Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Migration Service, the Grave Crimes Court, the Prosecutor General’s Office, Parliament, the Ombudsman, and various civil society organizations. In the meetings with Government agencies, the Special Representative encouraged the Azerbaijani Government to increase efforts to combat labour exploitation, particularly including migrants working in the construction industry and domestic service. From 11-12 October, the Office participated and facilitated the participation of Government and civil society members in the “Alliance against Trafficking in Persons Conference” held in Vienna. The group of senior officials representing civil society and law enforcement agencies of the Government actively participated in the conference and explored partnerships with other OSCE participating States and partner States. On 19 October, the Office participated and presented the outcomes of the counter-trafficking project at a “USAID All Partners Meeting” in Baku. The Office provided detailed information on the findings of the needs assessment report that had been completed in June. The Office also provided statistics of the NGO-led shelters for female, male and child victims of trafficking, as well as information on the next steps that the Office planned to take until the end of the year. From 24-26 October, as part of the Office's initiative to establish the Lawyers Network to protect the rights of trafficked persons, the Office participated and funded the participation of civil society representatives in the “2012 European Pro-Bono Forum” organized by the Global Network for Public Interest Law (PILnet) in Spain. The Forum brought together over 200 representatives from law firms, multi-national corporations, bar associations, academic institutions and other civil society representatives to discuss trends and challenges in pro bono work and to explore collaborations that could deliver justice and protect victims’ rights around the world. From 30-31 October, the Office participated and facilitated the participation of Government and civil society representatives in a workshop on “Combating Human Trafficking: Challenges, Lessons Learned and Good Practices” in Tashkent. The workshop was organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan and brought together members of the Inter-agency Anti-trafficking Working Group, officials of the Anti-trafficking Special Police Units, investigators, prosecutors and civil society from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Thailand. An official of the MIA of Azerbaijan made a presentation on the THB situation in Azerbaijan and shared the Azerbaijani experience in combating THB. Representatives of two Azerbaijani civil society organizations gave presentations on the situation in Azerbaijan relative to the provision of legal assistance and the protection of presumed and actual victims of trafficking for the purposes of sexual and labour exploitation. From 7-8 November, the Office organized training for service providers from multidisciplinary Government and civil society organizations which provide assistance to trafficked persons. During the two-day training, participants shared good practices related to the identification, repatriation, rehabilitation and reintegration of trafficked persons, including minors. A team of two trainers from the Moldovan NGO La Strada delivered presentations and case studies on new trends and considerations in human trafficking along with other associated phenomena, aspects of co-operation under the National Referral Mechanisms, the repatriation and post-repatriation of trafficked persons, as well as the monitoring and evaluation of assistance. On 8 November, the Office participated in a conference on “Strengthening the Efficiency of Co-operation between State Agencies, International Organizations and Civil Society Organizations in the Fight against THB” organized by the Counter-Trafficking Department of the MIA of Azerbaijan. Participants included the counter-trafficking focal points of state agencies under the National Action Plan to Fight against Human Trafficking, civil society 115

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