UAE backs global efforts to fight human trafficking

Abu Dhabi: A UAE delegation to the Vienna Forum on human trafficking concluded a final round of panels and discussions with senior government and UN officials, NGOs and international experts on human trafficking.

Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, who led the UAE delegation, addressed the plenary session on behalf of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Dr Gargash outlined the UAE's objectives behind their donation to the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Trafficking (UN.GIFT) to create a forum for the international community of experts in trafficking to exchange knowledge and expertise.

Following keynote statements by celebrities Ricky Martin and actress Emma Thompson, the UAE unveiled its four-pillar strategy to combat trafficking and called for greater international cooperation to tackle the growing transnational problem.

Dr Gargash said: "The UAE is fully behind the creation of a global partnership to achieve our common goal to end trafficking in human beings."

During the four-day conference, the UAE delegation, which comprised officials from the UAE National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, including the ministries of Justice, Interior, Labour, and Federal National Council as well as representatives of the police and also the non-government sector, participated in a series of expert panels.

The conference started with the delegation attending the Parliamentary Forum for over 100 parliamentarians from around the world to debate national legislation.

The UAE delegates provided information on UAE Federal Law 51 combating trafficking, the first of its kind in the region, and studied international and national legislation.

Delegates also participated in sessions on bonded labour or modern day slavery, to the key tools to prevent trafficking.

The UAE affirmed its commitment against all forms of involuntary labour and outlined its full engagement in promoting bilateral partnerships among countries of labour origin and destination to halt the crime at its source.

International co-operation was a key theme of the panel discussions. "The UAE is actively seeking to forge partnerships in all fields related to combating the terrible crime, particularly in information sharing and cooperation," said Dr Abdul Rahim Al Awadi, Undersecretary Assistant for International Affairs in the UAE Ministry of Justice.

The UAE used the forum to initiate partnerships for exchanges and capacity building. "Trafficking is a cyclical crime that involves both receiving as well as source countries and a rehabilitation process for victims of trafficking cannot be effective without strong links at both the government and NGO level with other countries worldwide," said Afra Al Basti, head of the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children.