In my official capacity as the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, I am tasked by the OSCE participating States to provide assistance on a wide range of issues related to trafficking in human beings, including policy development, exchange of information and the conducting of research on latest trends in the field. One of the major focuses of my Office over the past two years has been to raise awareness among the OSCE participating States on ethical sourcing and to assist them in the development of tools to prevent trafficking in human beings in supply chains. To this end, my Office has been implementing an extra budgetary project on “Prevention of trafficking in human beings in supply chains through government practices and measures”. This Compendium of relevant reference materials and resources on ethical sourcing and prevention of trafficking in human beings for labour exploitation in supply chains (Compendium of Resources) is one of the tools developed under the project. It was first published at the beginning of 2018. However, within less than two years, an update became necessary due to the rapid developments in the field. We hope this tool will serve as a valuable source of information regarding promising government, civil society and private sector initiatives developed to address the exploitation of human beings in global supply chains in the OSCE area and beyond.

The objective of the Compendium of Resources is to take stock of the existing legislation, policies, guidelines, recommendations, reports, studies and other types of initiatives developed to better understand and respond to the global problem of trafficking in human beings through its prevention in supply chains. The resources included in the Compendium do not represent by any means an exhaustive list and are only intended to illustrate the initiatives identified by my Office during the development of this project. The Compendium is intended for the use by government officials involved in policy making, as well as by businesses and other stakeholders interested to learn from current practices in order to further enhance their own measures on ethical sourcing and the prevention of human trafficking in supply chains. We hope that the compendium will also be a valuable resource for international organizations, NGOs, and the general public by facilitating access to promising models and approaches to prevent trafficking in human beings in supply chains from an array of perspectives.

The second edition of the Compendium of Resources is divided into three sections. The first chapter (A.) includes State initiatives, such as laws, policies, national action plans, and guidelines developed by national authorities to address forced labour and human trafficking in supply chains. The second chapter (B.) looks at relevant initiatives of international organizations, including international treaties, political commitments, reports, publications, and others. Finally, the third chapter (C.) reflects the work of civil society, NGOs, academia and the private sector regarding
ethical sourcing and exploitation in supply chains.

The Compendium of Resources contains in its updated edition over three hundred relevant materials and resources, including more than one hundred new entries in comparison to the first edition.

The Compendium has been compiled based on desk research and inputs received from stakeholders at project conferences and workshops as well as with inputs received from the OSCE participating States and the National AntiTrafficking Coordinators/ Rapporteurs.

We consider this Compendium of Resources as a living document that can be revised and updated periodically with new information. Users of this Compendium of Resources are welcome to contact my Office and propose the inclusion of new resources.

Finally, the quantity of resources developed to date and included in this Compendium clearly shows that a significant amount of knowledge and information on this topic has been generated in the OSCE area and beyond. Governments, NGOs, companies and other stakeholders should take advantage of the data gathered in this tool and use it for developing and implementing evidencebased policies to prevent trafficking in human beings in supply chains. At the OSCE, we will continue to use this information not only to promote the enactment and implementation of legislation and policies in this field but also to further ensure that OSCE activities do not contribute to trafficking in human beings in our own supply chains.


Valiant Richey
OSCE Special Representative
and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings