24.04.2023

The 23rd meeting of the OSCE Alliance Against Trafficking in Persons was held on April 18 and 19 in Vienna, organized by the OSCE Anti-Trafficking Secretariat.
Samir Garayev, head of the division at the Main Department on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, participated in the meeting.
OSCE Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Valiant Ritchie chaired the meeting, which was attended by representatives from 57 member states and observer countries. Additional participants included OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria, Chairman-in-Office Bujar Osmani, UK Member of Parliament Theresa May, and UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Situations Pramilla Patten.
On the first day of the meeting, these speakers delivered speeches emphasizing the importance of combating human trafficking and the necessary future efforts. Representatives of non-governmental organizations from member states also spoke about their activities.
On the second day, discussions focused on leadership in combating human trafficking in the 21st century, structural institutions for fighting this crime, effective tools, legislation, and policy measures.
Samir Garayev contributed to the discussions on structural institutions for combating human trafficking. He detailed the activities of the National Referral Mechanism for Victims of Human Trafficking in the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Institute of the National Coordinator, the Interdepartmental Commission, and the Working Group on Combating Human Trafficking. His presentation on Azerbaijan's experiences in this field garnered significant interest from the participants. In conclusion, Police Colonel Garayev addressed the false claims made by the Armenian representative regarding the violation of rights of Armenians living in Karabakh. He emphasized that Azerbaijan has restored its territorial integrity in accordance with international law and UN resolutions, providing evidence to support his statements.