Sikasso, Mali - 30 July 2018 - Mali has been committed since 2010 to eradicating the phenomenon of trafficking in persons through several initiatives, including the adoption of a Decree in 2011 establishing the National Coordinating Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons and Related Practices, the adoption of a in July 2012 on Combating Trafficking in Persons and Related Practices, and finally through the implementation of a three-year National Action Plan (2015-2017).
At the end of this three-year plan, Mali decided to capitalize on its achievements and to keep the momentum through the elaboration of a five-year plan (2018-2022).
A workshop to finalize and validate this new National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons (2018-2022) was therefore held in Sikasso, Mali, from 25 to 29 June 2018. This new National Action Plan, adapted to Malian realities, was drafted and adopted at the end of the workshop by the National Coordination Committee for Combating Trafficking in Persons and Assimilated Practices, with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Mrs. Sandrine Gbialy Bigorra, UNODC international consultant
After the validation of the National Action Plan, the National Coordinating Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons and Assimilated Practices decided to create an autonomous agency to combat trafficking in persons, following recommendations from ECOWAS and the examples set by countries like Niger.
The new National Action Plan (2018-2022) is structured around four strategic axes in line with international standards to combat human trafficking: the prevention of trafficking in persons, the promotion of respect for and implementation of the law against trafficking in persons at all levels of the criminal justice chain, the protection and assistance to victims and the promotion of coordination and cooperation in combating trafficking in persons.
The recommendation creating the agency was adopted during the plenary session by the members of the National Coordination Committee for Combating Trafficking in Persons and Assimilated Practices and is to be called "National Agency to Combat Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants - ANTP/TIM". The Agency's operating procedures will be defined by a decree, while a new law on combating trafficking in persons, currently being drafted, will include an article on its establishment."The aim of the Committee is to become a National Agency to Combat Trafficking in Persons, without an Inter-Ministerial Committee. Everything must be done to ensure that two different structures do not manage human trafficking issues and hinder the effectiveness of our actions," said Mr Boubacar Touré, representing the Minister of Justice, and Chairman of the Committee.
This activity was organized by the National Coordination Committee for Combating Trafficking in Persons and Assimilated Practices, UNODC and IOM, thanks to the financial support of the European Union, Mali, the Netherlands and the United States. It contributes to the UNODC Regional Strategy against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (2015-2020) and is part of the strategic framework of the UNODC Regional Programme for West Africa (2016-2020).
This workshop was organized thanks to the support from European Union, Mali, the Netherlands and the United States
GLO.ACT is a four-year (2015-2019), €11 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project is being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). GLO.ACT aims to assist to governmental authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries: Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine. It supports the development of more effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including assisting victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Moulaye Arby
GLO.ACT National Project Officer for Mali
moulaye.arby@un.org
www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/
glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act
Regional Strategy to Combat Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants
United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
UNODC Contribution to the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel