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The Alliance initiated a zero-tolerance policy on human trafficking, which was endorsed at the Istanbul Summit in June 2004. The policy commits NATO member countries and other troop-contributing nations participating in NATO-led operations to reinforce efforts to prevent and combat such activity.
The zero-tolerance policy was the result of discussions that started at NATO in autumn 2003, including consultations with relevant international organizations and non-governmental organizations.
NATO member countries are all signatories to the UN Protocol on Trafficking in Persons. The Allies are keenly aware that human trafficking fuels corruption and organized crime, and therefore runs counter to NATO’s stabilization efforts in its theatres of operation. These considerations led to the development of the NATO policy on combating trafficking in human beings.
Seminars held in Helsinki, Finland, in March 2005 and in Stockholm, Sweden, in November 2005 produced a range of recommendations, which contributed to the review of NATO’s activities in this area in 2007.
This is a partnership policy developed initially with input from PfP Partners, non-NATO troop contributors to NATO-led operations along with governmental and non-governmental organizations. The issue is on the agenda of the EAPC Ambassadors.
Much of the implementation work was assigned to NATO’s Military Committee given that it is troops from NATO and non-NATO nations participating in NATO-led operations who are the most likely to come into contact with trafficked individuals and trafficking rings. Guidance was then issued by the strategic commanders for implementation.
All efforts of the Alliance in this field are coordinated by the Senior Coordinator on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Amb. Jiri Sedivy, NATO ASG for Defence Policy and Planning. The position of the Senior Coordinator was created as a follow up to 2007 review of the implementation.
NATO does not see itself as the primary organisation to combat the trafficking in human beings, but is working to add value wherever it can.
The NATO zero-tolerance policy calls for military and civilian personnel and contractors taking part in NATO-led operations to receive appropriate training on standards of their behavior during the operations. The Allies also agreed to review national legislation and report on national efforts in this regard. In theatre, NATO-led forces, operating within the limits of their mandate, support the responsible host-country authorities in their efforts to combat trafficking in human beings.
