MISSION

To gain commitments from the governments of the G20 and other countries to allocate and invest an aggregate amount of at least US$30 billion every year for the development and improvement of institutional prevention and justice mechanisms for those vulnerable to modern slavery and human trafficking.

G20 Interfaith Modern Slavery Working Group

  • Following 30 years in policing, including leading London’s Human Trafficking Unit, in 2014 Kevin Hyland OBE was appointed the UK’s first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.

    He authored and led inclusion of Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 to eradicate human trafficking within the United Nations 15-year strategic priorities.

    In 2018 Mr Hyland was elected Ireland’s representative to the Council of Europe Independent Group of Experts for Trafficking. He was instrumental in establishing and remains chief advisor to the Santa Marta Group, a high-level partnership between law enforcement agencies, faith groups and civil society launched by Pope Francis at the Vatican. He was the instigator for Bakhita House, a London based residential project for women and children who have experienced human trafficking and is on the board of homeless charity The Passage, exploited women’s support charity Rahab and Sophie Hayes Foundation who provide employability training for trafficked women.

    In recognition of his policing and human trafficking efforts in 2015 he was appointed OBE. In 2018 he was co-recipient of the ‘Path to peace Award’ in New York. In 2019 he was awarded the UN Women UK ‘HeForShe’ Leadership Award and in 2020 the UN Women for Peace Association Advocacy Award.

    He chairs the Leadership Group of the Institute of Human Rights and Business and the Island of Ireland Human Trafficking Project and provided strategic leadership to the OSCE victim support guidance.

    He is a visiting professor to St. Mary’s University, London. He has advised legislators in several countries in drafting new laws and provided training and lectured on human rights and policing in Europe, Australia, Central Asia, SE Asia, the USA, Pakistan, India, across the Middle East and South America. 

  • He was recently founder and managing director of Liberty Shared, a leading NGO that focused on anti-human and wildlife trafficking, and environmental crime, and Special Adviser to The Santa Marta Group. In 2023, he received a Certificate of Merit from the World Customs Organization for the first of its kind investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and Homeland Securities Investigation and successful settlement addressing forced labor in the global supply chain of a Fortune 500 company, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Corporation. He led successful actions to ban by U.S. Customs and Border Protection of both palm oil and sugar imports into the U.S. In 2020, Liberty Shared was awarded the first Executive Associate Director Award of Homeland Security Investigations for “Exemplary Partnership” for work on forced labor. He was recently runner-up to win the Financial Crime Fighter of the Year 2023 awarded by the Global Coalition To Fight Financial Crime. Liberty Shared worked closely with Asia Pacific Group providing typologies and training to FIUs and was the first NGO to provide typologies and other actionable information about human trafficking to financial institutions in 2013.

    Duncan has recently joined the faculty at USC Dornsife Wrigley School Institute of Environment and Sustainability. He taught policy and social entrepreneurship at Princeton University for four years, strategic leadership at the Eisenhower School at the National Defense University, and is an affiliated scholar at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of International Migration, where he taught corporate accountability. Previously, he was Head of Legal for BNY Mellon Investment Management Asia Pacific and for nearly a decade was Regional General Counsel and Head of Compliance at ING Investment Management Asia Pacific, one of Asia’s largest investment businesses, responsible for M&A, governance, product development and internal investigation. In the 1990s, before becoming a corporate finance lawyer, he ran a supply chain consultancy based in the UK and China. He has a degree in accountancy and financial management, a MBA and is a qualified solicitor of England and Wales. He has written and produced various films and novels.

Why the G20 and G20 Interfaith Forum?

The G20 is the most appropriate body to act as the vehicle to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking.

‘The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. It plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues.’[1]

The G20 is composed of most of the world's largest economies' finance ministries, including both industrialised and developing countries; it accounts for around 80% of gross world product (GWP), 75% of international trade, two-thirds of the global population, and 60% of the world's land area. With membership including the EU and the AU, along with nine invited nations, it involves over 100 countries. Eight INGOs are also invited participants.

As a crime that is driven by illicit economic gain that preys upon vulnerability, addressing modern slavery and human trafficking must be a priority for the G20. The criminal benefit has never been the focus of strategic intervention and prevention. The levels of exploitation and the targeting of vulnerable people and their communities have not been subject to greater understanding as a global security risk and counter to development.

The establishment of a small working group endorsed by the G20 led by the IF20 will provide for the development of a greater understanding, especially in prevention.

For almost 25 years policies, projects and campaigns have not been effective in suppressing or responding to modern slavery and human trafficking. This is not to say there are not many extraordinary individuals and organisations working to address these crimes and support victims and survivors.

What is Modern Slavery?

Modern Slavery is a term that includes forced marriage and activities described collectively as forced labour. Forced labour includes state-imposed forced labour, forced labour exploitation, such as occurs in global value chains, and forced commercial sexual exploitation, commonly known as sex trafficking.

The term modern slavery is used as a definition in certain national legislation, like the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the Australian federal Modern Slavery Act 2018. However, in other legislation, the term human trafficking is used, such as in the U.S Trafficking Victims Protection Act, EU Anti-Trafficking Directive, Kenyan Counter-Trafficking in Person Act and Singapore's Prevention of Human Trafficking Act (PHTA).

Historically, human trafficking was linked to the involvement of organized crime and the movement of victims without consent but greater understanding revealed that the situation was not so simple. The recruitment, movement, abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people is complex and methods of victimization are continually adapting to changing socioeconomic and geopolitical conditions.

Victimization occurs in conflict zones, mass migration, discrimination, global production and trade, and forced criminal activities. Perpetrators may benefit directly or indirectly, creating global flows of illicit funding and profits that in turn may be used for other criminal activity such as terrorism. To prevent the exploitation of vulnerable people, existing resources urgently need to be developed and improved so they can respond effectively and anticipate the changing nature of modern slavery in the future.

Modern Slavery Sits at the Intersection of Grand Challenges

The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. It plays a vital role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic and other major issues. Modern slavery and human trafficking generate over ten per cent of the world's criminal money through the exploitation of 50 million children, women, and men. The G20 has a duty and the means to prevent these crimes. Empowering communities and disincentivising governments, businesses, and crime groups are crucial and are at the heart of the G20’s purpose. 30by30 will focus on the world. US$30 billion annually to counter modern slavery by 2030. This will demonstrate a clear commitment to deliver SDG8.7, 10A and many other SDGs as we move towards the next iteration of Global Targets. 30by30; The ambition is challenging, but preventing and eradicating modern slavery and human trafficking needs a step change. The G20 can fulfil its mission of strengthening global architecture by preventing one of the world's biggest criminal activities, improving international security, and no longer allowing this suffering to continue.