Honiara – The Government of Solomon Islands and non-government counterparts met today (03/08) at a high-level national consultation in Honiara to support the process of acceding to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (TIP Protocol).

Through a Training and Technical Assistance Program funded by the U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, IOM has been supporting the Government of Solomon Islands since early 2020 to conduct national sensitization and hold a series of provincial consultations on the accession process.

IOM has also supported Solomon Islands with a comprehensive legal compliance review, to highlight amendments that would bring the national legislation of Solomon Islands into greater alignment with the mandatory elements of UNTOC and the TIP Protocol.

Today’s consultative workshop marked one of the last steps prior to the Government’s Cabinet submission for accession and served to reconfirm the national commitment articulated as a key priority under the Solomon Islands National Action Plan Against Human Trafficking and People Smuggling (2020 – 2025).

“The National Consultation ensured that we gathered inputs from all relevant Ministries and stakeholders to effectively contribute to the final stages of the accession process,” said Christopher Akosawa, Acting Director of Immigration for Solomon Islands.

Entering into compliance with UNTOC and the TIP Protocol is not only a strong signal of Solomon Islands’ growing commitment to international legal standards but will also help to strengthen protective services for victims of trafficking and drive the prosecution of perpetrators.

For more information, please contact Nathalie Hanley at IOM Solomon Islands, Email: nhanley@iom.int