Opening segment

Welcoming remarks by the co-facilitators

• H.E. Mr. Juan José Gómez Camacho, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations
• H.E. Mr. Jürg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations
• Remarks by the Ms. Louise Arbour, Secretary-General of the intergovernmental conference

PANEL 1: Smuggling of migrants 

This panel will examine actions taken and gaps in responses to the smuggling of migrants. Panelists will discuss: implementation of the definition of smuggling of migrants and the related obligations and commitments at international law; the range of stakeholders involved in investigating and prosecuting criminal actors, preventing smuggling of migrants and assisting and protecting smuggled migrants; national and cross-border coordination and cooperation, including between State and non-State actors; the challenges and opportunities of a framework seeking to both combat the smuggling of migrants and protect the rights of smuggled migrants; and the preventive impact of measures such as the availability of pathways for regular migration, or coordinated cross-border action against transnational smuggling networks.

• Ms. Gabriella E. Sanchez, Senior Research Fellow, Migration Policy Centre, European University Institute
• Mr. Mark Shaw, Director, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime
• Mr. Jorgen Carling, Research Professor, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)

Moderator: H.E. Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi, Ambassador of Argentina to Austria and Permanent Representative to International Organisations in Vienna

PANEL 2: Trafficking in persons and contemporary forms of slavery

This panel will explore the crime of human trafficking including for sexual exploitation, forced labor, servitude and slavery, and related exploitative practices. This panel will examine actions taken and gaps in responses to trafficking in persons. Panelists will discuss: implementation of the definition of trafficking in persons and the related obligations and commitments at international law; the range of stakeholders involved in investigating and prosecuting criminal actors, preventing trafficking in persons and protecting its victims; national and crossborder coordination and cooperation, including between State and non-State actors; the challenges and opportunities of a framework seeking to both combat trafficking in persons and protect the rights of trafficking victims; and the preventive impact of measures such as risk assessment of re-victimization or retrafficking in developing counter-trafficking responses, or initiatives to address exploitative labor practices within supply chains, or consumer-based action against products or services resulting from trafficked labor.

• Ms. Anne T. Gallagher, Academic Adviser, Doughty St Chambers
• Ms. Gulnara Shahinyan, Expert on slavery and trafficking in persons and founder and chair of Democracy Today
• Mr. Mohamed Y. Mattar, Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Law Clinic, Qatar University College of Law

Moderators: H.E. Ms. Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, Director General for Legal and Consular Affairs at the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of Austria, and H.E. Mr. Andrew Goledzinowski, Ambassador for People Smuggling and Human Trafficking for Australia

PANEL 3: Appropriate identification, protection, and assistance to migrants and trafficking victims

This panel will examine concrete measures undertaken to enhance protection and assistance of trafficking victims and smuggled migrants, as migrants in vulnerable situations. The panel would focus in particular on issues of (a) identification and referral, such as ensuring an adequate capacity amongst all relevant actors and the availability of information and related resources to migrants regarding rights, access and the extent of various forms of assistance and support; (b) protection, such as ensuring the non-criminalisation of trafficked persons and smuggled migrants, or that specialised responses are linked with a broader protection framework including child protection and asylum procedures, and (c) assistance, including that access to support measures is not made conditional upon cooperation with State criminal justice authorities. The panel will provide examples of tools, highlight specific forms of protection and assistance and the roles of various actors.

• Ms. Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, Judge and Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children
• Ms. Bandana Pattanaik, International Coordinator, Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women (GAATW)
• Ms. Hassiba Hadj Sabraoui, Humanitarian Affairs Advisor, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Moderators: H.E. Mr. Leigh Turner, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations in Vienna, and H.E. Ms. Stefanie Amadeo, Deputy Representative to ECOSOC, United States Mission to the United Nations

SUMMARY PANEL: Synopsis of the main conclusions and outcomes

• Moderators present the key recommendations resulting from their panels
• Ms. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, Professor of Law, Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria, thematic expert provides a short overview of the main discussions and the interlinkages between the panels
•  Interactive exchange between the moderators, the thematic expert and Member States on the outcomes of the session