On Wednesday 16 October 2024 the side-event on “Refugees, Migrants Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons” took place in Geneva at the Palais des Nations from 1 to 2:30 PM. The event was organized by the Sovereign Order of Malta in collaboration with the San Remo International Institute of Humanitarian Law and co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of Holy See, Italy Switzerland as well as UNHCR.
The event was opened by H.E. Michel Veuthey, Ambassador to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons from the Sovereign Order of Malta. He addressed the urgent global issue of migrants, refugees, and human trafficking. With 281 million international migrants and 43 million refugees worldwide, many are vulnerable to exploitation, including forced labor, sexual abuse, and organ trafficking. Human trafficking impacts over 50 million people, generating $236 billion annually for traffickers. The speaker calls for stronger laws, better protection, and international cooperation to protect vulnerable populations, emphasizing that this is not just a legal or political issue, but a moral one that demands collective action to uphold human dignity.
The speakers were:
- H.E. Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations in Geneva for the Holy See,
- Mr. Claudio Delfabro, Director of the Department of International Refugee and Migration Law at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law (IIHL),
- Mr. Vincent Cochetel, Special Envoy for the Western and Central Mediterranean Situation at the UNHCR,
- Ms. Alem Makonnen, Senior Policy Officer at the Protection Division of the International Organization for Migration (IOM),
- Mr. Simone Capolupo, Head of the Knowledge Management Department at the Good Shepherd International Foundation (GSIF),
- Ms. Kendall Alaimo, a survivor, international speaker, activist, and clinical educator.
Following the main speakers, H.E. Vincenzo Grassi, Ambassador of Italy, and H.E. Gerhard Putman-Cramer, Ambassador of the Parliament Association of the Mediterranean, took the floor to address the pressing issue of human trafficking. Both ambassadors emphasized the critical need for more proactive measures to combat trafficking. Ambassador Grassi reiterated Italy’s commitment to tackling the root causes of human trafficking, particularly through enhanced cooperation within the Mediterranean region. Ambassador Putman-Cramer echoed this sentiment, stressing that legislative action and international collaboration are key to mitigating the growing threat of trafficking networks across borders. Furthermore, on behalf of H.E. Ambassador Jürg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Mr. Sylvain Corderoy took the floor affirming that Switzerland is strongly committed to implementing and targeting human trafficking through a multi-stakeholder approach and is currently implementing its Third International Action Plan against Human Trafficking.
The event was very successful and attracted several Permanent Missions (Belarus, Germany, Finland, Italy, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malawi, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukraine as well as representatives from the Council of Europe, British Refugee Council, IOM and UNHCR) and over 150 participants, combining both in-person attendees and online participants.
The full recorded event is available HERE.