Nhan Dan – The 8th Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM-8) and the 3rd Inter-Ministerial Meeting (IMM-3) on combating human trafficking in the Mekong sub-regional countries began in Hanoi today.
The meetings will last until February 16 with the participation of 150 delegates from six Mekong sub-regional countries, including Vietnam, China, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and representatives from the United Nations, international organisations, and other concerned countries.
The SOM-8 will focus on reviewing and evaluating the Mekong sub-region action plan on preventing human trafficking in the 2008-2010 period, discussing plans for the 2012-2013 period, and prioritising activities for 2012.
The meeting will also discuss issues related to expanding dialogues with other forums as well as the stability of the Co-ordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking (COMMIT) beyond 2013, in addition to assessing the results of the 3rd Youth Forum of member countries on fighting human trafficking.
IMM-3 participants will review the plan to counter human trafficking in the 2008- 2010 period and approve the action plan for 2011- 2013.
A joint statement on anti-human trafficking will also be signed during the meeting.