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Regional Initiatives

News and Updates

1st Mekong Hill Tribe Concert a Success
The entire 5 hour concert, (attended by some 5000 including several UN agencies, bilateral donor partners, and INGOs) was broadcast by radio to 14 provinces in northern Thailand as well as to southern China, northern Burma, and northern Laos.

Bali Process Meeting Brisbane, Australia 7-8 June 2004
Senior Officials' Meeting of the Bali Ministerial Conference on People Smuggling and Human Trafficking (Bali Process) was held in Brisbane, Australia on 7-8 June 2004.

Thai Government Signs MoUs with NGOs
On March 24, 2003 the Secretary Generals of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Public Health, the Attorney General, Commissioner General of the Royal Thai Police and representatives from 28 Non-Governmental Organizations, including the National Council on Youth and Child Development, representatives of the Thai Coordinating Body on Trafficking of Children, the Thai Network to Assist and Protect the Rights of Trafficked Women and Children, and Child Rights Projection Foundation joined together to sign three National Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) relating to the protection and assistance to women and children victims of trafficking.

China, Vietnam Cooperate to Halt Human Trafficking
Government delegations from China and Vietnam, accompanied by officials, teachers and students, communication workers, community members and the media launched a joint communication campaign on Friday, 4 June 2004 to combat human trafficking in their border areas.

First Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking (COMMIT) Senior Officials Meeting
The Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking (COMMIT) meeting was held in Bangkok, 28-30 July 2004.

Mekong Governments Sign Historic Agreement on Human Trafficking
On 29th October 2004, in Yangon, Burma, the COMMIT Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was officially signed by Ministerial representatives from Cambodia, P.R.

ASEAN to Establish A Regional Network to Prevent Human Trafficking
A regional focal network in the ASEAN region will be set up to prevent and combat human trafficking, according to the ASEAN Declaration against Trafficking in Persons, Particularly Women and Children.

New Information Regarding Protection of Children in Tsunami Disaster
Governments and aid agencies are on alert in three countries in Asia for children being trafficked for sexual or labor exploitation, or adoption following the tsunami disaster.

Six Asian Countries Cooperate in Fight Against Human Trafficking
Government officials and police chiefs of six countries along Southeast Asia’s Mekong River have agreed on an action plan to fight human trafficking and help victims return to normal lives on 31 March 2005.

Vietnamese Delegation Visit to Singapore
Think Centre forges ASEAN solidarity ¹ Beyond the veneer of state-to-state diplomatic relations, Singapore saw its foremost socio-political NGO Think Centre host a landmark exchange visit from its ASEAN counterparts.

Lao PDR-Thailand Join Hands to Fight Human Trafficking¹
On 7 February 2006, the Thai Social Development and Human Security Permanent Secretary and the Lao Labour and Social Welfare Permanent Secretary co-chaired the Thai-Lao Committee to fight against human trafficking, especially girls and women.

IOM Seminar on Media treatment of human trafficking victims
The victims of the human trafficking and their treatment in the media were in the focus of discussions at the two-day seminar set up by the International Organization for Migration.

Thailand, Burma Sign Regional Pact in Malaysia to Fight Transnational Crime¹
Thailand and Burma joined eight other Southeast Asian countries in signing an agreement to strengthen cooperation against cross-border crime.

ASEAN Signs Declaration Against Trafficking in Persons Particularly Women and Children
Date: 29 November 2004 Venue: Vientiane, Laos PDR At the 10 th ASEAN Summit, in Vientiane, Laos PDR, heads of state of 10 countries in Southeast Asia signed a number of declarations.

Thai Government Action Meeting on Human Trafficking
The first Thai Government Workshop on Human Trafficking, organised by the Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Royal Thai Police, and by the UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (UNIAP) was held in Chiang Rai, Thailand on 13-14 May 2004.