FOREWORD : AIMÉE COMRIE
It ’ s my pleasure to introduce the first GLO . ACT newsletter from the 2nd phase which showcases some of the ways in which we are working alongside our partners to strengthen the response to two of the most challenging transnational organized crimes : trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants .
Building on the community of practice which was set in motion in the first phase of GLO . ACT ( 2015-2019 ), GLO . ACT assists governmental authorities and civil society organizations in Afghanistan , Islamic Republic of Iran , Iraq and Pakistan , as well as in Bangladesh , in targeted , innovative and demand-driven interventions : sustaining effective strategy and policy development , legislative review and harmonization , capability development , and international cooperation . With our partner , IOM , GLO . ACT is also strengthening coordination and referral mechanisms and assisting civil society organizations in protecting victims and vulnerable migrants . We aim to deliver a comprehensive intervention and most importantly , respond to our counterparts ’ needs .
Drawing on a rigorous consultation and engagement process , both in the capitals and in Vienna with the support of the Permanent Missions of GLO . ACT partner countries , the GLO . ACT team was able to advance on several innovative lines of work towards a more effective criminal justice response to TIP and SOM at the national and regional level . The focus remains on improving the quality of the criminal justice response , and not only the quantity of investigations and prosecutions , and stresses mentorship as a key modality for deepening partnership and yielding long term and impactful results . In this issue you will find snapshots of our team in action . In as much as possible we seek to move outside of the capitals and identify hotspots or strategic entry points at the provincial and district levels .
Another strategy of GLO . ACT in its second phase is to promote women leaders in addressing TIP and SOM . Through the establishment of the Gender Champions network , GLO . ACT is working with a core group of women and men dedicated to promoting women ’ s professional advancement in the criminal justice , government and civil society spheres through networking , capacity building and mentorship . Professional women sometimes feel isolated and disempowered and the Women ’ s Network seeks to counter this , by consolidating shared experiences , building bridges and forging synergies in the fight to tackle two horrific crimes .
It is worthy to note that the progress made was achieved despite project implementation taking part during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and in highly volatile and complex political and security environments in many of the target countries .
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting most countries around the world , we cannot ignore its impact on the most vulnerable , including victims of trafficking , victims of abuses in the context of migrant smuggling and people at risk of victimization and exploitation . Analysis is ongoing as we speak but the team on the ground have all witnessed increased vulnerability for those already at risk .
I would like to extend our appreciation to the European Union , our donor , including all of the counterparts that we exchange with on a weekly basis – colleagues at the European Commission ‘ s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development , the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs and with the EU Delegations in our partner countries . We have timed this newsletter to coincide with the EU ’ s Anti-trafficking day - 18th October – an opportunity to reflect on our EU-UN partnership , our progress thus far and key priorities going forward .
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