Discussion on UNODC's Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2022

For the first time in over two decades, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) documented a decrease in global trafficking victims during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, global trafficking remains a critical threat, with the pandemic opening up new avenues for exploitation and complicating typical methods of crime detection in many low- and middle-income countries. The 7th edition of the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons highlights a global struggle to detect cases of trafficking, protect victims, and prosecute perpetrators. This leaves victims with the undue responsibility of “rescuing themselves” instead of being proactively identified by law enforcement. With 2023 marking 20 years of the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons and the half-way mark for the 2030 agenda, the international community has the opportunity to refocus its efforts on fighting global trafficking and related impunity.

This session will feature opening remarks by Ambassador Cindy Dyer (U.S. Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons) followed by a panel discussion on the UNODC’s 2022 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons featuring Angela Me, Ilias Chatzis, and Desirée Suo Weymont.

This event is made possible through general support to CSIS.