Kiev, Ukraine - 4 April 2018 - On 22 March 2018, Mr. Rostyslav Gavrylov, GLO.ACT's National Project Officer for Ukraine, took part in a multi-agency meeting hosted by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. The aim of the meeting was to address the need to develop a national strategy on countering irregular migration in Ukraine.
Years of ongoing conflict as well as reform programmes and the implementation of the EU-Ukraine association agreement have created a number of challenges in terms of migration issues and how to deal with them. The challenges have made it obvious that proper coordination, on a national and international level, is required. Although a number of plans have been developed in the area of migration, most of them have not addressed the issue of irregular migration.
It is in this context that the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine hosted the multi-agency meeting, recognizing that there is a need to draft appropriate legislation which would help institutionalize coordination and provide a clear set of measures for addressing irregular migration. At the beginning of the meeting, participants acknowledged the role of UNODC on countering human trafficking and migrant smuggling. It was mutually agreed that UNODC should be included in relevant working groups dealing with these matters. In addition, UNODC was tasked with providing in-depth expertise in order to support the development of a national strategy on addressing irregular migration.
A direct result of the meeting was the establishment of a first working group, and it was agreed that the working group's activities should be aligned with the overall strategy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in addressing irregular migration. Moreover, due to the broad mandate of UNODC, the participants decided that UNODC should also be included in working groups set up by the Ministry of Internal Affairs that look at areas such as setting up effective border management processes and developing a balanced migration policy.
Being a member of these working groups will enable UNODC to provide national counterparts with best practice examples from other GLO.ACT countries. The aim is for the first working group meeting to take place in April 2018. This first meeting will examine issues on countering irregular migration and how to best coordinate national efforts in this area. Furthermore, participants will consider developing national legislation in line with international regulations and protocols.
Representatives attending the meeting were from the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Secret Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police, the State Migration Service, the State Research Institute of the National Security Council, the National Academy of Internal Affairs and international partners.
The Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (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 provide assistance 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 providing assistance to victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.
For more information, please contact:
Rostyslav Gavrylov, National Project Coordinator, UNODC
rostyslav.gavrylov@un.org
www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/
Email: glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act