The State of Qatar and Holland's permanent delegations to the UN, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) organized a meeting at the headquarters of Holland's permanent delegation in New York to launch the committee's report.
The report was financed by the State of Qatar and Holland to identify, explore, and address the nexus between human trafficking and terrorism. HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani stressed the State of Qatar's interest in the matter, noting that Qatar always called on the international community to pay attention to the dangers of human trafficking and terrorism.
Her Excellency noted in her remarks that the root causes of terrorism and human trafficking were the same. She added that it was not strange to find a link between the two, given that terrorists benefit financially from transnational organized crime, including human trafficking. She stressed that it was necessary to study these dangerous illegal activities in order to stop them. She pointed to Security Council resolution 2331 in that regard, adopted and co-sponsored by the State of Qatar, which recognized the link between the financing of terrorism and trafficking of human beings.
She referred to the membership of the State of Qatar in the Group of Friends to combat trafficking in human beings, noting that Qatar was one of the most important donors to the Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking in persons, which has become a legally binding universal instrument for the protection and assistance of victims of trafficking with full respect for their human rights. She stressed the commitment of the State of Qatar to the fight against the heinous crimes, noting the country's role as facilitator of the United Nations General Assembly resolution to assess the UN Global Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons and the adoption of the Political Declaration of 2017 on the implementation of the UN Global Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons.
Her Excellency referred in that context to the memorandum of understanding signed by the State of Qatar with the African Union Commission, under which the State of Qatar pledged to establish an African Union-sponsored fund and a $20 million grant to reintegrate and integrate irregular and vulnerable migrants into their communities.
The CTED provided a review of the main findings of its study, emphasizing that trafficking in persons constitutes a serious violation of human rights and that it is the most profitable organized crime activity. The study also linked trafficking, war and conflict, and highlighted the strong link between terrorist groups and human trafficking to finance terrorism. It also reviewed the study on sexual violence and enslavement, especially for women and girls victims of terrorism and human trafficking. It also called for strengthening national and international laws to ensure that the perpetrators of the heinous crimes do not go unpunished. It also called upon the real stakeholders of states, the private and public sector to establish a system of financial control and to strengthen cooperation at the regional and international levels.
Assistant Secretary-General of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate Michele Coninsx and a number of representatives from member states, in addition to representatives from UN agencies including UN Women.