COPENHAGEN, 18-19 May 2010 – The sixth Regional Partner Forum under the Danish Programme against Human Trafficking in Eastern and South Eastern Europe was hosted by the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Copenhagen, Denmark. The event was attended by the Programme implementers, including IOM Missions in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, NGOs from the La Strada network (La Strada – International, Belarus Young Women’s Christian Association/ La Strada – Belarus, La Strada – Moldova, and La Strada – Ukraine), and OSCE representations in Ukraine and Moldova. Major governmental and non-governmental stakeholders of the Danish National Referral Mechanism (NRM), including the Danish Police National Centre for Investigation (NEC), Danish Centre against Human Trafficking (CMM), Kompetencecenter Prostitution, and The Nest International joined the event throughout the two days.
 
The Forum provided an opportunity for participants to exchange information and learn from each other's experience in NRM development. The first day of the event was dedicated to presentations and discussions on the Danish NRM; also, participants visited the Drop-in Centre for Foreign Women which assists migrant sex workers in Copenhagen and is part of the identification and referral framework for victims of trafficking. The Danish National Action Plan against Human Trafficking is undergoing external evaluation in 2010, while the country’s NRM is also “work in progress”; therefore, the dialogue between the Danish and Eastern European participants was considered highly beneficial to both sides. As a result of the discussion, the Programme implementers came up with ideas on how the experience of the Danish NRM stakeholders could be applied in their respective countries, and how the Programme could contribute to putting these ideas to life.
 
On the second day, participants assessed the progress of the Programme and outlined their way forward. Ms. Jette Egelund of the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs who chaired the meeting confirmed her positive impression of the Programme implementation and expressed her hope that partners will be able to make tangible progress towards government ownership of counter-trafficking efforts in their countries at the final stage of the Programme. 
 
The Danish Programme against Human Trafficking in Eastern and South Eastern Europe (currently in its second phase) lasts for three years (2009-2011) and has a budget of 28.3 million Danish Kroner. It is financed by the Neighbourhood Programme of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs which aims to promote open democratic societies founded on the rule of law and based upon stable political and economic development in countries neighbouring the European Union. The Programme's development goal is to contribute to/improve national and regional responses to human trafficking in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (target countries – Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine). The main programme activities are concentrated on the three areas: advocacy, capacity building, and provision of services. The implementing partners aspire to further facilitate the development of functional and sustainable National Referral Mechanisms in their respective countries, including legal framework, standards, piloting, training, and continued dialogue for increased government funding in the sphere of counter-trafficking.
 
Regional Partner Forum under the Programme is held annually to allow partners an opportunity to discuss important issues, learn from each other and invited guest speakers, assess Programme implementation progress, identify challenges, and plan their next steps.