On 29 July 2024, Ambassador Antti Karttunen, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), participated in the conference "Combating Human Trafficking: National Approaches and International Standards" in Tashkent.
The event, which was organized by the National Commission on the Issues of Combating Human Trafficking and Decent Work and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Central Asia, was dedicated to World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
"Let me congratulate the whole anti-trafficking community of Uzbekistan with the world anti-trafficking day, which marks all our joint efforts in counteracting this heinous crime and reminds us about all the challenges we still need to overcome," Ambassador Karttunen said.
Participants at the conference reviewed anti-trafficking practices in Uzbekistan and discussed international anti-trafficking standards and the rehabilitation and reintegration of trafficking victims.
Ambassador Karttunen shared with conference attendees a video of a simulation exercise for law enforcement professionals, created by the PCUz in 2022 in co-operation with its national partners. The video depicts human-trafficking scenarios enacted by actors from Tashkent's Ilkhom Theatre.
Other speakers at the conference included Senator Ravshanbek Alimov, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs; Pulat Bobojonov, Minister of Internal Affairs; and Zeynal Hajiyev, Sub-Regional Coordinator of the IOM for Central Asia.
