GLO.ACT Asia and the Middle East

The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants is a four-year (2018-2022) joint initiative by the European Union and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in four countries: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Iraq and Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Simultaneously, a parallel joint initiative is being implemented in Bangladesh, referred as GLOACT Bangladesh.

The project builds on a global community of practice set in motion in GLOACT Phase I (2015-2019) in 13 partner countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America (read more here). A focus will continue to be placed on assistance to governmental authorities, civil society organizations, victims of human trafficking and smuggled migrants.

Aims and strategic approach: Through targeted, innovative and demand-driven interventions, the project will support the selected countries in developing and implementing comprehensive national counter- human trafficking and counter-smuggling responses. A dual prevention and protection approach has been adopted and includes five key pillars linked to the following outcomes:

Outcome 1: Strategy and policy development to create and sustain effective strategies and policies to address trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling, tailored to their national context.
Outcome 2: Legislative assistance to ensure that domestic legislative frameworks meet international standards for criminalizing trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling
Outcome 3: Capacity building to enhance the capacity and knowledge of criminal justice practitioners to combat trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling and assisting and protecting victims as well as vulnerable migrants.
Outcome 4: Regional and trans-regional cooperation to promote cooperation and information exchange with law enforcement on the identification, investigation and prosecution of offences related to trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants.
Outcome 5: Direct assistance to victims of trafficking and smuggled migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and protection mechanisms.

IOM will focus only on Outcome 5, by developing and implementing protection and assistance frameworks that uphold the rights of victims of trafficking, smuggled migrants, and other migrants in vulnerable situations, as well as by improving vulnerable migrants’ access to protective and assistance services. Additionally, IOM will improve the capacity of protection actors to deliver high-quality services. while developing standards, guidance materials, and training curricula on screening, referring and direct assistance to vulnerable migrants.

In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, GLOACT Asia and the Middle East has identified and assessed project components affected by COVID-19, and is taking appropriate steps to protect project staff and beneficiaries in line with international health guidelines and local policies. These measures are ensuring the continuity of project implementation, while operating within the new challenges resulting from COVID-19. To read more about how GLOACT is adjusting to COVID-19, and the pandemic’s impact on people on the move and trafficking in persons, see:

By the end of the project, Governments and civil society partners in the target countries will have the skills, capacity, and mechanisms in place to identify and screen victims of trafficking and smuggled migrants, and to refer them to the relevant service providers for protection and assistance, in line with international standards. The project will also ensure that trained protection actors have access to and understanding of global standards and resources on assistance to vulnerable migrants.

This project is funded by the European Union.