Joint Statement on the Sixth Meeting of the Trilateral Working Group on Trafficking in Persons

The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America, Mexico, and Canada on the occasion of the relaunch of the Trilateral Working Group on Trafficking in Persons – in follow-up to the commitments made by the leaders of the three countries at the North American Leaders’ Summits (NALS) in November 2021 and January 2023 and their determined conviction to combat human trafficking in North America. The Trilateral Working Group on Trafficking in Persons had not met since 2018.

Representatives of the governments of Mexico, Canada, and the United States met last October 12 in Mexico City to reactivate the Trilateral Working Group on Trafficking in Persons.

During this sixth meeting, dialogue was resumed to strengthen regional collaboration in the fight against labor and sex trafficking through an understanding that promotes measures to identify and prevent human trafficking and the dismantling of criminal networks, through trilateral coordination and the exchange of information.

The Working Group discussed how to continue increasing collaboration to address shared emerging challenges. The Working Group also talked about how to better coordinate efforts to prevent and respond to possible human trafficking situations related to major events, such as the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. Last, the Working Group discussed potential ways to strengthen our temporary labor migration programs to better prevent and address labor exploitation, including forced labor, in order to ensure workers legal rights and protections are in place.

With the relaunching of this Working Group, Mexico, Canada, and the United States reiterate their unwavering commitment to combat this transnational crime. By joining forces, the three countries seek to collaborate to strengthen strategies to address human trafficking in each nation, with the aim of providing comprehensive support to victims and holding accountable those who profit from human suffering. This renewed effort symbolizes a regional alliance.

Welcoming the participants on behalf of Mexico were the Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, Joel Hernández García, and the former Undersecretary for Human Rights, Population and Migration of the Secretariat of the Interior, Alejandro Encinas Rodríguez; representing the United States the Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons of the Department of State, Cindy Dyer; and Canada was represented by the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of that country in Mexico, Shauna Hemingway.