Istanbul, Turkey - 22 June 2023
According to recent data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as of December 2022, there were 21,653 migrants from Bangladesh in Libya accounting for 3 per cent of the total migrant population in the country — the seventh most-represented nationality. By joining hands on mutual legal assistance, Bangladesh and Libya can take down criminal networks who risk the lives of thousands of people each year through trafficking and exploitation or through dangerous and irregular migration routes. Mutual legal assistance in criminal matters is a process by which States seek for and provide assistance to other States in servicing of judicial document and gathering evidence for use in criminal cases.
Noting this importance, UNODC’s Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants – Bangladesh (GLO.ACT Bangladesh) and the UNODC Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (ROMENA) through the regional project “Dismantling human trafficking and migrant smuggling criminal networks in North Africa” jointly organized the second bilateral meeting between the Governments of Bangladesh and Libya in Türkiye from 7 to 8 May 2023 with the aim of strengthening the cooperation between the two countries. The meeting was a direct follow-up to the first bilateral meeting held in September 2022.
The meeting focused on presenting a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to guide and support future work on mutual legal assistance. 16 participants from relevant authorities in both countries (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior and the National Council for Liberties and Human Rights of Libya as well as from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh Police, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and the International Crimes Tribunal of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh) collectively reviewed the draft MOU and shared their feedback on the specific provisions, including on good practices and anticipated challenges, based on their experience and knowledge of their respective domestic law and practices.
The meeting was an opportunity for the Bangladeshi and Libyan authorities to continue the exchange of information, including the challenges, lessons learned, and good practices in effective investigation of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants across borders with the overall aim of supporting current victims of trafficking and smuggled migrants and preventing further crimes from taking place.
The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants - Bangladesh (GLO.ACT Bangladesh) is a 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), led by the Government of Bangladesh. GLO.ACT Bangladesh builds on a global community of practice set in motion in GLO.ACT 2015-2019 in 13 partner countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.
“Dismantling human trafficking and migrant smuggling criminal networks in North Africa” is a three-year (2019-2022) €15 million regional joint initiative by the European Union and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under the framework of the North Africa Window of the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. The project consists of a regional intervention covering Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia to support the effective dismantling of criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking, while at the same time upholding the rights of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and vulnerable groups.
Both projects are funded by the European Union.
