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