OSCE report on combating trafficking in human beings: UK response, November 2024
The UK praises OSCE monitoring of trafficking risks of Russia's war and work to strengthen protection measures.
Thank you, Special Representative for your report. The UK recognises and welcomes the valuable contribution of your Office to anti-trafficking efforts across the OSCE region.
It is critical we continue to monitor the emerging risks of trafficking and exploitation as a result of ongoing conflicts and humanitarian crises. Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to leave many vulnerable to exploitation, most often women and children. Russian authorities have forcibly deported over 19,500 Ukrainian children to Russia or temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory. We must do more to strengthen protection measures. We recognise the important efforts of your Office in supporting states to do this.
In line with the UK’s commitment to achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7, we continue to work with international partners, including the OSCE, to eradicate all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking.
We welcome your Office’s recent report on the use of generative artificial intelligence to facilitate trafficking in persons. We must ensure the responsible, transparent, and human-centric development and deployment of AI, in a manner that respects and promotes human rights. The UK continues to play a key role as an international leader in safe, secure and trustworthy AI, having hosted the AI Safety Summit last year and established the world-first AI Safety Institute.
The UK is committed to tackling business-related human rights abuses in global supply chains. Next year, we will carry out a National Baseline Assessment on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which will help inform the UK’s approach to tackling business-related human rights abuse. The UK has also taken steps to address forced labour in supply chains through public procurement. Our Procurement Act, passed last year, enables public sector contracting authorities to reject bids and terminate contracts with suppliers known to use modern slavery themselves, or anywhere in their supply chain.
We welcome your Office’s efforts to include survivors and those with lived experience across your work. It is vital that their voices, experience and expertise are central to efforts to tackle and prevent modern slavery. We are supporting UNDP to develop guidance for investors on engaging survivors of modern slavery in developing and implementing human rights due diligence processes and grievance mechanisms.
Special Representative, let me finish by thanking you again for your report. It highlights the impressive contributions of your Office and serves as a reminder to OSCE states of the need for greater cooperation on this agenda. We look forward to continued UK engagement with your Office to support its valuable work.