Bagan, Myanmar – The anti-human trafficking community from the Mekong region (Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam) has come together today for the 7th Senior Officials Meeting for the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking (COMMIT) in Myanmar.

The COMMIT 7th Senior Officials Meeting brings together over 135 participants from the six Governments in the Mekong region and observers from other ASEAN countries, the UN, INGOs, and donors. The purpose is to reaffirm their commitment to eradicating all forms of human trafficking in the region, share and evaluate progress in 2009 and lay the foundations for future strengthened cooperation in counter trafficking.

Also in attendance are representatives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Ms. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children.

Human trafficking is a serious crime involving the cheating or deceiving of people into sexual servitude or labour for the purpose of exploitation. The International Labour Organization estimated in 2005 that 9.49 million people are in forced labor in Asia-Pacific region, with a significant amount of that thought to be in Mekong region. Also according to the UN, traffickers are making illicit profits estimated at $31 billion US dollars globally

It is significant that the COMMIT 7th Senior Officials Meeting is being held in Myanmar, as this was the birthplace of the COMMIT Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was signed by representatives of the same six Mekong countries, six years ago.

‘It is an honour and a privilege to be hosting this important event here in Myanmar, given the historic significance it holds for the COMMIT governments,’ stated Major General Maung Oo, Minister of Home Affairs cum Chairperson of the Central Body for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons, Union of Myanmar.

‘Through the COMMIT Process we have been able to make significant inroads in the fight against the crime of human trafficking.’

The central theme being debated at the COMMIT 7th Senior Officials Meeting is: ‘Addressing the Impact of COMMIT Anti-Trafficking Efforts: Are we making a Difference?’

Since the signing of the COMMIT MOU, the six governments have put in place legal and cooperative frameworks to prevent human trafficking taking place, prosecute traffickers and exploitative employers, and protect victims of trafficking, assisting them to return home safely and with dignity.

The COMMIT 7th Senior Officials Meeting is providing an opportunity to review these frameworks and take a fresh look at regional approaches to counter-trafficking. Together, the six countries will review their plans and priorities related to counter-trafficking and discuss future joint actions, focusing in particular on the areas of law enforcement and criminal justice, and recovery and reintegration for victims.

‘COMMIT is unique in that it has fostered unprecedented unity of purpose and mutual accountability between the Mekong countries over the past six years,’ said Mr. Bishow Parajuli, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and UN Development Programme Representative in Myanmar. ‘I believe that this unity may be one of our greatest strengths in tackling some of our biggest challenges.’

“It is only through this kind of coordinated approach and solidarity of the counter-trafficking community that we can make a real difference in the lives of people who are suffering the cruel consequences of human trafficking and exploitation. It’s a privilege to be working with so many dedicated people through the COMMIT process, from the policy level to the grassroots, as we work together to make this happen,” said Matthew Friedman, Regional Project Manager of the United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP).

UNIAP is the Secretariat for the COMMIT process.

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