Secretariat - Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings

Roundtable on combating trafficking in human beings: state policies, dynamics and ways forward

Poor economic conditions and other social problems afflicting vulnerable groups of people help to swell the number of trafficking victims in the OSCE region. Photo taken in Almaty (OSCE/Zakhar Sviridenko)
Poor economic conditions and other social problems afflicting vulnerable groups of people help to swell the number of trafficking victims in the OSCE region. Photo taken in Almaty (OSCE/Zakhar Sviridenko)

When: 13 December 2007 - 14 December 2007

Where: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Organized by: Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, State Committee on Migration and Employment of the Kyrgyz Republic, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The event takes place under the framework of the UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN GIFT), in co-operation with the State Committee on Migration and Employment of the Kyrgyz Republic and the UNODC.

It will increase regional dialogue between Central Asian countries and their CIS partners (Russia, Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine). Central Asia, traditionally a region of origin of trafficking victims, is also becoming a destination for trafficking. Due to the dynamics of uneven economic development throughout the region, countries such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are becoming countries of destination.

The roundtable aims to strengthen regional co-operation and co-ordination, as well as identifying the most effective ways of combating THB in the region and beyond. The participants will discuss THB challenges, as well as the achievements of these countries in combating trafficking in all of its forms, including trafficking for forced labour and trafficking in children.

The agenda will also include strengthening the role of civil society and improving co-ordination with state structures, as well as international assistance in the implementation of the Programme of Co-operation of the CIS Member States in Combating Trafficking in Persons for 2007-2010.