On 15 February, the Office met with an organized crime expert from the “Heroin Route II” Mission of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). The objective of the meeting was to discuss Azerbaijan’s situation regarding human trafficking and to share information on the fight against THB and forced labour, including the Office’s activities. On 16 February, the Office participated in the Presentation of the ILO Handbook on Labour Inspectorates. The Handbook is part of the EU funded regional project “Strengthening the Comprehensive Anti-trafficking Response in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia” led by the ILO, in partnership with the ICMPD, IOM and the OSCE Offices in Baku and Yerevan. Following the presentation, the Office met with the ILO to co-ordinate joint activities pertaining to human trafficking and forced labour, the Office’s engagement in the consortium of international organizations in combining the efforts to fight against human trafficking and forced labour was scheduled to begin in 2012. On 18-19 April, the Office, in close co-operation with the SPMU, the Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation, the IOM and the Anti-Trafficking Unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs organized a two-day workshop in Ganja. The purpose of the event was to sensitize law enforcement and other state agencies of the cities of Ganja, Goranboy and Shamkir on issues related to combating THB and forced labour. Discussion also included the role of front-line officers in identifying victims of trafficking and prosecuting the crime of trafficking. The event was part of a series of workshops being undertaken in the framework of a comprehensive programme to assist the Government of Azerbaijan in implementing the National Action Plan to Fight against Trafficking in Human Beings. On 27-28 April, the Office participated in the sub-regional trade union conference on “The Role of Trade Unions in Migration”, held in Baku. Representatives of trade union organizations from more than 15 countries, including most of the CIS countries as well as Belgium, France and Turkey took part in the event. The participants discussed national labour regulation and trade union policies, as well as the risks and challenges in preventing and co-operating to fight forced labour and trafficking of migrant workers. The two-day conference concluded with the adoption of a position paper including three recommendations for further action of trade unions in preventing unsafe migration and co-operating in the fight against human trafficking and forced labour. On 4 May, the Office participated in a meeting of the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Networking Group hosted by the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI). The group comprises international organizations working on combating trafficking in human beings and forced labour, such as ABA ROLI, the ILO, the IOM, the U.S. Embassy in Baku and the OSCE. The group discussed ongoing activities and plans for joint co-operation, and set the date for the next TIP Networking Group meeting. On 5 May, the Office and its international partners, the Anti-trafficking Unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as the Office’s local implementing partner, Azerbaijan Migration Centre, organized a press conference to mark the start of an “Anti-Trafficking Week”. During the week, the Azerbaijan Migration Centre organized a public awareness campaign including the dissemination of leaflets, broadcast of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on national TVs and roundtable discussions. The best journalist, best non-governmental organization, best police officer and the most active international organization received awards during a final event on 13 May, which concluded the campaign. On 16 May, the Office participated in the workshop “Compliance of Azerbaijani Legislation with the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.” The workshop participants made a comparative analysis of specific articles of the Azerbaijani legislation and the CoE Convention, which Azerbaijan ratified in May 2010, and developed recommendation to improve the relevant legislation of Azerbaijan. 87