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Norwegian Government Contributes Funding towards Combating Human Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region

An agreement was signed on 5 May 2006 between the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UNDP, in which the Norwegian Government pledged to contribute a total of 6,800,000 Kronor (about US $1 million) to combat human trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). The agreement was signed by H.E. Merete Fjeld Brattestad, the Norwegian Ambassador and Ms. Joana Merlin-Scholtes, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative. The contribution will strengthen the GMS countries ability to combat human trafficking in all its forms and at all levels by supporting a sub-regional agreement for cooperation on human trafficking. The six GMS Governments (Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam) signed an agreement in October 2004 in Yangon, Myanmar. This blueprint of their joint initiative constitutes the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking (COMMIT), which actively works together to bring a stop to the rising trend of human trafficking in the region.

Ms. Merlin-Scholtes expressed appreciation to the Royal Norwegian Government on behalf of the UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking in the GMS (UNIAP) which acts as Secretariat to the COMMIT, and highlighted that the contribution "goes directly to building a much needed regional mechanism of collaboration among the six GMS governments to fight trafficking and will reach visible and tangible results. The GMS countries vary in their ability to fight the crime of human trafficking and this contribution will allow them and us to ensure that a much needed capacity in addressing this issue will be built. I am confident that this will bring down the rising trend of human trafficking, especially involving women and children in this region."

The contribution will fund COMMIT activities that aim to ensure the legal, social and community protection of victims of trafficking, strengthen the capacity of persons combating the crime of trafficking, and build a comprehensive response involving all relevant Ministries i.e. Foreign Affairs, Social Welfare, Labour, Immigration, Justice, Women’s Affairs etc. in all six GMS countries.