Opening for signature | May 2005

Adopted by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers on 3 May 2005, the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings was opened for signature on 16 May 2005, at the Warsaw Summit of Heads of State and Government.

It is the first international treaty to place the protection of the rights of victims at the heart of the fight against human trafficking.

Entry into force | February 2008

The Convention entered into force on 1 February 2008, following its 10th ratification. The first 10 ratifying States were: Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovak Republic and United Kingdom. 

On 5 and 8 December 2008, the Committee of the Parties to the Convention held its first meeting in Strasbourg, France, and elected the first 13 GRETA members.

Launch of GRETA | February 2009

GRETA began its work on 1 February 2009, exactly one year after the entry into force of the Convention.

 GRETA’s core tasks include:

- Monitoring the implementation of the Convention by the Parties
- Publishing evaluation reports with recommendations

- Fleshing out the substantive content of key provisions of the Convention
- Encouraging continuous improvement through dialogue and follow-up.

Composed of 15 independent and impartial experts, GRETA’s role is central to ensuring that States Parties effectively implement the Convention’s provisions.

20 Years of championing change ​| 2025

Since its adoption in 2005, the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings has become a global reference.

Today, with 48 States Parties, a robust monitoring mechanism, and concrete  impact on the ground, the Convention stands as a powerful example of international cooperation and human rights in action.

All 46 Council of Europe member States, as well as two non-member States - Belarus and Israel.

The evaluation procedure is divided into rounds. Each State Party is evaluated every 4 to 5 years.

Some 140 country reports by GRETA, followed by recommendations by the Committee of the Parties.

Held midway through a monitoring round, these meetings bring together key stakeholders in order to review progress and discuss challenges before a country submits its report to the Committee of the Parties.

Published annually, these reports present an overview of GRETA’s activities and contain thematic sections.


Drawing on GRETA’s findings and recommendations, the Council of Europe implements co-operation projects aimed at strengthening the implementation of the Convention.

Learn more about the Convention - www.coe.int/trafficking

Follow, share and engage on social media with #20YearsAgainstTrafficking