Gargash: Escalate action against human trafficking
The UAE National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking held its 15th meeting chaired by H.E. Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Committee.
The meeting hosted at the MSFNCA premises in Dubai discussed critical initiatives to be undertaken in the next phase as well as future plans to escalate efforts to combat human trafficking.
His Excellency Gargash instructed the committee to escalate its efforts and present plans and efficient strategies that can professionally meet the next phase’s requirements. He also sought suggestions to boost the committee’s performance.
He said that the focus of the committee for any future action should be to eradicate human trafficking in the shortest possible time span. This can be achieved only by intensifying efforts and coordinating them among concerned institutions and ensuring a unified stand against this crime, Dr Gargash explained.
In line with this, the committee reviewed a presentation explaining the coordination mechanisms between the lodging centers for victims and concerned parties. Dr. Gargash highlighted the importance of maintaining such relations in order to attain the best results.
He said that coordination between all parties was crucial in developing new mechanisms to limit the spread of this crime. The committee was briefed about the visit conducted by the vice-president of the Women Parliament National Assembly at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to the UAE (please double-check this). The committee encouraged this move and noted the importance of leveraging cooperation with international organizations to highlight the UAE’s achievements in fighting human trafficking by providing necessary data related to this field.
The committee reviewed procedures relevant to the media campaign which will be kick-started in the fall of 2009. Dr. Gargash asked for an integrated strategy about this. The meeting also discussed the special report regarding the Belarus initiative at the UN to coordinate efforts exerted to fight human trafficking activities and recommended pledging full support to this project to achieve best results on the global scale.
About The UAE National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking:
The UAE National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking was established under Federal Law 51 for the year 2006 to address the crime of human trafficking. It represents the first law of its kind in the Arab world to address the practice of human trafficking and demonstrates the UAE’s commitment to international treaties and standards.
The Committee is tasked with developing an implementation framework for this important legislation. As part of its ongoing efforts to address this issue, the UAE recently ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
A main focus of the Committee on Human Trafficking is to update legislation related to this issue in order to provide protections and security according to international standards. Other responsibilities include assessment of government implementation procedures, coordination between government divisions, and creation of public awareness of human trafficking issues in society.
For further information, please contact:
Nedal Al Asaad / Nizar Aridi
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
Tel: (+971 4) 334 4550; Fax: (+971 4) 334 4556
E-mail: n.alasaad@asdaa.com, n.aridi@asdaa.com
