Brussels, Belgium – On 13 March 2024, the 9th and Final GLO.ACT Asia and the Middle East Project Steering Committee Meeting took place in Brussels and online. The important event celebrated the long-standing and successful collaboration between the European Union (EU), UNODC, and IOM established through the GLO.ACT projects.
In this context, Samuel Simon Pulido, Head of Sector in the Unit for Migration and Forced Displacement at DG INTPA, noted that despite the challenging and ever-changing local dynamics, the implementation of the project has proven itself to be impressive and highly effective. In particular, Mr. Pulido expressed that GLO.ACT has demonstrated a high degree of adaptability and resilience in facing unanticipated challenges such as the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, and severe floods in Pakistan.
Moreover, GLO.ACT has been commended for prioritizing human trafficking and migrant smuggling and for facilitating valuable dialogue between the EU and partner countries. Mr. Pulido underlined the importance of the formulation and development of Exit and Sustainability Strategies, noting that they are important tools to ensure long-lasting impact.
Aimée Comrie, GLO.ACT Project Coordinator, celebrated the success of the strong partnership with the EU and close engagement with DG-INTPA and DG-Home, allowing exchanges not only on matters of human trafficking and migrant smuggling but also on crucial policy issues that go beyond the scope of the project. Finally, she congratulated the team for handling the many unexpected and complex challenges in an exceptional way.
During the meeting, Ms. Comrie provided an overview of the project’s progress since its inception in 2018, reflecting on the goals established in the 1st PSC meeting and providing a summary of key achievements in the respective partner countries. Following this, Martin Reeve, GLO.ACT Regional Advisor, highlighted the important steps achieved by GLO.ACT in engaging partner countries as well as countries which were outside the parameters of the project.
Emmanuelle Kunigk, GLO.ACT Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement Expert, spoke about the GLO.ACT Women’s Network, which emerged out of the evaluation of the first phase of the project, as one of the elements for systematically approaching gender mainstreaming. She highlighted how the Network has grown into a vibrant community of practitioners, tackled cross-cutting regional issues, and brought in male allies.
Jee Aei Lee, GLO.ACT Legal and Policy Officer, then elaborated further on the Illicit Financial Flows Study conducted in the framework of GLO.ACT. She noted how this study was initiated pre-Taliban takeover and before COVID-19 and demonstrated remarkable agility in adapting its methodology.
The Project Steering Committee meetings also serve as a platform where the EU has the opportunity to hear about the achievements of the countries or challenges encountered directly from the GLO.ACT National Programme Officers.
The event concluded with a presentation of the results of the Final Project Evaluation. Eva Otero Candelera, Independent Evaluator, congratulated GLO.ACT and expressed that this was one of the most positive evaluations she had completed in her career. Ms. Candelera noted, 'the project has achieved concrete changes both in the personal and institutional sphere, operating in complex and challenging environments, and contributing to significant shifts in ideology as well as knowledge and awareness.'
Following the Project Steering Committee Meeting, the EU, UNODC, and IOM celebrated this successful partnership with the InfoPoint event 'Nine Years In: Insights from the Global Action Against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants,' which saw the presence of 131 attendees, including online and in-person participants."
The final PSE included the participation of 39 attendees (26 women and 13 men).
***
This project is funded by the European Union
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 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 up to five countries: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Afghanistan), Islamic Republic of Iran (I.R. of Iran), Republic of Iraq (Iraq), Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Pakistan). GLO.ACT-Bangladesh is a parallel initiative also financed by the EU and implemented with IOM.
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. The project is fully committed to mainstreaming Human Rights and Gender Equality considerations across all of its activities.
For more information
