Innovative Digital and Sustainable Finance For Preventing and Addressing Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City
- Nasreen Sheikh
- Nov 10
- 2 min read
On July 15th, I had the honor of representing Empowerment Collective at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City for a side event of the UNDP Finance Against Slavery & Trafficking (FAST) 2025 High-Level Political Forum: “Innovative Digital and Sustainable Finance for Preventing and Addressing Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.”
This gathering brought together financial sector leaders, survivor advocates, civil society organizations, and digital innovators to explore how we can use the tools of finance and technology to help close the global investment gap in addressing modern slavery and human trafficking.
In my speech, I reminded the audience that today’s technologies give us a historic opportunity: to make the invisible visible. No human being should remain unprotected simply because they do not exist on paper. We have the power and the responsibility to design systems that restore visibility, dignity, and justice.
I outlined three moral priorities for how financial and digital innovations can move us closer to justice for the 50 million people worldwide who endure the same kinds of exploitation I once experienced as a child:
Supply Chain Mapping — We must develop technology that documents every person and every product within a supply chain, revealing the human and environmental realities behind what we consume. Transparency is the first step toward accountability.
Digital Identity and Financial Inclusion — Millions of people remain undocumented and excluded from financial systems. Providing access to biometrically linked digital IDs and mobile banking can give laborers the legal and financial protection they need to live with safety and dignity.
Redistribution of Wealth to the Underserved — Finance is still not reaching the people and places where it can make the greatest difference. Closing the investment gap requires directing funds to survivor leaders, frontline defenders, and grassroots solutions—the people closest to the problem and the solutions.
Speaking at the UN reminded me that true innovation is not measured by profit or technology alone it is measured by how well it serves humanity. When we align finance with empathy, and technology with transparency, we take a step closer to a world where every life is seen, valued, and free.
Watch Nasreen's full speech (starts around minute 58 of the recording): https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k11/k112gl4jpf
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