Ladies and Gentlemen,

Congratulations to this meeting and to this result!

I am very pleased for this opportunity to be here and to speak at this important meeting.

We all know the problem:

It is a great shame that trafficking in human beings, this new form of slavery, is on the rise in Europe, in Africa, and all over the world. More than half a million women and children are smuggled each year into the EU alone. It is a violation of basic human rights, freedoms and human dignity.

We simply must take effective and coordinated measures to fight trafficking. Your work here, and in the immediate future, is crucial. We must continue to push this issue forward in a number of fields:

First: raising awareness: When we first raised the trafficking issue in the EU, people didn't realise what trafficking meant in terms of human suffering, and the establishment of trans-national criminal networks. That's why pioneer work in the last two years, carried out by ECOWAS, ASEM, and the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe, is so important to increase knowledge and to create structural changes to overcome trafficking. I am pleased to announce new support from Sweden for the work of ECOWAS. At this meeting we're taking Europe-Africa cooperation one step further.

Second: Human Rights: The women and children affected are victims whose human rights are violated, they are not the criminals. We must also strengthen human rights, the rights of the child, and women's rights in order to combat trafficking. The latest reports from Johannesburg in this regard are worrying to say the least. We must not let those who are in favour of female genital mutilation in Africa, and those who are against abortion in the US, join forces and create a backlash for human rights in the field of health. We must also continue our fight against poverty, and unemployment. I can also announce that Sweden will donate one million dollars to ILO for a project to combat youth unemployment globally.

Third: Demand. We must never forget that if there was no demand in Sweden, Europe and in other parts of the world, for these women and children, there wouldn't be any trafficking. Sweden is now conducting a study on the demand situation in Sweden, Japan and in other countries.

And fourth; Stiff sentences are needed in all countries, and also cooperation between customs and the police. At this meeting, we have reached a common understanding on a number of important issues, such as

- strengthening the national and international legal framework

- coordination and cooperation between regions and states.

- victim protection and assistance

- awareness raising.

This comprehensive "Stockholm draft" - which will be translated forthwith - will serve as a solid foundation for future work on an Action Plan to be adopted at the Africa-Europe Summit in Lisbon in April 2003. We must now take home the draft for national examination. If you agree, Sweden is willing to assume the role of informal secretariat during the work on the Action Plan. You are all invited to send national comments and suggestions to the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The draft Action Plan will then be presented at the meeting of Foreign Ministers in November this year in Ouagadougou and, prior to that, for information at the Senior Officials Meeting in Rabat later this month.

Trafficking is no longer an unknown matter. It has started to get the attention it deserves, high up on the international agenda. We must seize this window of opportunity to combat trafficking nationally, bilaterally, regionally, and internationally.

Thank you

Bon courage!