Events

MINSK, 5 April (BelTA) – Belarus shared its best practices for combating human trafficking at the OSCE conference Trafficking in Children and the Best Interests of the Child held in Vienna on 3 and 4 April, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Belarusian delegation to the conference was led by Larisa Belskaya, the head of the main directorate of multilateral diplomacy at the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The diplomat stressed that trafficking in human beings is a relevant problem that remains a major challenge for the global community. Larisa Belskaya emphasized the importance of protecting children from the risks and threats associated with human trafficking.

“The Belarusian delegation presented the country’s best practices for combating human trafficking and highlighted Belarus’ efforts to promote coordinated international action in the United Nations and the OSCE to combat this scourge of the 21st century,” the press service said.

A thematic event was held on the sidelines of the conference to discuss preparations for the 2017 Review of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. It was organized by the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Belarus to the OSCE jointly with the Office of the Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.

The list of speakers featured representatives of Belarus, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Organization for Migration, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Labor Organization, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Larisa Belskaya presented the aims and objectives of the 2017 Review of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. She pointed out that the review should take into account the emerging trends relating to human trafficking (trafficking in human beings in the context of the migration crisis, during conflicts, and also human trafficking for organ removal) to facilitate the development of joint approaches to effectively counter these challenges.