OSCE Conference, 7-8 September, Berlin

Preventing Trafficking in Human Beings for Labour Exploitation in Supply Chains
Berlin, 7-8 September 2016
Europasaal, Auswärtiges Amt, Berlin, Germany
Unterwasserstr. 10, 10117 Berlin
DRAFT Annotated Agenda
Trafficking in human beings (THB) is a human rights violation and a lucrative crime. In its 2012
Global Estimate of Forced Labour, the International Labour Organization (ILO) suggested that 20.9
million people were in forced labour situations worldwide and the majority of them, or an estimated
68%, were a in a situation of labour exploitation. Furthermore, the 2014 ILO report, Profits and
Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour, noted that forced labour in the private economy generates
US$ 150 billion in illegal profits per year, about three times more than previously estimated.
However, few victims are identified and even fewer perpetrators convicted, in particular in cases
of trafficking for labour exploitation. In today’s globalized economy, characterized by complex
supply chains, with both materials and labour sourced from all around the world, it is difficult
for buyers and consumers, including governments, to be sure that the goods or services they
purchase or procure were not produced by trafficked labour. Therefore, addressing this issue of
trafficking in human beings in supply chains is an area of urgent concern.
International standards have recognized the duty of both businesses and governments to undertake
due diligence and to protect against human rights abuses. Some governments have now taken measures
to promote compliance with international anti-trafficking standards and enact laws and policies to
ensure the ethical sourcing of goods and services. Yet, the best efforts by business will only
allow for due diligence within their own value chains by themselves. This is where top-down
governmental action is needed to enact good governance to protect human rights. Governments have a
clear role to play in delivering and enforcing legislation that not only protects workers at risk
of forced labour and trafficking, but also safeguards actions of responsible businesses who require
a level-playing field in order to compete fairly within the law. Furthermore, it is important that
governments leverage their own large purchasing power for more transparency, to make an impact for
the greater good and to ensure that taxes are not supporting trafficking in human beings. Embracing
their “role in the globalization process”, as outlined in the Leaders’ Declaration of the G7 Summit
of June 2015 in Elmau, Germany, governments can lead by example, setting clear criteria for
compliance with human rights standards, as well as international and national good governance
provisions.
To address these challenges, the OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for
Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (OSR/CTHB) is implementing the extra-budgetary project
“Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings in Supply Chains through Government Practices and
Measures”. The overall project objective is to provide OSCE participating States with practical
tools to enact concrete measures to prevent human trafficking in supply chains, as well as build
their capacity to implement these measures, thus protecting human rights through good governance.
By doing so, the project will also contribute to the promotion of labour and social standards in
supply chains, the overall fight against corruption and the introduction of sound financial
management and economic governance practices. The project will tap the momentum that has developed
on eradicating THB for labour exploitation and forced labour along globalized supply chains, and
will promote the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business
and Human Rights and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Under the project, the OSR/CTHB will develop flexible Model Guidelines for governments on
preventing trafficking in supply chains, with a focus on government procurement regulations,
transparency clauses, and labour recruitment practices to address current gaps and challenges in
relevant policy and practice.
One of the planned project activities is the high-level conference in Berlin on 7-8 September 2016
on Preventing Trafficking in Human Beings for Labour Exploitation in Supply Chains. This event is
organized by the OSR/CTHB in close co-operation with the German OSCE Chairmanship in Office, which
considers combating trafficking in human beings for labour exploitation, fostering economic
connectivity and the promotion of labour and social standards in supply chains as important topics.
This high-level event is part of the OSCE and Germany’s ongoing effort to raise awareness about the
problem of labour exploitation in supply chains and to advocate for increased actions by
governments and the private sector across the OSCE region to adopt measures to strengthen and
enforce anti-trafficking protections, and to prevent this form of modern slavery in the first
place.
As one of the first high-level events of its kind in the OSCE area, which also builds upon the
solid foundation of OSCE commitments and recommended actions, earlier research, and previous events
on this topic1, the Berlin Conference will discuss trafficking for labour exploitation in supply
chains, and present and collect existing good practices and policy measures in the OSCE area, as
well as concrete cases, lessons learned and outstanding gaps in safeguarding ethical sourcing. The
Berlin Conference is the launch event of the project, which includes a series of workshops to be
organized in the framework of the project.
The working languages of the conference will be English and Russian.
The Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
would like to thank the OSCE participating States that have already contributed to the
Extra-budgetary project: Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Wednesday, 7 September 2016
9:30 – 10:00 Welcome coffee and registration
10:00 – 10:45 Opening Remarks
Chair: Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova, OSCE Special Representative and Co-
ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
Speakers: Dr. h.c. Gernot Erler, Special Representative of the Federal Government of Germany for the OSCE Chairmanship
Yasmin Fahimi, State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Germany
High-level Representative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) (TBC)
Sergey Lebedev, Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States (TBC)
Wellington Chibebe, Deputy General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (TBC)
Bernd Hemingway, Deputy Director General of the Council of the Baltic Sea States Snežana
Samardžić-Marković, Director General of Democracy (DG II), Council of Europe
Dr. Halil Yurdakul Yigitgüden, Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities
The opening remarks will address incidence and magnitude of trafficking for labour exploitation in
supply chains, evidence, and latest trends, and will outline the most relevant international
legislative and policy frameworks. The speakers will emphasize the cross-dimensional nature of the
issue, including also aspects of sound public financial management and the need for more
transparency and accountability in government procurement processes, and will highlight the need
for a comprehensive good governance approach.
10:45 – 11:15 Keynote Addresses
Gilbert Houngbo, ILO Deputy Director General
Rob Lederer, Executive Director, Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition, USA
11:15 – 13:00 Panel 1: the leading role of governments in combating THB for labour exploitation in supply chains
This panel will explore the role of governments in prevention of THB for labour exploitation
through public procurement measures. The speakers will share information on existing good practices
and measures, as well as lessons learned and challenges they have faced in achieving transparency
and accountability in the process of recruitment of workers and sourcing of good and services.
OSCE’s project will be introduced, its rationale and objectives. The draft model guidelines will be
presented.
Moderator: Ruth Freedom Pojman, Senior Adviser, OSCE Office of the Special
Representative and Co-ordinator for Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings
Rapporteur: Andrea Fromm, Research Officer, Working Conditions and Industrial Relations,
Eurofoun
Speakers: Susan Coppedge, Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State
Eric Biel, Associate Deputy Undersecretary, U.S. Department of Labor Offer Stern-Weiner, Head of Modern Slavery Unit, UK Home Office
Paul Broadbent, Chief Executive, UK Gangmasters Licensing Authority
Per-Anders Sunesson, Ambassador at Large for Combating Trafficking in Persons, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden
Jenny Ählström, Senior Adviser, Public Procurement and Human Rights, Department for Public Procurement at the Agency for PublicManagement and eGoverment, Norway
Discussion
13:00 – 15:00 Networking lunch
13:30 – 15:00 Side event: research and technology in the field of preventing trafficking in human beings for labour exploitation in supply chains
The side event will feature the participation of academics and NGO representatives, working at the
intersection of research and technology and supporting the development of evidence-based policies
to combat trafficking in human beings for labour exploitation in supply chains. Speakers will
present path- breaking tools and discuss the findings of recent research.
Venue: Willy-Brandt-Saal, Auswärtiges Amt Moderator: Naile Tanis, Executive Director, KOK
Rapporteur: Marc Steiner, Judge, Swiss Federal Administrative Court
Speakers: Jesse Eaves, Director of Policy and Government Relations, Humanity United
Albert Kraler, Programme Manager, International Center for Migration Policy Development
Claire Methven O’Brien, Special Adviser, Human Rights and Development, the Danish Institute for Human Rights
Dr. Miriam Saage-Maaß, Vice Legal Director, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights
Lex de Bruijn, Managing Director, FIRA
International Organization for Migration (TBC)
15:00 – 16:45 Panel 2: the industry’s responsibility: action by the private sector
Business representatives and other experts will share their responses to the challenges of human
trafficking in multi-tier supply chains, the lessons learned and the outstanding gaps. While the
responses may vary across industries and sourcing approaches, businesses will discuss their
commitment to safeguarding human rights by ensuring transparency and good governance and
cooperating with governmental and non- governmental actors.
Moderator: Ambassador Claude Wild, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the OSCE
Rapporteur: Phil Bloomer, Executive Director, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
Speakers: Renate Hornung-Draus, Regional Vice-President (Europe), International Organisation of Employers
Greg Priest, Head of Sustainability Policy, IKEA Group
Marcela Manubens, Global Vice President Integrated Social Sustainability, Unilever
Greg Asbed, Fair Food Program
Giles Bolton, Responsible Sourcing Director, TESCO PLC (TBC)
Roman Dashkov, Chief Executive Officer, Sakhalin Energy (TBC)
Discussion
16:45 – 17:00 Wrap-up of Day 1
18:00 – 20:00 Reception hosted by the German OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office
Thursday, 8 September 2016
9:15 – 11:00 Panel 3: making a difference through innovation and collaboration
This panel will draw the attention of the audience to the many different models for collaboration
in the prevention, early identification and protection of trafficked and exploited workers. The
discussion will include examples of effective approaches to introducing sustainable changes in the
policy-making, driven by workers and consumers, as well as showcase initiatives for cross-sectoral
multidisciplinary cooperation.
Moderator: John Morrison, Chief Executive, Institute for Human Rights and Business
Rapporteur: Suzanne Hoff, International Coordinator, La Strada International
Speakers: Peter McAllister, Executive Director, Ethical Trading Initiative, UK
Helmut Fischer, Head of Sustainability Standards, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany
Laura Germino, Anti-Slavery Program Director, Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Anders Lisborg, Senior Advisor, Center against Human Trafficking, National Board of Social Services, Denmark
Ton Boon von Ochssée, CSR Sector Agreements (Covenants) Process, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Mercia Silva, Executive Coordinator, the National Pact Institute for the Eradication of Forced Labor (InPacto), Brazil
Discussion
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:30 The way forward
Moderator: Ruth Freedom Pojman, Senior Adviser, OSCE Office of the Special Representative and
Co-ordinator for Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings
Speakers: The Rapporteurs from each session will make recommendations based on discussions
from previous panels. Final interventions will be collected from
countries/organizations/individuals on the next steps for a strategy for adoption and
implementation of the model guidelines, on collaboration and networking, and an overview of
upcoming events.
12:30 – 13:00 Concluding remarks
The concluding remarks will include recommendations to the OSCE, Chairmanship-in-Office and the
OSCE participating States to consider in terms of strengthening of commitments and cooperation.
Sabine Baun, Director, International Employment and Social Policy, Federal Ministry of
Labour and Social Affairs of Germany (TBC)
Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova, OSCE Special Representative and Co- ordinator for Combating
Trafficking in Human Beings
Chair of the Economic and Environmental Committee of the OSCE or Task Force (TBC)
Representative of the incoming 2017 Austrian OSCE Chairmanship (TBC)
13:00 Departure