We, the leaders and representatives of seventeen political parties of
Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Republic of
Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore and Turkey participated in the 2nd ICAPP Workshop on Human Trafficking. The workshop was convened in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from April 28th to 30th,
2015. Representatives of thirteen institutions, including the
Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia and other international, national
and non-governmental organizations (NGO) with a strong interest in human
trafficking also attended the workshop as special guests and observers.
The workshop was also held back-to-back with the Senior Officials
Meeting and the Inter- Ministerial Meeting of the COMMIT, the
Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking, which was
launched among the governments of Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar,
Thailand and Vietnam in 2004 to combat human trafficking in the Greater
Mekong Sub-region. Two ministerial representatives of the COMMIT
delivered keynote speeches at the 2nd plenary session of the workshop.
The workshop was conducted under three topics which have previously
been identified as the framework of our discussions at the 1st
ICAPP Workshop on Human Trafficking in Kathmandu, Nepal, in January
2014: raising public awareness on the seriousness and the urgency,
mapping trans-border networks of cooperation, and establishing a
fast-track punishment system.
We further recognized human trafficking as a heinous crime that
deprives victims of their human rights and dignity, which nobody should
be allowed to violate. We also shared a common understanding that every
country in the world is affected by human trafficking, whether it is a
country of origin, transit or destination, making human trafficking an
issue that cannot be dealt with successfully by any government alone. We
further recognized that it requires a region-wide and multi-stakeholder
strategy that builds on national efforts. In this regard, we renewed
the commitment we made last year to expand coordinated efforts among all
stakeholders to deliver a comprehensive resolution to this trans-border
challenge.
We confronted and condemned the realities of today, in which
trafficking in persons remains to be one of the most lucrative forms of
organized crime, forcing millions of innocent people to suffer from the
vicious system of modern-day slavery. In this regard, we expressed our
strong support for the worldwide ratification and implementation of the
United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, which
was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 55/25 in
2000 to recognize the great threat human trafficking posed, especially
to people who are economically and socially in vulnerable positions, and
to facilitate a global approach towards the issue.
We deliberated on measures to strengthen international cooperation,
especially within the realms of our unique role as political parties in
our respective countries, and urged all political parties in the region
to pay closer attention to, and maintain special alertness on, cases of
human trafficking. We also pledged to strengthen, and share information
on the legislative activities of our respective parliaments for the
development of more practical strategies to combat human trafficking.
We called for the establishment of active partnerships among
governments, international organizations and civil societies to provide
humanitarian, legal and financial assistance to the victims of human
trafficking. In this regard, we appreciated contributions made by the
representatives of the UNDP and the U.N. Women at the workshop and
encouraged all governments in the region to ratify the U.N. protocols on
human trafficking. We also recommended that the domestic legal
frameworks within countries be upgraded for more efficient monitoring
and prevention of human trafficking.
We agreed to continue our deliberations on the following issues,
amongst others, within the framework of the ICAPP Women’s Wing:
- Effective data collection, research, and sharing of information, good practices and successful stories;
- Awareness-raising activities with the help of the business sector and the media;
- Effective coordination mechanism among stakeholders to mobilize joint efforts;
- Promotion of gender equality and prevention of gender-based discrimination in labor markets;
- Provision of services, including recovery treatment,
training and technical assistance, to help victims/survivors reintegrate
into society;
- Promotion of legal migration of workers across national borders; and
- Empowerment of all through education and vocational training;
- Inclusion of more stringent punitive measures in anti-human trafficking laws.
The participants also expressed their deepest condolences and sympathy
to the people of Nepal on the devastating earthquake, which occurred on
Saturday, April 25th, taking away the lives of thousands of
people, and resulting in enormous damages, including the demolishment of
many historic relics. They also wished that Nepal would recover from
the devastation and rebuild itself as an even stronger nation. Members
of the international community were called upon and requested to provide
immediate assistance to the Nepali people.
Finally, we expressed our gratitude to two leading political parties in Cambodia, i.e. the Cambodian People’s Party and the Funcinpec
Party, for co-hosting the workshop, and our appreciation to the ICAPP
Women's Wing and the ICAPP Secretariat for the successful organization
of the workshop. We also extended our appreciation to Samdech Techo
Prime Minister HUN SEN and the Royal Government of Cambodia for the warm
hospitality throughout our stay in Cambodia. Furthermore, we gave
special thanks to the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for co-sponsoring the 2nd ICAPP Workshop on Human Trafficking.
Adopted in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on April 30th, 2015.
