• Colonel Ho Sy Niem, Deputy Director of the Department for Criminal Investigation Police, Ministry of Public Security
• representatives from ministries and provinces, colleagues from UN agencies and CSOs
• distinguished guests

Good morning, Xin chao!

It is my pleasure to be here on behalf of UNDP for this Workshop on the development of a National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for trafficked persons in Viet Nam. I would like to congratulate the Ministry of Public Security on organizing this important event today and on the progresses made so far, in collaboration with other ministries and agencies who play important role in the NRM and are also here today.

I would also like to thank all of you for supporting the development of NRM. The nature of this important task requires the collaboration among a broad range of stakeholders. We are convinced that the design of the NRM for Viet Nam will benefit from the strong expertise and mandates that all of you will bring in.

Vietnam has ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC, 2003) and its Palermo Protocol (2003) in December 2011. Both documents are effective in Vietnam from July 2012. Other important international instruments to address the human trafficking issue are the Forced Labour Convention, the Slavery and its Supplementary Conventions. All these together with the domestic Law on Combating Trafficking in Persons (effective from Jan 2012) has formed a legal platform on reducing and eliminating human trafficking in Vietnam.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Human trafficking is an increasingly important development issue in Vietnam, especially with new trends and means applied by traffickers, affecting babies even before they were born and young students. It affects Viet Nam’s hard-gained socio-economic gains, and can harm the lives of individuals and families, particularly of those who are marginalized and poor.

The human trafficking affects Viet Nam’s progress in sustainable development across all areas of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but in particular SDGs 5 (gender equality), 8 (decent work and economic growth), 10 (reduced inequality), 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), and 17 (partnership for the goals).

The government and other stakeholders have long recognized the severity of the problem and efforts over the years have raised awareness. The development of a National Referral Mechanism, or NRM, in addition to other interventions around the 4P approach (Policy and Cooperation, Prevention of trafficking, Protection of victims and Prosecution of traffickers) will strengthen all other responses, if implemented effectively. It is a good practice highlighted by the international community and in the Framework for Action for implementing the International Convention on Transnational Organised Crime and the Protocol against Trafficking in Persons therein.

Many trafficked persons are not officially identified and therefore not provided the assistance they need and deserve. Through the strong NRM we hope that more trafficked persons are identified and provided the assistance they need for successful reintegration.

I would like to stress that the development of NRM in Viet Nam will be linked up with those in other countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region through the COMMIT Process. Recognising that much of the trafficking within this region occurs across borders, the COMMIT countries have been developing a Trans-national Referral Mechanism. UNDP, through UN-ACT will be supporting this process together with partners, recognizing this unique cross-border challenges. It is only through international cooperation that we will be able to combat the trafficking in persons.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This workshop is the signal of Vietnamese government’s strong commitment together with the countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-region, through the COMMIT Process, in combatting human trafficking through a comprehensive and collaborative approach.

UNDP with UN-ACT partners stands ready to continue providing the technical support to COMMIT and the government.

Thank you very much once again for your time joining us here today and I wish you a fruitful and productive consultation.

Xin cam on!