Skopje – MARRI RC and GIZ Office in Skopje organized Validation Workshop for development of a new joint project “Preventing and Combatting Smuggling and Trafficking in Human Beings in the Western Balkans”, supported by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The event was a follow up on numerous preparatory activities that started in October 2018 among which, a Fact Finding Mission, Consultative Workshop and Appraisal Mission.
Following the opening remarks in which both, MARRI RC Director Sashko Kocev and GIZ Country Director for Macedonia and Kosovo* David Oberhuber once more emphasized the importance of MARRI-GIZ strategic partnership, the findings of the Appraisal Mission were presented to the National Coordinators for THB and other representatives of MARRI Participants. The mission had been conducted by a team of experts on trafficking in human beings, with the aim of gathering information on Participant’s needs, priorities and concerns regarding the topic.
The overall objective of the project that is planned to commence by the end of 2019, is to improve the situation of the potential victims (POVTs) and victims of human trafficking (VOTs) among the refugee and local population in the Western Balkans, through three fields of innervation: Prevention – by sensibilization and resilience of the target group against THB; Protection – by providing easier access for POVTs and VOTs to the available services; and Coordination and cooperation among the relevant stakeholders within the National Referral Mechanisms.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence