Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking

The FAST initiative leverages finance to combat modern slavery and human trafficking by providing rigorous analysis, evidence-based strategies, and targeted training to empower advocates and financial sector professionals to address these issues effectively.

Originating from the Financial Sector Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, FAST was launched following the Commission’s 2019 report, Unlocking Potential: A Blueprint for Mobilizing Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking. The Blueprint provides a collective-action framework for different financial sector actors to take action to end modern slavery and human trafficking.

Since its inception, FAST has assembled a global network of experts and anti-slavery allies, including governments, financial institutions, and civil society organizations. It has developed tools to identify illicit financial flows linked to slavery, promoted financial inclusion for survivors, and enhanced the capabilities of investors and anti-money laundering professionals. FAST’s research has reached nearly 130,000 industry professionals, and its courses, created with ACAMS, have been completed by over 55,000 anti-money laundering experts.

The initiative has partnered with investor coalitions managing assets worth $27 trillion and influenced regulations targeting the financial sector's role in ending slavery. FAST also integrates the insights of modern slavery survivors into its policies, with initiatives like the Survivor Inclusion Initiative, which provided financial access to nearly 4,500 survivors.

After 5 successful years at UNU-CPR, FAST is transitioning to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This move aims to expand its foundational work and deepen its engagement with the financial sector in the ongoing fight against modern slavery.