Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq 8 October 2024 - Marking a key milestone in the fight against human trafficking and migrant smuggling under the EU-funded GLO.ACT (PROTECT) initiative, UNODC handed over 500 copies of the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on 8 October 2024.
SOPs are a powerful instrument of reference for investigating officers operating at all levels. By codifying existing investigation practices and aligning them with international best practices, they ensure that investigations are carried out in a systematic and standardized manner.
The event was opened by Brigadier General Dara Farouk, Director of Combating Organized Crimes, who celebrated the successful partnership between Ministry of Interior of the KRG and UNODC in building the capacity of investigators to tackle organized crime, in particular human trafficking and migrant smuggling, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Addressing the participants, Mick Brooks, UNODC Law Enforcement consultant thanked the technical working group constituted under an earlier phase of the EU-funded GLO.ACT initiative, for its efforts to develop these important SOPs. He also commended the Ministry of the Interior’s commitment to ensuring their successful implementation.
In closing, the Director of Combating Organized Crimes urged the MOI to ensure the distribution of the SOPs in police academies, the MOI, and the Residence and Immigration Offices across the KRI, and prioritize conducting training workshops to facilitate smooth application and sustainability.
This handover ceremony not only marks a vital step towards strengthening institutional capacities to combat trafficking and smuggling, but also reaffirms the commitment of both international and national entities to work collaboratively in addressing these pressing issues.
The ceremony brought together key government stakeholders, including the General Director of Diwan, the Director of Combating Organized Crimes (DCOC), the Director of Training and Development Institute of MOI KRG, and investigators from DCOC.
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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is implementing the European Union-(EU) funded PROTECT initiative within the framework of GLO.ACT across Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. This initiative also addresses challenges in the broader Central Asia region, including the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, with a primary focus on enhancing the effectiveness of responses to trafficking in persons (TIP) and smuggling of migrants (SOM), particularly in relation to criminal justice. Meanwhile, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is responsible for implementing the PROTECT initiative in Afghanistan (specifically through virtual MRC Afghanistan), Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Their primary objectives include improving gender-sensitive and rights-based migration governance at the national level and establishing Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs).
The project is funded by the European Union.
For more information, please contact:
Martin Reeve (Mr.), Coordinator, GLO.ACT, Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section, UNODC
Email: martin.reeve@un.org
Golda Myra ROMA (Ms.), Senior Project Manager, ICMPD Silk Routes Region – Budapest Process
Email: Golda.Roma@icmpd.org