UNODC held the second regular multi-stakeholder coordination meeting on countering trafficking in persons in Uzbekistan

On 5 July 2022, UNODC in cooperation with the Sub-commission on Combating Trafficking in Persons and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan held the second multi-stakeholder coordination meeting on countering trafficking in persons (CTIP) in Uzbekistan.

Over 30 representatives of National Commission on Combating Trafficking in Persons and Forced Labor, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Supreme Court, U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan, U.S. State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Winrock International and Republican Social Information Centre “Istiqbolli Avlod”, attended the meeting.  

“We appreciate the active involvement of key actors in the coordination of counter-TIP efforts supported by international organizations and donors in Uzbekistan and emphasized the importance of coordination of national and international efforts in countering TIP. This multi-stakeholder counter-TIP coordination meeting is instrumental in  strengthening  partnership and collaboration between the state and nonstate actors. As a guardian of the UN Protocol against trafficking in persons, UNODC is committed to supporting and providing necessary technical assistance to the member states to tackle this crime”, said Dr. Reda Sirgediene, UNODC Regional Adviser on Countering TIP and Smuggling of Migrants for Central Asia.

 

“We are concerned of the fact that our citizens are becoming victims of crimes related to trafficking in persons. Those crimes pose a dire threat to the fundamental human rights, freedoms, and liberties, which encourage us all to be particularly vigilant. All these problems could be solved only by establishing the international cooperation as the center of our work”, - said  Mr. Azizbek Nasretdinov, Representative of the Sub-Commission on Combating TIP, Officer of the Department for Combating TIP and Illegal Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Over a period of six months of 2022, UNODC implemented numerous activities in close partnership with state and nonstate partners. These activities contributed to the promotion of coherent and efficacious investigations and prosecutions of TIP cases in Uzbekistan. These  activities include  the establishment of coordination of national efforts supported by international organizations and donors in Uzbekistan; Transnational Referral Mechanism in Central Asia as well as the police and judicial cooperation on TIP and smuggling of migrants cases between the Republic of Uzbekistan, Central America and Caribbean countries;  facilitation of the National Forum on efforts of Uzbekistan to combat TIP through detection, investigation, prosecution, and adjudication. Moreover, a series of two-day Train of Trainer Seminars on “Enhancing Capacities of Local Actors in Countering Trafficking in Persons”  in seven regions of Uzbekistan enhancing capacities of 227 practitioners were conducted. These trainings included judges, prosecutors, internal affairs officers, specialists of healthcare, labor and employment departments, town and district administrations and NGO representatives involved in countering TIP. Furthermore, 49 consular officers of the Republic of Uzbekistan were capacitated to better identify and refer victims of trafficking in persons through the dedicated training for consular staff. In addition, UNODC contributed to the promotion of cross-border criminal justice cooperation in Southern Caucasus and Central Asia with a view to enhancing the response to TIP during the international workshop held in Tbilisi, Georgia on 17-18 March.

National and transnational cooperation builds the capacity for the coordination of law enforcements agencies and social organizations’ efforts in combating TIP.

Mr. Jack Anderson, the Director of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section of the Embassy of the United States of America in Uzbekistan highlighted that  “The US Embassy supports the work carried out by the UNODC jointly with the Government of Uzbekistan. Trafficking in persons restricts the freedoms of people, the future of humanity. The activities conducted in partnership of private and public organizations contribute to the improvement of this situation. We also shall consider the situation in Afghanistan, which requires special attention. The US Embassy as well as the US State Department look forward to further partnership with national and international partners, as well as with non-governmental organizations”.

The multi-stakeholder counter-TIP coordination meeting attendants discussed the joint annual calendar of activities in the field of countering TIP, the progress and the challenges since the first meeting, the issues of the development of the National and Transnational referral mechanisms, ideas and plans for commemoration of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, preparatory stages for the international conference “Strengthening National and International Partnerships in CTIP”, and the ways to further develop the counter-TIP efforts. 

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The first multi-stakeholder counter-TIP coordination meeting was organized in February 2022. Strengthening the coordination of the counter-TIP efforts is one of the top priorities of the Action plan (Roadmap) between the Republic of Uzbekistan and UNODC ROCA on countering trafficking in persons for Uzbekistan in 2022. These activities on countering TIP, are being carried out within the framework of the UNODC Global Programme against Trafficking in Persons and the UNODC Programme for Central Asia 2022–2025 and are funded by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). 

For more information please contact:

Arifa Fatikhova

Communications and External Relations Officer

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Regional Office for Central Asia

Mobile: (+998 93) 505-05-58 | Email: arifa.fatikhova[a]un.org