The UNGA adopted a resolution on the modalities, format and organization of a High-Level Meeting on the Appraisal of the UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, to convene on 27-28 September 2017.
The President of the 71st session of the UNGA is requested to hold open, transparent and inclusive intergovernmental negotiations to produce a political declaration on the implementation of the Global Plan of Action for adoption at the meeting.
4 May 2017: The UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution on the modalities, format and organization of its upcoming high-level meeting to appraise the UN’s 2010 action plan on combatting trafficking in persons. The resolution requests the President of the 71st session of the UNGA to hold open, transparent and inclusive intergovernmental negotiations to produce a short and concise political declaration on the implementation of the Global Plan of Action, for adoption at the High-Level Meeting.
The UNGA adopted the UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons in July 2010. In May 2013, it conducted a first high-level appraisal of the Global Plan, and subsequently agreed on the need to conduct additional appraisals of the plan. The UNGA decided to convene at its 72nd session a high-level meeting to appraise the progress achieved in the implementation of the Global Plan of Action. The High-level Meeting on the Appraisal of the UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons will take place on 27-28 September 2017.
The co-facilitators for preparations for the meeting, Catherine Boura, Permanent Representative of Greece, and Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of Qatar, circulated a zero draft of the modalities resolution on 13 February 2017, followed by informal consultations on 23 February. On 16 March, the co-facilitators issued a compilation of comments from UN Member States on the draft modalities, reflecting the written inputs received from UN Member States after the 23 February 2017 meeting. Additional informal consultations took place in March and April 2017. A final draft of the resolution was issued by the co-facilitators on 26 April, and placed under silence procedure until 28 April. On 1 May 2017, UNGA President Peter Thomson announced that consensus had been reached on the draft, and the UNGA adopted the resolution on 4 May 2017.
The resolution (A/71/L.65) calls on the UNGA President to appoint two co-facilitators for intergovernmental negotiations on the political declaration. It decides that the High-Level Meeting will consist of an opening plenary meeting and two consecutive interactive panel discussions. Per the resolution, the opening plenary will feature statements by: the President of UNGA 72; the UN Secretary-General; the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; an eminent person actively engaged in the fight against trafficking in persons; and a representative from civil society, at least one of whom should be a survivor of human trafficking. The subsequent plenary meetings will hear statements by UN Member States and UNGA observers.
Interactive panel discussions will address: the Global Plan of Action and effective partnerships for the prevention and prosecution of trafficking in persons, achievements, gaps and challenges, also taking into consideration the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and the Global Plan of Action effective partnerships for the protection of and assistance to victims, including through the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children, also taking into consideration the implementation of the SDGs. The panel sessions will result in summaries of the discussions to be presented at the closing plenary meeting.
On participation, the resolution invites UN Member States and UNGA observers to be represented at the highest possible level, and encourages UN Member States to consider including in their delegations members of national human rights institutions, law enforcement, parliamentarians, representatives of civil society active in combating trafficking in persons, survivors of trafficking in persons and representatives of the private sector. The resolution also invites to the meeting all relevant UN system entities, as well as relevant intergovernmental, regional and sub-regional organizations, and interested representatives of NGOs that are in consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It further requests UNGA 71 President to organize, no later than July 2017, a one-day informal interactive multi-stakeholder hearing, and to prepare a summary of the hearing.
A UN summary of the UNGA meeting to adopt the resolution notes that Canada, also for Australia, Iceland, Liechtenstein and New Zealand, expressed disappointment that the text: “fell short in its failure” to reflect key developments since the UNGA adoption of the Global Plan of Action in 2010, including the launch of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and did not enable engagement by the full range of stakeholders working on trafficking at the national and international levels, such as national human rights institutions that could participate in their independent capacity.
The EU would have preferred inviting human rights institutions to participate independently of their respective national delegations, so as to safeguard their autonomous status. He added that all holders of UN special-procedures mandates and treaty bodies working on trafficking and related issues must be invited. [Co-Facilitators’ Letter and Final Draft Resolution] [Co-Facilitators’ Letter Informing of Consensus] [UN Press Release on Adoption of Resolution A/71/L.65] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Comments on Modalities Draft]