UNODC supports South Eastern Europe in financial investigations and asset recovery for trafficking in persons

2-3 March 2022, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina: UNODC in collaboration with the National Coordinator for Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings and Illegal Migration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and with support and funding from the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in France organized a regional expert group meeting (REGM) on financial investigations and asset recovery for trafficking in persons, including compensation on victims in South Eastern Europe.

The purpose of the REGM was to advance the discussion on trends and patterns of human trafficking in South Eastern Europe and to identify and analyze challenges related to financial investigations, asset recovery, including for compensation of victims, in human trafficking cases, particularly with a cross-border element.

Additionally, the event served as a platform to discuss the international obligations, conceptual approaches and policy responses to human trafficking and to exchange on good practices and challenges to address it.

Over 50 of criminal justice practitioners from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Kosovo under UNSCR 1244 took part in the meeting along with representatives from regional and international organizations, CSOs, private sector and academia.

Accordingly, the role and perspectives of financial investigations, illicit financial flows and asset recovery in cross-border combating of human trafficking and organized crime were presented and illustrated with examples of good practices and challenges in these areas. The participating international organizations and CSOs shared their perspectives on these topics.

As a result of the meeting, a set of concrete actions was provided for future engagement at the regional/sub-regional or bilateral level, including with international organizations, to tackle the issue of human trafficking.