UN-sponsored forum on combating human trafficking opens in Egypt

Hundreds of world business leaders and human rights activists gathered in a UN-sponsored forum Saturday in Luxor, Egypt to discuss the role and responsibility of the business community in combating human trafficking.

In addressing the opening ceremony through video broadcast, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said "the private sector is increasingly fulfilling their responsibility in preventing human trafficking from tainting their businesses and supply chains."

"Business success is not just making money but also taking an active role as community citizens. The business community as a whole, through its global outreach and network of connections, can greatly contribute to removing the root causes of human trafficking," Egypt's First Lady Suzanne Mubarak said in the opening speech.

A first-ever Business Leader's Award will be given to recognize and honor business executives who have shown energy and commitment in tackling the global scourge of human trafficking.

The forum is held also to mark the ten-year anniversary of the UN Palermo Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, which opened for signature on Dec. 12, 2000.

The protocol focused the attention of the global community on combating human trafficking and called for the criminalization of all acts of trafficking, including forced labor, slavery, and slaverylike practices.

Human trafficking is the third most profitable illegal business after weapons and drugs nowadays. The United Nations estimates the total market value of human trafficking at 32 billion U.S. dollars. And an estimated 27 million people are currently victims of this modern slavery, who are from at least 127 countries and have been found to be exploited in 137 states.

The Luxor International Forum, with the theme of "End Human Trafficking Now: Enforcing the UN Protocol," is the first global gathering with particular focus on highlighting the pivotal role of the business community in anti-trafficking efforts and encouraging businesses to utilize their global reach and network of connections to combat the crime.

Over 400 participants from more than 30 countries will attend the two-day forum.