Vienna, Austria – 02 February 2022 –The GLO.ACT Women's Network was established to address the gendered nature of human trafficking and migrant smuggling and the underrepresentation of women in institutions responding to Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants.
The Network is a community of female officials and male champions of women's rights working in policy making, law enforcement, civil society, and other relevant local entities.
The Network's Advisory Board facilitates cooperation and coordination with national government counterparts, advocates for institutional reform, and monitors progress.
At their 6th Advisory Board meeting, the Board discussed regular matters and reviewed progress made implementing the Roadmap to Action 2022. During the meeting, the UNODC GLO.ACT Team members took the chance to present updated materials, outline the Board's upcoming transition year, and summarize the progress that has been made in implementing network activities. Additionally, the Board was provided with a presentation of the Roadmap for 2023.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for a review of the KNOWTS platform. The Women's Network currently utilizes the NOWTS platform, which is expected to be extended for use by the larger GLO.CT Women's Network. NOWTS is a unique virtual knowledge center designed to effectively communicate, connect, engage, and facilitate collaboration within a specific network of groups working to combat Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants.
The next Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for Q2, 2023, with Network activities continuing throughout the year.
7 Advisory Board members (5 female; 2 male) participated in the meeting.
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.
The project is funded by the European Union.
To find out more about the Women’s Network and GLO.ACT, please check:
GLO.ACT - Asia and Middle East
Email: unodc-glo.act@un.org