FIJI’S Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva Ambassador Nazhat Shameem-Khan has been appointed to the position of the Chair of the Working Group (WG) on Trafficking in Persons at the United Nations Organisation for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna, Austria.
Ambassador Khan said it was a great honour for Fiji to be nominated as Chair of this UN Working Group, and that the nomination recognised Fiji’s significant progress and commitment as a Pacific Small Island Developing State (PSIDS) in strengthening, and implementing strong anti-trafficking laws and policies.
In a Government statement issued last night, she said it was yet another achievement for Fiji in establishing a strong leadership role in multilateral institutions and that it would enable the island nation to further enhance its visibility at the global stage.
At the national level, this leadership role will enable Fiji to maximise on opportunities to secure resources and expertise needed by the national stakeholders for anti-trafficking initiatives.
It’s also a platform to strengthen the existing collaborations between national stakeholders and the Fiji Mission in Geneva.
Fiji acceded to the United Nations Convention on Transnational Crime and its three protocols (Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children) in 2017.
In 2009, Fiji adopted its first trafficking offences in the Crimes Act, leading to successful prosecutions for trafficking in the Fijian courts from 2010.
