The State of Qatar has confirmed that the success of the International Community to put an end to the phenomenon of trafficking in persons requires concerted international efforts to address its causes, and foremost finding just solutions to conflicts and crises and fighting against impunity.
This came in a statement of the State of Qatar delivered by HE the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani during the official meeting of the Security Council on Trafficking in Persons in Conflict Situations on Wednesday.
HE said that trafficking in human beings has become a global phenomenon that poses a challenge to the international will and the values of humanity, since it represents a flagrant violation of human rights.
The seriousness of this threat she said that it affects vulnerable groups, especially women, children, people with disabilities and the elderly, pointing to the disastrous results caused by forced migration as a result of conflicts and crises, which forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes and homelands in pursuit of safe and dignified life.
The statement said that what increases the risk of this phenomenon, that terrorist groups are benefiting from this phenomenon by exploiting young people and recruiting them to carry out terrorist operations, or by taking advantage of the funds derived from human trafficking in those operations.
Ambassador Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani said that despite the adoption of the United Nations Convention against Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, the international community has failed to end conflicts, crises, and policies that violate the basic rights of individuals and peoples.
She said in the statement that the State of Qatar has supported the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons since its launch, and has taken legislative measures to issue Qatari law against trafficking in persons which criminalizes trafficking in all its forms and patterns.
HE also said that Qatar is one of the biggest donors to the United Nations Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons since its inception, adding that it hosted the 13th Congress on Crime Prevention in 2015, which resulted in the Doha Declaration and adopted a comprehensive approach to address the crime of human trafficking.
HE the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the UN also said that Qatar is one of the biggest supporters of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as the main UN reference to combat trafficking in persons.
She stressed that the State of Qatar is working at the national and international levels to implement the goals relating to combating trafficking in persons in the framework of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals of 2030.
HE Ambassador Sheikha Alya noted to the UN General Assembly Resolution 248 which established an independent, impartial international mechanism to assist in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the crimes committed in Syria, saying that it is an important and decisive step in the fight against human trafficking.
She added that based on its firm faith in the importance of the preservation of human dignity and to comply with its international law obligations and contribute to work with partners in the international community to combat trafficking in persons, the State of Qatar has agreed on the request of the President of the General Assembly to appoint her as a facilitator in partnership with Greece for the evaluating meeting of the implementation of UN global plan of action to combat trafficking in persons to be held in early October 2017.
At the end of the statement, HE the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the UN Ambassador Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani confirmed Qatar's continuing support for any bid of the Security Council that contributes to eradicate the phenomenon of trafficking in persons and to achieve international peace and security

Source: QNA