Category: Trafficking 
2009-02-25
In February 2009 ILO together with the Georgian Government has co-hosted a regional conference in Tbilisi in cooperation with other international and national stakeholders. Through holding this conference the recommendations have been developed for harmonized approaches in combating trafficking in human beings in the Caucasus and in the countries of destination
The Conference is a regional component of the Project and shall contribute to development of a coherent anti-trafficking strategy and capacity building so that national stakeholders can take preventive and repressive action against trafficking in human beings (THB) and forced labor (FL).
A coalition of international actors working in this field jointly organized this conference, composed of the International Labor Organization (ILO), International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODHIR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The three countries of the Caucasus cannot and should not be seen in isolation of a larger regional picture. Migratory flows, demographic and economic pressures, labor market reforms all bear influence over the pull and push factors of migration and corresponding risks and vulnerabilities to THB and FL. Likewise, it is imperative that the three countries albeit all three are predominantly source/origin countries in their own right attempt to place their efforts to address THB and FL within a larger regional context.
Alongside participants from the region representatives from the destination countries are invited to the conference, namely from Ukraine, Greece, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Austria, Germany and Latvia. Participating States are represented by Governmental bodies as well as representatives of the ILO social partners – Trade Unions and Employers’ Organizations. Further, a number of resource persons assigned to thematic issues of the conference contribute to a structured discussion, quality assurance and input.
The conference addressed through plenary and working group sessions four thematic issues:
i) Facilitation of emergence and further strengthening of the network of workers’ and employers’ organizations in combating THB and FL in the Caucasus and in destination countries,
ii) Ways and means of forging better cooperation between law enforcement authorities in the three countries of the Caucasus and in the countries of destination, inclusive of all forms of THB,
iii) Rights protection-prevention-victim assistance - taking stock of and present good practices, innovative approaches,
iv) Addressing the coherence of National Action Plans (NAP) against THB and FL, and other institutional frameworks in the countries of the Caucasus with the national strategies in the destination countries, and examining the relevance of regional platforms and fora.
By bringing together a whole range of actors from the countries of origin (Caucasus region) and countries of destination – Government and law enforcement, international organizations and non-governmental organizations, workers’ and employers’ organizations – the conference contributed to the development of a coherent anti-trafficking strategy and encouraged better cooperation between the actors.
In all four thematic areas practical and specific recommendations are drafted and especially innovative approaches are assessed with the view of their replication. The recommendations developed by the conference contain a number of practical and concrete measures.
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