Building Back from COVID-19:
Strengthening Security, Peace, Justice and Health
Maldives: UNODC Trains Prison Officers on
Basic Psychosocial Support Education
In collaboration with the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS), UNODC conducted a training on Basic Psychosocial Support Education for prison and custodial officers in the Maldives on 17-24 July. 25 Correctional officers from the four central prisons in the Maldives--Maafushi Prison, Asseyri prison, Hulhumale’ prison and Male’ prison--joined the training. At the request of the MCS, the trainings were conducted in Dhivehi (local language). The training addressed mental health issues in prison settings such as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), COVID-19 and anxiety, depression, substance use disorders and the individualized needs that manifest in prison settings for men, women and juvenile offenders. Officials reaffirmed MCS’s commitment to the full and effective implementation of the Nelson Mandela Rules. Commemorating the Nelson Mandela International Day, UNODC also presented the Nelson Mandela Toolkit to the Director of Maafushi Prison.
(Supported by European Union)
Bhutan: UNODC launches report on Trafficking in Persons On 30 July, UNODC—in collaboration with the Department of Law and Order, Government of Bhutan—launched a report on trafficking in persons. The report was released by Bhutan's Foreign Minister, in presence of senior officials from the UN country team, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Human Resources, National Commission for Women and Children and other government agencies in Bhutan.
(Supported by
US Department
of State)
Nepal: Training government officials to counter wildlife and forest crime A virtual consultation was convened in July to discuss the UNODC Training Manual on Wildlife and Forest Crime in Nepal. Chaired by the Deputy Attorney General of Nepal, the consultation was attended by public prosecutors and conservation officers representing various provinces. Participants discussed national and international laws governing wildlife and forest crime—especially the CITES Convention to which Nepal is a party.
(Supported by US Bureau of International Narcotics and
Law Enforcement Affairs)
Bhutan: UNODC Convenes Experts to Develop a National Action Plan on Countering Trafficking in Persons
From 19-23 July, UNODC, in partnership with the Department of Law and Order, Government of Bhutan, organized a five-day Special Task Force Workshop to develop the National Action Plan (NAP) to address Trafficking in Persons in Bhutan. Held in Paro, the workshop was attended by 14 special task force members and 10 officials from key government departments, including the Department of Law and Order. The action plan framework has been derived from the key national level objectives identified through the National Prevention Strategy on countering Trafficking in Persons.
(Supported by US Department of State)
Bangladesh: Showcasing good practices in preventing human trafficking through education
Marking the World Day against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July, UNODC—under the aegis of the GLO.ACT Bangladesh project--and the Dhaka University Law and Politics Review convened a virtual dialogue on strengthening youth engagement to prevent human trafficking with education. Addressing law and criminology students from 20 Universities, Mr. Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, Deputy Minister of Education, Bangladesh and UNODC South Asia Representative Mr. Sergey Kapinos highlighted COVID19’s impact on human trafficking and urged youth to ideate and spearhead solutions to counter crime with resources developed under the Education for Justice Initiative.
(Supported by the European Union and Government of Qatar)
Maldives: Building capacities of prison officers on Drug Education AwarenessIn collaboration with the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS), UNODC conducted a training on Drug Education Awareness for prison and custodial officers in the Maldives on 25-29 July. 25 Correctional officers from the Maafushi Prison, Asseyri prison, Hulhumale’ prison and Male’ prison in the Maldives joined the training. Conducted in the local language (Dhivehi) at the request of the MCS, the training was led by Journey, a local NGO advocating against drugs. The training aimed at strengthening the capacity of prison and custodial officers to respond to the individualized rehabilitation needs of inmates and facilitate linkages with community service providers and the MCS.
In July, UNODC continued its ongoing engagement with youth and educators in India on peace, SDGs and crime prevention through the ‘Lockdown Learners’ series (in support of the global Education for Justice Initiative). Interactive dialogues focusing on addressing discrimination, peacebuilding, SDGs awareness, misinformation and cybercrime were conducted with over 900 students from 8 Indian States and Union Territories. In response to COVID-19, UNODC also mobilised and provided knowledge support to online youth collectives in developing community outreach and advocacy tools on vaccines, precautions and essential information. Bridging gender and socio-economic divides, the Lockdown Learners series has applied innovative approaches such as activity-based learning, using audio recordings on Whatsapp and creating virtual and offline youth-driven action networks in support of SDGs. Students are also verifying and disseminating credible information and building support groups on SDGs, gender equality and countering misinformation. With new batches of students joining schools in the new academic session, several public and private schools are actively reaching out to ROSA for knowledge support in conducting workshops to promote E4J and convening the Lockdown Learners series for students and educators.
India: Providing inputs and feedback on the draft Trafficking in Persons Bill 2021In mid-July, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, put forward a draft Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021 for feedback and review from stakeholders. UNODC experts examined the draft and compiled a consolidated feedback document for the Ministry. UNODC’s support to the Government of India on strengthening the Bill under the framework of the UN Model Law Against Trafficking in Persons has been ongoing since 2019, with detailed consultations and feedback on previous iterations of the Bill of 2018. The current process is a part of the continued engagement with the Government for strengthening a comprehensive response to Trafficking in Persons in India.
Maldives: Providing legislative support on the drafting of the Anti-Migrant Smuggling Act
In 2021, a series of technical discussions were held with focal persons from key government departments of the Maldives to strengthen the response to smuggling of migrants. Each provision was examined at length in the monthly technical dialogues and amendments were suggested with the aim of better prosecutions, and to further strengthen the aspects of human rights and victim support. The exercise was completed in July 2021, and the revised draft submitted to the Attorney General's Office and the Prosecutor General's Office for taking forward the process of submission to the Parliament later in the year. It is aimed that the final comprehensive law will enable effective response to smuggling of migrants in the Maldives.
(Supported by
Government of Sweden)
India: UNODC Commemorates the Nelson Mandela International Day with Prison Officials, with focus on
Mandela Rules
UNODC, in collaboration with an NGO India Vision Foundation, organized an online awareness workshop on the Nelson Mandela Rules for officials of India’s Tihar Prisons. Commemorating the Nelson Mandela International Day, the workshop aimed to create awareness on Nelson Mandela Rules among the Prison officials and emphasised the need for humane prison management, human rights of prisoners and prison staff, and social reintegration of offenders. UNODC’s e-learning course on the Nelson Mandela Rules was promoted and highlighted during the course of the discussion. The session was interactive, and over 100 prison officials of diverse ranks and orders exchanged insights on the rights, dignity and non-discrimination of prison inmates.
(In Partnership with Tihar Prisons and India Vision Foundation)
Maldives: Capacity building of Judges for effective adjudication of terrorism casesUNODC organized and delivered the second Train-the-Trainer Workshop for Judges in the Maldives on the Effective Adjudication of Terrorism Cases. The workshop, closely organized with the Department for Judicial Administration (DJA), Government of the Maldives, took place online following the delivery of a parallel event for Magistrate courts judges, which took place in June. The discussions touched upon fundamental topics for the work of the judges in the adjudication of terrorism cases, including ways to ensure judges’ safeguard and court security, mutual legal assistance, electronic evidence and other evidentiary issues, witness testimony and protection, and confiscation of criminal proceeds. The course also included a dedicated session on adult learning techniques, seeking to provide participants with the necessary competences to disseminate knowledge and skills acquired throughout the event.
(Supported by
the European Union)
Bangladesh/Maldives: Mainstreaming gender into counter-terrorism approaches
On 14-15 July, UNODC organised a virtual regional advanced training on ‘Mainstreaming gender into counter-terrorism and prevention of violent extremism’ for the government officials of Bangladesh and Maldives. This regional event discussed challenges, good practices and new initiatives addressing online recruitment and incitement of women to violent extremism by adopting gender-sensitive responses. Particular challenges associated with the higher vulnerability of women to violence and violent extremism resulted from the COVID-19 were also emphasised. Participants discussed female radicalization processes, particularly identifying and understanding ‘pull’ and ‘push’ factors and ways to strengthen peer-to-peer learning and standard-setting in rehabilitation and reintegration strategies. 29 officials from Bangladesh and the Maldives participated in the training.
(Supported by
Government of Japan)
World Day against Trafficking in Persons (30 July)
Bangladesh: UNODC observes the World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2021, showcasing voices of survivors
To commemorate the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, a virtual dialogue was organized on 28 July by the Counter Trafficking in Persons Technical Working Group of Bangladesh United Nations Network on Migration, which is currently being Chaired by UNODC. The “Global Action Against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants - Bangladesh (GLO.ACT-Bangladesh)” project, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNODC in partnership with IOM, provided support in organising this event. The online dialogue was attended by the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh, the UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, the UN Resident Coordinator of Bangladesh, and the Deputy US Ambassador to Bangladesh including representatives from other relevant ministries of the Government. Key messages from survivors of human trafficking were shared during the dialogue whilst also highlighting the risks faced by vulnerable migrants.
(Supported by the European Union)
UNODC Global Strategy (2021-2025)
UNODC’s mission is to contribute to global peace and security, human rights and development by making the world safer from drugs, crime, corruption and terrorism. Our new Global Strategy (2021-2025) will equip UNODC to deliver effectively, efficiently and with accountability, elevating our support to Member States to build just, inclusive and resilient societies that leave no one behind. Our interventions will pay special attention to human rights, protection of children, gender equality, empowerment of women and youth.
Our activities in South Asia are possible
due to the generous support of:
British High Commission, Sri Lanka
European Union
Germany
India
Japan
Sweden
Qatar
United Kingdom
United States of America
UBRAF
UNHCR
Government Partners:
Bangladesh
Bhutan
India
Maldives
Nepal
Sri Lanka
Call for Partnerships:
Impacting Lives with Innovation
Building Back Better from COVID-19: Leaving No One BehindIn response to COVID-19, and its impact on vulnerable groups and emerging risks to security and peace, UNODC Regional Office for South Asia has developed a wide range of projects and initiatives on the following thematic areas:
-- Addressing Gender-based Violence
-- Strengthening Law Enforcement Responses
-- Countering Corruption
-- Youth Engagement through Education
-- Promoting Family Skills
-- Addressing the Needs of Drug Users, those with HIV/AIDS and Hep-C and those in prison settings
-- Strengthening Responses to COVID-19 in Prisons
-- Countering Cybercrime and Promoting Online Safety
-- Responding to the Needs of Human Trafficking Survivors, Refugees, Migrants and the Homeless
Activesupport from partners is requested to enable the implementation of these programs and to scale-up efforts to promote security, justice and health among vulnerable groups in South Asia. Our partnerships aim at building national and regional alliances on our mandates, which are closely linked to national, regional and global priorities as well as the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. Let's join hands to enable and aid large-scale and impactful initiatives that help people lead safer and healthier lives . Your support can make all the difference!
To know more, please contact:
Mr. Samarth Pathak
Communications Officer
UNODC Regional Office for South Asia
Email: samarth.pathak@un.org Cellphone: +91-9811347927
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) assists Member States in their efforts to combat illicit drugs and international crime. Over the past two decades, the UNODC Regional Office for South Asia(ROSA) has been working with governments and civil society in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, providing specialized assistance to address challenges pertaining to drugs, organised crime, security, justice and health. The commitment to Sustainable Development Goals, human rights and the rule of law is at the core of our mandate.
Contact Us
C-97 (Ground Floor), Defence Colony, New Delhi-110024, India
Email: samarth.pathak@un.org
