A two-day international conference takes place this week in the
Belarus capital, Minsk, on strengthening cooperation between source
and destination countries in combating human trafficking.

The conference, on the 26-27 October, has been organized by the
Belarus Ministry of Internal Affairs and IOM in cooperation with
the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and
the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The event will bring together representatives of governmental
bodies from the CIS countries, Central, Western and South-Eastern
Europe, the Gulf states, as well as international organizations
such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United
Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and diplomatic missions
of foreign states in the Republic of Belarus and public
associations.

The conference, bringing together a wide array of source and
destination countries, will provide a unique opportunity to share
best world-wide practices in fighting human trafficking. Special
focus will be given to cooperation of law-enforcement agencies from
source and destination countries, the problem of trafficking in
children and labour exploitation.

"For too long now, we have all been looking at destination
countries as having the primary responsibility in combating
trafficking.  The idea of this conference is not just to
identify the many gaps in cooperation between source and
destination countries, but also to see what more can be done on the
demand side in destination countries while fully respecting the
rights and well-being of victims," said IOM’s head of
counter-trafficking, Richard Danziger.

A press-conference will take place at 11 am on 26 October 2006
at "Planeta" hotel: Minsk, Pobediteley ave., 31.

For further information please contact:

Tatyana Bugaeva

IOM Minsk Office

Tel.: +375 17 284 46 91

E-mail: "mailto:tbugaeva@iom.org.by">tbugaeva@iom.org.by