Resolutions and decisions I. Resolutions adopted by the Human Rights Council at its seventeenth session 17/1 Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children The Human Rights Council, Reaffirming all previous resolutions on the problem of trafficking in persons, especially women and children, in particular General Assembly resolutions 64/293 of 30 July 2010 and 65/190 of 21 December 2010, and Human Rights Council resolutions 8/12 of 18 June 2008, 11/3 of 17 June 2009 and 14/2 of 17 June 2010, Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Reaffirming the principles set forth in relevant human rights instruments and declarations, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol thereto on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Optional Protocol thereto, Recalling the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto, and reaffirming in particular the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and recalling the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, Recalling also the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons and Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice resolution 20/3 of 15 April 2011, Affirming that trafficking in persons violates and impairs the enjoyment of human rights, continues to pose a serious challenge to humanity and requires a concerted international assessment and response and genuine multilateral, regional and bilateral cooperation among countries of origin, transit and destination for its eradication, Recognizing that victims of trafficking are particularly exposed to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and that women and girl victims are often subject to multiple forms of discrimination and violence, including on the grounds of gender, age, disability, ethnicity, culture and religion, as well as national or social origin, or other status, and that these forms of discrimination may themselves fuel trafficking in persons, Bearing in mind that all States have an obligation to exercise due diligence to prevent trafficking in persons, to investigate instances of trafficking and punish perpetrators, to rescue victims and to provide for their protection and access to remedies, 6 GE.12-13630