Belarus holds annual briefing of the Group of Friends and the Interagency Group on Combating Human Trafficking in Vienna

On December 5, 2025 at the Vienna International Center (Austria), under the chairmanship of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Igor Sekreta, a briefing organized by the Permanent Mission of Belarus to International Organizations in Vienna was held by the Group of Friends United in the Fight against Human Trafficking with representatives of the secretariats of international organizations – members of the Interagency Group on Combating Human Trafficking (ICAT).

For almost two decades, Belarus has been actively contributing to strengthening international cooperation in combating human trafficking. ICAT and the Group of Friends were created on the initiative of Belarus in 2006 and 2010, respectively. The Group of Friends includes Belarus, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Libya, Nicaragua, Nigeria, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Venezuela.

The thematic event was held on the sidelines of the session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

The participants of the Group of Friends and representatives of other interested UN member states were informed about Belarus' activities at the UN as coordinator of the Group of Friends on combating human trafficking in 2025, including in the context of the traditional resolution “Improving coordination of efforts to combat human trafficking” adopted by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on the initiative of Belarus.

During the meeting, representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Organization of American States, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the International Organization for Migration, and Interpol made presentations on the work of international organizations on combating human trafficking in 2025 and priorities for 2026.

The meeting also discussed promising areas of cooperation between the Group of Friends and ICAT in 2025 in the context of possible new resolutions on combating human trafficking, including the organization and holding of thematic events.

The speakers noted the leading role of Belarus in coordinating international efforts at the United Nations in the fight against human trafficking.

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