The European Union and the international community simply must do more to increase the pressure for the ending of the blockade and the opening of the border crossings to normal commercial and humanitarian traffic.
While Egypt has found it hard to block the tunnels, it has kept its official border with Gaza sealed to all but a trickle of humanitarian traffic, saying that the crossing's Palestinian side should be controlled by a proper government body, such as the PA, but not by Hamas.Israel still wants to link a full reopening of the crossings to the release of its kidnapped soldier, Gilad Shalit.
The statement expressed deep alarm at the deteriorating situation in Gaza, urging Israel to lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip for both humanitarian and commercial traffic and calling for a "durable resolution to the Gaza crisis".
To begin with, as an ally of Saudi Arabia we should be ensuring it takes immediate steps to reverse the fuel blockade, reopen Yemen's Red Sea ports to humanitarian and commercial traffic, and ensure that vital supplies can reach desperate civilians in need throughout the country.
We are developing interagency crisis teams for deployment to major trafficking hubs and are also working with other agencies to obtain visas and humanitarian assistance for trafficking victims.
"It is critical that they now secure roads to newly recovered areas to enable commercial traffic and humanitarian access".
This year the UN General Assembly launched a Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, and established the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, which funds humanitarian, legal and financial aid to human trafficking victims.
Credit: Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change.
Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, land rights and climate change.
(Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit www.trust.org).org
Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change.
