Remarks by the President of the General Assembly?
H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Throughout human history, one of humanity¡¯s darkest impulses has been the exploitation of others for profit or power.
And although societies and technologies have advanced, this impulse has not disappeared. It has simply evolved.
Today, it takes new names ¡ª human trafficking, sexual exploitation, forced labour, and child and forced marriage.
And increasingly, it is enabled by digital tools that allow exploitation to spread faster, further, and with greater anonymity.
Despite decades of collective effort, millions of people remain trapped in trafficking and related forms of exploitation on any given day.
Today, we will hear some of the horrific stories behind that number, including that of Shamere McKenzie who endured 18 harrowing months of trafficking.
But as I said during the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, we are not talking about victims.
We are talking about survivors, heroes, the strongest fighters for human rights.
And this is why I will focus also in my introductory speech on the solutions that Member States are entrusted with carrying forward to prevent trafficking, protect victims, and end impunity.
Because even if we cannot eliminate the darkest impulses of humanity entirely, we can?eliminate the systems that enable them.
Allow me to offer three priorities for our work ahead.
First ¡ª we need strong, enforced, and comprehensive legislation.
Women and girls comprise 61 per cent of victims of human trafficking, most of which for sexual exploitation, and over 20 per cent face forced labour, servitude, or forced marriage.
And more fall victim every day.
We need laws that explicitly criminalize sexual exploitation, child and forced marriage, and all forms of trafficking.
And they must be implemented strictly, uniformly, and without exception.
We cannot turn a blind eye when these violations occur every day, and even in major global cities, sometimes next door.
And the challenge extends beyond sexual exploitation.
In 2022, forced labour accounted for 42 per cent of trafficking cases, surpassing sexual exploitation.
Yet only 17 per cent of global convictions were for labour trafficking.
This is a profound protection and justice gap.
And there is a close link between exploitation and migration.
Because when people flee conflict, disaster, or economic desperation without safe and legal pathways for migration, they are far more vulnerable to exploitation.
Migrant workers are three times more likely to be exploited than non-migrants.
But we also have examples of how strong migrant and refugee protection policies paired with effective coordination can prevent trafficking.
Following the conflict in Ukraine, over 14 million people were displaced.
Yet despite a small increase in 2023, cases of human trafficking are currently significantly below pre-2022 levels.
Why? Because neighbouring states acted quickly: granting visa-free entry, offering temporary protection, launching information campaigns, and coordinating law enforcement.
Humane and organized migration policies can dramatically reduce trafficking risks.
As we look ahead to the upcoming review of the Global Compact for Migration, Member States have the opportunity to underline the importance of strong global standards that protect migrants and reduce the risks of exploitation.
Second ¡ª we must confront the new digital frontier of trafficking.
Technology has expanded the reach, scale, and sophistication of exploitation.
Traffickers now use AI tools, encrypted platforms, and deepfake technologies to create fake personas, hide their networks, and even produce AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
Fake online job offers lure victims into committing cyber scams ¡ª generating an estimated 40 billion US dollars a year.
Trafficking of persons for exploitation in criminal activities has risen from about 1 per cent of total victims in 2016 to 8 per cent in 2022.
Many individuals who commit online scams are in fact victims themselves ¡ª coerced, detained, and abused.
This is why the non-punishment principle must be upheld ¡ª to ensure that victims are never criminalized for acts committed as a result of their own exploitation.
Our legal frameworks must keep pace with technologies.
That means modernized laws, updated standards, and strengthened cross-border cooperation to detect, disrupt, and dismantle digital trafficking networks.
And the private sector has a role to play too.
Online platforms, financial institutions, supply-chain actors, and telecom providers must help prevent technology-facilitated trafficking and ensure ethical business practices.
¡°We didn¡¯t know¡± is simply not an acceptable excuse.
Third ¨C we must tackle the root causes of trafficking: poverty, conflict, displacement, gender discrimination, and climate vulnerability.
Desperate people are faced with desperate choices, and vulnerable people are preyed upon.
In times of war and conflict, the risks of exploitation rise sharply.
Women and children face acute threats ¡ª from conflict-related sexual violence and sexual slavery to recruitment of children as combatants and labourers by armed groups.
And even in times of peace ¡ª poverty, hunger, and lack of opportunity provide traffickers with fertile ground for exploitation.
To reduce these risks, we must invest in conflict resolution, poverty reduction, climate adaptation, economic opportunity, and safe migration pathways ¡ª and ensure that anti-trafficking measures are integrated across education, labour systems, and humanitarian response.
Civil society ¡ª especially survivor-led organizations ¡ª are indispensable.
Their expertise strengthens awareness, early detection, and community resilience.
Ultimately ¨C preventing crises, implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, and fighting hunger and poverty is the best prevention against trafficking.
Ladies and gentlemen,
A crime as pervasive and cross-national as trafficking requires an equally determined and coordinated response.
A whole-of-society approach ¡ª grounded in justice, data, and human dignity ¡ª is essential to ensure that survivors are supported and that traffickers are held fully accountable.
Governments must translate global commitments into national action that is fully funded, measurable, and centred on victims¡¯ rights.
The private sector must help detect and disrupt exploitation across digital and economic systems.
And civil society and survivors must be empowered as partners, watchdogs, and leaders in shaping solutions.
If we act together?¡ª decisively, urgently, and with clarity of purpose ¡ª we can build a world where ¡ª to use the words of the United Nations Charter ¡ª? ¡°the dignity and worth of the human person¡± is always respected.
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