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International Partnerships
Project

The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants - Asia and the Middle East

Art work by Yasser Rezahi
IOM / Yasser Rezahi

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 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).

The project builds on a global community of practice set in motion with the project GLO.ACT 2015-2019 to assists governmental authorities and civil society organisations in targeted, innovative and demand-driven interventions: sustaining effective strategy and policy development, legislative review and harmonisation, capability development, and regional and trans-regional cooperation. The project also provides direct assistance to victims of human trafficking and migrants in vulnerable situations through the strengthening of identification, referral, and protection mechanisms.

 

Objectives

The initiative works alongside partner countries in developing and implementing more effective national and international responses to trafficking in human beings, as well as migrant smuggling, linked to the following pillars of intervention:

  1. Strategy and policy development: Work with governmental authorities to develop and sustain effective strategies and policies to address trafficking in human beings, migrant smuggling, tailored to their national context.
  2. Legislative assistance: Work with governmental authorities to ensure that domestic legislative frameworks meet international standards for criminalising trafficking in human beings, and migrant smuggling.
  3. Capacity building: Work with governmental authorities to enhance the capacity and knowledge of criminal justice practitioners to combat trafficking in human beings, migrant smuggling and assisting and protecting victims as well as migrants in vulnerable situations.
  4. Regional and trans-regional cooperation: Promote cooperation and information exchange with law enforcement on the identification, investigation and prosecution of offences related to trafficking in persons, and the migrant smuggling.
  5. Protection and assistance to victims of trafficking and migrants in vulnerable situations, including children: Work with governmental authorities and civil society organisations to develop assistance and support programmes for victims of trafficking, migrants in vulnerable situations, including children, through the strengthening of identification, referral and protection mechanisms.

Expected Outcomes

  • Enhance the quality of investigations and prosecutions of trafficking in human beings, and smuggling of migrants, not only in terms of numbers but also considering the disruption potential of each case.
  • Improve the quality of assistance and protection services for victims and migrants in vulnerable situations, especially children.
  • Increased the number of female officials that form an integral part of national efforts to combat trafficking in human beings, and smuggling of migrants.
  • Ensure that sustainable and effective policy and legislative frameworks are in place.
  • Strengthene links between existing formal cooperation networks and initiatives.
  • Achieve greater coordination and trust among partners, including with civil society organizations.
  • Ensure that Illicit financial flows associated with trafficking in human beings, and smuggling of migrants, are increasingly identified and targeted.
  • Ensure that GLO.ACT national project staff are empowered to continue as leaders.
  • Partner countries champion the work implemented under GLO.ACT at the regional and global level.

Impact

  • GLO.ACT is a vehicle for change in the partner countries towards for protection of victims of trafficking, and migrants in vulnerable situations, closing the impunity gap for traffickers who benefit from the exploitation of the most vulnerable.
  • GLO.ACT makes a high-standing contribution to the field of trafficking in human beings, and smuggling of migrants globally.

GLO-ACT 2

https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act2/index.html

Funding instrument

DCI

Implementing organisations

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM)