UAE participates in 7th Bali Process conference

BALI, 8th August, 2018 (WAM) -- The UAE has participated in the seventh Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime, an annual forum co-chaired by Indonesia and Australia, from 7th- 8th August in Bali, Indonesia. The UAE delegation was headed by Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al Jarman, Assistant Minister for Human Rights and International Law at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Vice-President of National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, and included Mohammed Abdullah bin Mutlaq Al Ghafli, UAE Ambassador to Indonesia. The meeting was held under the joint presidency of Retno Marsudi, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Julie Bishop, Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and was attended by ministers and heads of delegations from around 45 countries, as well as representatives of international organisations, including the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Maritime Organisation, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. During the meeting, Al Jarmen highlighted UAE’s efforts to combat human trafficking through programmes undertaken by the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, which represents relevant government institutions, law enforcement authorities and civil society organisations. He added that the UAE has launched many initiatives to protect victims, especially children, women and workers, and established a fund to help them start small projects or continue their education and find jobs. He also highlighted the UAE’s commitment to strengthen its cooperation with civil society, through signing bilateral Memorandums of Understanding related to combatting human trafficking and protecting victims, as well as contributing US$100,000 to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, especially for women and children.