Events

5 Dec 2025

Belarus’ coordination of UN anti-trafficking efforts highlighted at Vienna meeting

An archive photo

MINSK, 5 December (BelTA) - A briefing of the Group of Friends United Against Human Trafficking for representatives of the secretariats of international organizations that are members of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group Against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT) was held on 5 December at the Vienna International Centre under the chairmanship of Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Sekreta, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The briefing was organized by Belarus’ Permanent Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna. The thematic event was held on the sidelines of the session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

Participants of the Group of Friends and representatives of other interested UN member states were informed about Belarus’ activities in the UN as the coordinator of the Group of Friends United Against Human Trafficking in 2025. This includes its role in advancing the traditional resolution “Improving the coordination of efforts against trafficking in persons”, adopted by the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee on Belarus’ initiative.

Presentations at the meeting were delivered by representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Organization of American States, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the International Organization for Migration, and Interpol. They provided information on the work of international organizations on combating human trafficking in 2025 and priority tasks for 2026.

The meeting also discussed promising areas of interaction between the Group of Friends and ICAT in 2025. This discussion took place in the context of possible new resolutions on combating human trafficking, including the organization and holding of thematic events. The speakers noted Belarus’ leading role in coordinating international efforts within the UN to combat human trafficking.

Belarus has been actively promoting the strengthening of international cooperation against human trafficking for nearly two decades. ICAT and the Group of Friends were established on Belarus’ initiative in 2006 and 2010, respectively. The Group of Friends includes Belarus, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Bolivia, Venezuela, Egypt, India, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Libya, Nigeria, Nicaragua, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Singapore, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, and Eritrea.