FAST: Convening Africa brought together participants from around the world, including survivors, the financial sector, worker representatives, and civil society organizations, in collaboration with partner organization, the South African Anti-Money Laundering Integrated Task Force (SAMLIT).
Key takeaways from the conference included:
- Data: Data runs through the entire process of addressing modern slavery and human trafficking ¨C from identification to remedy. What you can¡¯t measure, you can¡¯t manage or improve. The ¡°S¡± in ESG is not impossible to measure; using qualitative data helps reflect survivors¡¯ lived experiences.
- Financial inclusion: while access is crucial, we must move to meaningful usage of tailored financial products that can enable vulnerable populations and survivors to access essential services.
- Remedy: Remedy does not stop at criminal justice: Survivors need and deserve an independent, dignified life with socio-economic opportunities.
- Prevention: Vulnerability doesn¡¯t start when one is trafficked, it results from pre-existing structural inequalities which prevention work needs to address
- Collaboration: Efforts are needed to build cross-sectoral coalitions. Global knowledge exchange is critical: If you share information with different stakeholders, you can tackle a problem holistically.
About the FAST initiative
Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking ( is a multi-stakeholder initiative based at ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-CPR that aims to mobilize the financial sector against modern slavery and human trafficking (MS/HT). FAST is a knowledge partner for governments, multilateral organizations, and financial sector actors. Through its alliance-building and survivor-informed approach, FAST works with its partners worldwide to end modern slavery and human trafficking in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a particular focus on SDG target 8.7.
FAST advises on implementing its publication, , across the financial sector to promote uptake of the Blueprint¡¯s recommendations.
