Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to have the opportunity to address this distinguished audience on a subject that lies close to my heart. I would like to thank Foreign Minister Jan Eliasson, my dear colleague Annika Söder and the Swedish Government for organising this conference. I am confident that today’s session will make a valuable contribution to a cause we all support: the global eradication of all forms of trafficking in human beings.

There are several definitions of trafficking in human beings. In this context I refer to the most widely accepted definition of the term which is enshrined in the UN Palermo protocol: trafficking in human beings shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer and harboring or receipt of persons by means of threat or use of force for the purpose of exploitation. It should be noticed that even if a person accepts working as a sexworker, he or she might still be a victim of trafficking if it turns out that the person has no control over her own life, the amount of work or where to work.

First of all, I would like to state loud and clear that the Norwegian Government is strongly committed to the global fight against trafficking, which is one of the most blatant violations of human rights. We are especially anxious to protect children under 18 years against all forms of abuse. Trafficking in children violates the inherent right of every child to grow up in a protective environment and the right to be free from all forms of violence.

Trafficking in human beings has become a serious concern for most countries in the world. It is by no means a new phenomenon, but has been common practice in many societies throughout history. However, in recent decades it has become part of a larger and even more sinister picture. Trafficking in human beings is today a global business and the source of lucrative profits for traffickers and organised crime syndicates. Every region of the globe is affected by the problem, with some countries providing the demand and others supplying the victims either as a country of origin or transit.

In my country foreign prostitution was unknown until recently. Today, however, the market is totally dominated by women from the Baltic countries, Central European countries and from Africa. Many of them thought that they would get well paid jobs in restaurants and bars in a rich country. The reality turned out to be terribly different. There are reasons to believe that most of them have been trafficked. Increased awareness has lead to an intense public debate in Norway about trafficking in human beings. This is a sound reaction.

It is the responsibility of the state authorities to find efficient ways to fighting this evil. The general public has understood that bold steps has to be taken. As politicians we have to face up to the challenge. I feel this responsibility strongly.

The downside of globalisation has been a sharp increase in illicit cross-border activities. You are familiar with all of them: tax evasion, money laundering, the rise of multinational crime syndicates, and the sex and drug trades. The global information revolution has vastly increased people’s awareness of the disparities between rich and poor countries in living standards and life opportunities. Globalisation also affects men and women differently. In countries with deep-rooted gender inequalities, the social cost of globalisation has fallen disproportionately on women.

The quest for material prosperity has led to massive illegal migration from South to North and from East to West. It is estimated that there are between 15 and 30 million illegal migrants worldwide, and the number is growing. An increasing number of migrants are women. Children and women are particularly at risk of being trafficked in this situation.

Trafficked children are the most vulnerable of the victims. Trafficking in children is a particularly unspeakable form of exploitation. Children always suffer most from social and economic disturbance. They are easily led and misled. Every form of exploitation of children under the age of 18 1Ref. OptionalP Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child should be defined as a crime and should be dealt with accordingly.

Trafficking is a challenge to our understanding of the concept of security and of whose security we must safeguard. Security for the state, for society and for people has become closely linked. The concept of security can no longer be confined to protecting the state. Organised crime has been defined by the UN as one of the major threats to our security, stability and democratic values. Combating trafficking in human beings is about promoting stability and human security and dignity. Where crime flourishes, governments and the rule of law are undermined and weakened.

In a globalised world, nowhere is really far away any more. This means that local, internal and regional conflicts rapidly become our problem.

Due to the multiform and secret nature of organised crime, accurate statistics and data on the number of trafficked persons are scarce. According to the ILO (International Labour Organization)report A global Alliance against Forced Labour, more than 2.4 million people worldwide are victims of trafficking. In the industrialised countries and the Middle East, 73 per cent of all victims of forced labour have probably been trafficked, and of these 43 per cent have ended up in the sex industry. The same report tells us that 98 per cent of the victims of forced sexual exploitation are women and children.

The OSCE (the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) estimates that approximately 500 000 women and children are fed into the prostitution market in Europe every year. Not all of them are trafficked, but there is usually a clear link between the sex industry and crime. We know that large events such as the FIFA World Cup has its own special attraction.

According to the FBI, the annual profits generated are estimated to be USD 9.5 billion for the world as a whole, which is more than twice my country’s annual defence budget. We know that illicit trade is the main source of income for terrorist groups.

All this is probably just the tip of the iceberg. I mention these figures to make the magnitude of the problem clear and to demonstrate that we have a long-term fight ahead of us. No government, no state and no international organisation can ignore these facts. They compel us to take action.

Implementing good governance is vital in the fight against human trafficking. We have fallen short in our efforts to protect people against the negative aspects of globalisation. Basic security is a recognised human right and a global responsibility.

In the last few years, the international community has created a system of international law, rules and guidelines to prevent and combat trafficking. The most significant global response to date is the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime together with the Palermo Protocol on trafficking in human beings. When the European Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings enters into force, this will also be a valuable tool. These instruments apply to all forms of trafficking, whether they are national or international, and whether or not they are related to organised crime. They address the three Ps: protection of the victims, prevention of trafficking and prosecution of traffickers. I would like to take this opportunity to urge all countries that have not already done so to sign and ratify these instruments as soon as possible.

While trafficking in human beings is a global phenomenon, it is the responsibility of individual states to implement anti-trafficking legislation. But we need regional cooperation to supplement these efforts. We need to combine effective action at national and regional levels in order to achieve global goals.

Regional cooperation is a widely recognised tool for promoting stability, security and prosperity. Regional cooperation will thus strengthen our ability to combat trafficking and make it possible to achieve the ambitious goal of eradicating it totally. Regional cooperation on trafficking is important in breaking down barriers between countries of transit and origin and countries of destination. Countries can assist each other through peer pressure based on the exchange of information and best practices.

Dialogue between communities of origin and destination on key policy issues is good preventive work. Such dialogue provides useful opportunities to develop and agree on procedures, recommendations and non-binding codes that can complement formal obligations under ratified conventions.

Readmission agreements with countries of origin are also important.

Coordination between countries offers an additional route for expanding capacity, strengthening institutions, harmonising policies, and building a more effective system for preventing trafficking and addressing the situation of the victims.

Regional arrangements may take many forms. The Nordic-Baltic Task Force is one example. I have been a member since last September, and would like to tell you what it has achieved so far.

The Task Force includes delegates from eight Nordic and Baltic countries, and was established by the Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers in response to the urgent need to intensify the fight against trafficking in the Baltic Sea region. The initiative was taken by the late Anna Lindh, then Sweden’s foreign minister, after she had seen the film Lilya 4-ever which I imagine most of you have probably seen too.

The task force is but one of many areas where the vision and decisiveness of Anna can still be seen. Her works lives on – it is our responsibility to ensure the continuity.

From the outset, the main purpose of the Task Force has been to raise political awareness, strengthen networks against trafficking, cooperate with NGOs, and implement practical measures to combat trafficking throughout the Nordic-Baltic region.

The Task Force has initiated a multilateral cooperative pilot project for the safe return and reintegration of victims of trafficking for sexual purposes. The project is a regional capacity-building instrument. Its aims to include developing and implementing sustainable models for the transfer of knowledge, expertise and experience between key actors. The pilot project is expected to become a best-practices model for similar projects in the region and in other parts of the world.

The Task Force has also drawn up a strategic framework with benchmarks and common goals to further our efforts. A website has been set up to spread information to a broader audience.

All the Nordic and Baltic countries have either developed or are in the process of developing national action plans, interministerial working groups and national task forces. This is a concrete result of increased awareness at political level.

The Task Force is cooperating with the Council of the Baltic Sea States’ Working Group for Cooperation on Children at Risk to support and assist trafficked children. The Task Force has coordinated its work with the task force against trafficking under the Barents Euro-Arctic Council. We note with pleasure that contact has also been established between ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and the Task Force. Building on the Nordic-Baltic Task Force model, it was decided last May to establish and launch a West African regional network. This is an example of regions learning from each other.

The Task Force will present a final report on its work and the results achieved to the foreign ministers of the Nordic and Baltic countries later in 2006. Like the other reports, it will be made available on the website.

In my opinion the Task Force is a valuable form of regional cooperation and could serve as inspiration and a model for others. I believe that its mix of top-down and bottom-up approaches has been the key to its success. It has never been seen as a replacement for national policies, but has been a huge source of inspiration to step up our efforts at country level. By helping others we help ourselves. And through cooperation, smaller countries can make their voices heard in the international arena, for example in the European Commission Communication on fighting trafficking in human beings.

To conclude, my main message here is that a joint approach through regional cooperation is the key to addressing cross-border trafficking in a efficient way. The Nordic–Baltic Task Force is one successful model – there may be others. Each region must take into account its specific situation and the resources of the countries involved.

No state can win this fight alone. The only viable option is to pool our resources and to form a robust alliance against crime and trafficking. This is the only way to achieve the ambitious goal of eradicating trafficking in human beings in the foreseeable future.

We must also ensure that we provide sufficient resources in terms of manpower, time and funding, so that regional anti-trafficking strategies can be effectively implemented. I urge you all to do so in your budget planning. As the saying goes, the proof of the pudding lies in the eating.

I am looking forward to an interesting debate today.

Thank you for your attention.

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