Some 35 representatives of government agencies, public bodies and civil society in Iceland met in Reykjavík on 30 September 2025 to discuss the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against trafficking in Human Beings, on the basis of the third evaluation report issued by the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) and the related Committee of the Parties’ recommendation.
The round-table meeting was co-organised by the Anti-Trafficking Division of the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Justice of Iceland.
The meeting was opened by Mr Haukur Gudmundsson, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, who stated that the Icelandic government is committed to combating human trafficking through stronger legislation, funding, education and international cooperation. Ms Petya Nestorova, Head of the Anti-Trafficking Division of the Council of Europe, noted that the Council of Europe stands ready to support Iceland in strengthening the implementation of the Convention.
The discussions focused on improving trafficking victims’ access to justice and effective remedies, the criminal justice response to human trafficking, the setting up of a National Referral Mechanism which ensures that victims are identified independently of the opening of a criminal investigation, as well as combating human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation.
Iceland is expected to report to the Committee of the Parties on the measures taken to comply with its recommendation by 15 December 2025.
