Mr. Vice‑President,

1. Rwanda welcomes the Special Rapporteur’s focus on victims, particularly women and children, who are trafficked, recruited, exploited and displaced. 

2. Regarding the Special Rapporteur’s visit in the DRC, we condemn the instrumentalization of trafficking victims for political ends. The report contains allegations concerning Rwanda, however, Rwanda was neither informed of these allegations nor given an opportunity to comment or provide relevant information before the report was issued. We request that our objection be put on record. 

3. Child trafficking in the DRC is driven by a crisis of poor governance, corruption, impunity and collusion between protection services and armed groups. The presence of more than 260-armed groups including the DRC-backed FDLR, is a major driver of trafficking and underscores the need to address root causes to achieve sustained peace.

4. Rwanda calls for accountability without selectivity. Victims deserve justice and decisive action addressing the root causes of trafficking. 

I thank you, Mr. Vice‑President.