Brussels, Belgium 27
September
2019
-
UNODC
and
IOM -
the two
implementing agencies for
GLO.ACT Asia and the Middle East -
participated in the
1
st
EU-UNODC project steering committee meeting held in Brussels, Belgium. Participating in the steering committee were European Commission (EC) representatives from the Directorate-General, International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO), the Directorate-General Migration and Home Affairs (DG Home), EU Country Delegations as well as UNODC
and IOM staff.
The 1st EU-UNODC project steering committee provided the two project implementing agencies with the opportunity to update EU colleagues on the progress made in terms of the project's inception phase and activities already being implemented in several of target countries. More specifically, GLO.ACT 's national project officers used the opportunity to introduce themselves to the EU colleagues and provided country updates which included updates on project implementation, issues and challenges as well as outlining the work that has gone into developing national theories of change, workplans and a look at what lies ahead.
The meeting provided all participants, in particular colleagues from the EU in Brussels as well as EU Country Delegations , with the opportunity to ask detailed questions about the current status quo of the project in each country and about synergies with other programmes or projects being implemented in the region.
Attending the project steering committee meeting also enabled UNODC HQ to meet with H.E. Ambassador Nazifullah Salarzai , Afghanistan's designated Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the EU and NATO in Brussels . During the meeting Aimée Comrie, GLO.ACT Project Coordinator spoke about the recent successful launch of the project in the country and the co-signing of a declaration of cooperation in the framework of GLO.ACT, and outlined what lies ahead in terms of project implementation. The GLO.ACT team also met with Maryam Al-Sheik and Maha Alhaidar at the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq to introduce the work to be implemented under the framework of GLO.ACT in Iraq. Following the steering committee meeting, UNODC HQ staff also met with colleagues from the UNODC Office in Brussels, which is a liaison office to the European Union and its institutions. The meeting with the UNODC Brussels team ensured that GLO.ACT priorities and up-coming events requiring the support of the liaison office were discussed and planned. The liaison office continues to provide invaluable support to GLO.ACT's project management team.
The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants - Asia and the Middle East (GLO.ACT Asia and the Middle East) is a four-year (2018-2022), €12 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in four countries: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Iraq and Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The project builds on a global community of practice set in motion in GLO.ACT 2015-2019 and assists governmental authorities and civil society organizations in targeted, innovative and demand-driven interventions: sustaining effective strategy and policy development, legislative review and harmonization, capability development, and regional and trans-regional cooperation. The project also provides direct assistance to victims of human trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and protection mechanisms.
This project is funded by the European Union.
For more information, please contact:
Email: unodc-glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act2/index.html