VIENNA, 20 MAY – Here is the Statement by Ambassador Maria Assunta Accili, permanent Representative of Italy to the UN (Vienna) at the side event cosponsored by UNODC and permanent missions of France, Belgium, Sweden and Italy at 28/th session of the UN commission on crime prevention anche criminal justice.
”It is a great pleasure to attend this event and I would like to thank UNODC and the other co-sponsors for the initiative.
Italy strongly condemns human trafficking, a heinous crime which often leads to the brutal exploitation of the most vulnerable members of society. International efforts should follow a victim-centered, gender-specific and child-sensitive approach, and public authorities should partner with civil society entities to provide assistance to the victims.
To prevent and counter this crime, which has a global dimension, it is our firm view that the international community needs to respond in a coordinated manner.
The legal framework for this coordinated response is provided first of all by the Protocol Trafficking in Persons, supplementing the Palermo Convention. Since its entry into force, in 2003, the implementation of the Protocol has certainly allowed to make progress, especially in terms of adopting legislation that criminalizes trafficking. Italy, as a staunch supporter of the Palermo Convention and the Protocols thereto, is confident that the recently established review mechanism will contribute to a more effective implementation of these valuable instruments.
The fight against human trafficking is very much a priority of Italy’s foreign and multilateral policy, and allow me in this regard to mention just a few concrete examples of our commitment:
– FIRST: The contribution of 1 mln US Dollar that the Italian Government has provided to the UN Trust Fund for the Victims of Trafficking, in support of the work of its NGO partners to increase the provision of essential services and assistance to victims globally;
– SECOND: During Italy’s term in the Security Council, in 2017, we tabled resolution 2388 on countering trafficking in persons, especially in conflict situations, which was unanimously adopted by the Council, thus sending a strong political message of the commitment of the international community and strengthening the framework of action to counter trafficking, rooted in international law;
– THIRD: Since 2017, Italy has contributed to GLOACT, the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants of UNODC, for activities in Mali and Niger, and we have financed a large project aimed at enhancing judicial cooperation between Europe and Africa in the fight against traffickers and migrant smugglers, Through this project, a Nigerian liaison magistrate has been deployed in the prosecution offices of Palermo and Catania to collaborate with the Italian competent authorities on cases of smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons between Nigeria and Italy, within the framework of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crimes. Starting in June, she will be deployed at the National Antimafia and Antiterrorism Directorate, thus assuming coordination functions for the entire Italy.
– FOURTH: Italy made the fight against human trafficking a priority of its 2018 OSCE Chairmanship, and the Ministerial Council held in Milan last December was successful in adopting a decision, proposed by Italy, on Strengthening Efforts to Prevent and Combat Child Trafficking, Including of Unaccompanied Minors.
– FIFTH: in terms of technical assistance, I wish to mention the innovative project ”Combating Human Trafficking along Migration Routes”, carried out – within the framework of OSCE – at the Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU), managed by the Italian Carabinieri in Vicenza. So far, over 300 practitioners (from law enforcement, judiciary, financial investigation, social service providers and NGOs) from 38 Countries have been trained on building a multi-agency approach in identifying victims of trafficking in the context of migration flows and prosecute the traffickers.
These are just a few examples.
It is against this background that we are here today to reaffirm our strong commitment to advance efforts, including at the international level, to combat this horrible crime. And from now on, a blue heart will inspire us in this endeavor”.
