Parliamentarians visit Bosnia and Herzegovina to assess work of OSCE Mission, anti-trafficking efforts

SARAJEVO, 20 October 2008 - OSCE parliamentarians are in Sarajevo today to visit the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and observe the implementation of the Mission's mandate, including its work to combat human trafficking.

Tomorrow, the delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) will participate in a roundtable discussion with members of the BiH Parliament on "Eradicating human trafficking as a political priority". The OSCE's Special Representative and Co-ordinator on Human Trafficking, Eva Biaudet, will join the delegation to contribute her expertise on the issue and to enhance awareness of the role that parliamentarians play in the fight against trafficking.

The OSCE PA Delegation is led by Robert Battelli, Special Representative of the OSCE PA President on South-Eastern Europe, who will also chair the inter-parliamentary discussion. Ilija Filipovic, First Deputy Speaker of the BiH House of Peoples, will open the event, and Biaudet will discuss the role of parliaments in the fight against human trafficking. Other speakers include Branko Zrno, Head of the BiH Delegation to the OSCE PA, and Ambassador Vadim Kuznetsov, Acting Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH.