The Regional Conference on International Cooperation in Criminal Matters related to the Investigation and Prosecution of Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants begins Monday in Sharm El-Sheikh.
The Conference is organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (ROMENA), in cooperation with the Egyptian National Coordinating Committee for Combating and Preventing Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (NCCPIM&TIP).
Ambassador Nayla Jabr, Chairperson of NCCPIM&TIP, Chief of the Unit for Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, Counselor Ahmed Saeed Khalil, will open the conference, which will deliver a recorded speech, as will Christina Albertin, Regional Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for the Middle East and North Africa.
The four-day event is designed to support participating countries from West and North Africa in their efforts to prevent and combat transnational crime, human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
The conference comes at a time when the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is facing major challenges related to transnational organized crime, including human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
According to a number of recent reports, the region has seen an increase in irregular migration, with thousands starting dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean from Africa and the Middle East to Europe.
The Middle East and North Africa region is an important transit point, with countries suffering from high migration flows.
A statement issued by the NCCPIM&TIP and the UNODC said the regional conference on international co-operation in criminal matters aims to address these pressing issues by strengthening cooperation, sharing best practices and reaching an effective approach to dismantling criminal networks while protecting the rights of victims of human trafficking and illegal migration in the Middle East and North Africa.
The main objective of the Conference is to promote the exchange of information on best practices and available tools.
It aims at facilitating international cooperation in criminal matters, as set out in the (UNTOC) and its protocols to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children (Trafficking in Persons Protocol), and the protocol against the smuggling of migrants by land, sea, and air (Smuggling of Migrants Protocol), both of which complemented the UNTOC.
“The conference also seeks to strengthen the collective capacity of participating countries to combat these heinous crimes by addressing the growing challenges posed by human trafficking and smuggling of migrants”, the statement said.
“The recent expansion and evolving nature of illegal migration across the Mediterranean from Africa and the Middle East to Europe, as well as the new trends and methods used by criminal groups to exploit victims of human trafficking have increased the need for more efficient and effective strategies in detecting criminals, criminal groups and networks that exploit vulnerable persons while protecting and assisting victims of human trafficking and smuggled migrants,” the statement concluded.
