UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME (UNODC) NEW YORK PRESENTATION OF THE 2022 GLOBAL REPORT ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
20 March 2023
Statement delivered by H.E. The Hon Mitch Fifield, Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Australian Mission to the United Nations
Australia really welcomes the report. It is a valuable resource for governments, for stakeholders and it does provide terrific data. Data that is essential to understand the scope of the challenge, and data that really is the fuel to end trafficking, it's a fuel to end modern slavery in all of its insidious forms. That's how we need to look at the data - it is essential for what it is that we all want to achieve.
In the two years since the last report, there are, as there always are, some fresh challenges. The risks of modern slavery has been heightened. It's been heightened by some of the usual suspects - crises, instability, conflict, and it's also concerning that the pandemic appears to have affected the level of detection of trafficking in persons.
For our part, Australia has a deep committment to countering modern slavery everywhere, and that's both abroad and at home.
We do this in two ways, through:
- strengthening our domestic and regulatory actions, and also
- driving action through the Bali Process.
The Bali Process really is a unique partnership. It is the key regional forum on these issues. It was great that on the 10th of February, our Foreign Minister Penny Wong hosted, and co-chaired the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Bali Process with her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi. The Conference made strong commitments:
- endorsing an Adelaide Strategy for Cooperation, and also
- enhancing the capabilities of law enforcement authorities to leverage technology in the war against people smuggling, human trafficking, and the other related abominable transnational crimes.
There is more to be done. We look forward to joining in that, and maintaining the full-court press against that which is evil.