Private Sector Joins to Combat Human Trafficking in Ukraine

Mikhail Babirenko, Western Union Ukraine, explains how Western Union is working to assist IOM to combat trafficking. June 18, 2008. Representatives of international and Ukrainian private companies and leading NGOs participated in a June 18 conference to address issues associated with trafficking in human beings.  The conference was organized by USAID’s Countering Trafficking in Human Beings Project, which is implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Ukraine. Key speakers at the conference included representatives of Ukrainian and international companies who have demonstrated corporate social responsibility and a willingness to collaborate with IOM on anti-trafficking campaigns and projects.  Presentations by IOM corporate partners, Kyivstar, Joint Stock Company “Concern Galnaftogaz,” Microsoft Ukraine, and Western Union Ukraine offered proof of the merits of private-public partnership in the field of combating human trafficking.   In opening the conference, IOM Chief of Mission in Ukraine Jeffrey Labovitz noted that he is a firm believer in the efficacy and promise of private-public partnerships.  “It is imperative that local civic organizations and socially responsible private sector representatives move to engender an atmosphere of mutual trust and establish productive working relations tasked with fortifying and enhancing the long-term national response to human trafficking in Ukraine.” A roundtable session titled “Combating Human Trafficking: Opportunities for Partnership,” headlined the conference’s afternoon agenda and featured IOM partner’s explaining how cooperation with the private sector on the local level enhances the effectiveness of counter-trafficking projects.  Representatives of international and Ukrainian private companies and leading NGOs participated in a June 18 conference to address issues associated with trafficking in human beings.  The conference was organized by USAID’s Countering Trafficking in Human Beings Project, which is implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Ukraine. Key speakers at the conference included representatives of Ukrainian and international companies who have demonstrated corporate social responsibility and a willingness to collaborate with IOM on anti-trafficking campaigns and projects.  Presentations by IOM corporate partners, Kyivstar, Joint Stock Company “Concern Galnaftogaz,” Microsoft Ukraine, and Western Union Ukraine offered proof of the merits of private-public partnership in the field of combating human trafficking.   In opening the conference, IOM Chief of Mission in Ukraine Jeffrey Labovitz noted that he is a firm believer in the efficacy and promise of private-public partnerships.  “It is imperative that local civic organizations and socially responsible private sector representatives move to engender an atmosphere of mutual trust and establish productive working relations tasked with fortifying and enhancing the long-term national response to human trafficking in Ukraine.” A roundtable session titled “Combating Human Trafficking: Opportunities for Partnership,” headlined the conference’s afternoon agenda and featured IOM partner’s explaining how cooperation with the private sector on the local level enhances the effectiveness of counter-trafficking projects.

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