NRMs in the investigation and prosecution of THB, including trafficking for forced labour exploitation. The TNTD/SPMU used the occasion to establish closer contacts with Central Asian anti-trafficking stakeholders in law enforcement and civil society and discussed with them and OSCE field operations in Central Asia standardized criminal justice training courses. Participants from Central Asia expressed their interest in a regional workshop on criminal justice training based on the THB guidebook facilitated by the TNTD/SPMU. On 25-28 June, the TNTD/SPMU participated at the “Anti-Trafficking Alliance” and “AntiTrafficking Focal Point Conference” in Vienna. During the Anti-Trafficking Alliance meeting, the OSR/CTHB presented current developments in THB. The TNTD/SPMU informed representatives from field operations during the Anti-Trafficking Focal Point meeting on completed TNTD activities on THB, such as the new Resource Police Training Guide: Human Trafficking, and jointly planned activities, such as the upcoming “Law Enforcement Victim Interview Training” in Turkmenistan. The TNTD/SPMU used both events to strengthen co-operation with focal points from field operations and to network with other international organizations active in the field of THB. On 24-25 July, the TNTD/SPMU, in co-operation with the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, organized a two-day training course for police officers on “Interviewing Victims of Human Trafficking” in Ashgabat. This event was prepared as a follow-up to a training course organized by the Centre in Ashgabat together with ODIHR in December 2012. The TNTD/SPMU identified three trainers for the course (the Deputy Director of the Moldovan Anti-Trafficking Centre; the Head of the Austrian Police Department for Combating Smuggling and THB; and an ODIHR Anti-trafficking Adviser) and prepared the agenda for the training course. The TNTD/SPMU delivered an opening speech and gave a presentation on victim identification. 25 members of Turkmen security forces attended the training course. Among participants there was also a defence lawyer working with victims of THB in Turkmenistan. Participants showed profound knowledge of the national legislation regulating the area of combating THB and actively contributed to the content of the course. On 26 July, the TNTD/SPMU published the OSCE Resource Police Training Guide: Trafficking in Human Beings that serves as a minimum standard for the development and delivery of human trafficking police-related training activities facilitated by the OSCE field operations (see guidebook section above). On 26 July, the TNTD/SPMU chaired a co-ordination meeting of the OSCE, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNODC on the preparation of the joint project “Strengthening Understanding of the Link between Irregular Migration and Transnational Crimes Impacting Migrants in Irregular Situations”. The meeting focused on the preparation of the launch of the project. Funding for the project had been secured and the three organizations were planning to launch the project by organizing a mapping conference in late October 2013 (see below). Following the initial co-ordination meeting in July, the TNTD/SPMU continued chairing these meetings at a monthly basis throughout the rest of 2013. On 30-31 October, the joint OSCE, IOM and UNODC project “Strengthening Understanding of the Link between Irregular Migration and Transnational Crimes Impacting Migrants in Irregular Situations” was officially launched at a mapping seminar in Vienna. The event aimed at identifying general trends in irregular migration, migrant smuggling and human trafficking along the East Mediterranean Route (originating from conflict areas as far away as Afghanistan, connecting through the Eastern Mediterranean region and targeting Central and Western Europe). Experts representing migration and criminal justice authorities from OSCE participating States, Partners for Co-operation and relevant international organizations were brought together to identify gaps and challenges in criminal justice and migration responses to threats posed by transnational migration-related crimes and to facilitate an informal information sharing network between countries of origin, transit and destination along a 31