13 August 2024
According to recent data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as of February 2024, there were over 21,481 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 through police to police and judicial cooperation, 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.
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 third bilateral meeting between the Governments of Bangladesh and Libya from 20 to 21 June 2024 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 and the second bilateral meeting held in May 2023.
The meeting brought together 20 officials from both countries, including UNODC staffs, representatives from Bangladesh's Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and relevant departments of Bangladesh Police, alongside officials from Libya's Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting's key outcomes included increased capacity and willingness of participants to engage in bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the detection, investigation, and prosecution of TIP and SOM, as well as the designation of focal points of both countries for regular real time exchange of information/intelligence and judicial cooperation.
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 the effective investigation and prosecution 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.
