Mr. Chair
It is my privilege to inform the Permanent Council that last week, the Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Mr. Val Richey, conducted a country visit to Norway. We would like to use this opportunity to thank Mr. Richey, and his competent team, for the visit and for the valuable insights and recommendations shared with our national experts.
During his visit, the Special representative met with relevant representatives from the many authorities involved in anti-trafficking work in Norway and who presented the challenges they face in their daily work. This allowed for open and frank discussions where the Special Representative could suggest changes and new initiatives building on experiences and best practices from other OSCE countries.
In Norway, we are, among others, working to improve our structures for coordination and victim assistance. In this regard, the Special Representative provided our relevant authorities with solid advice and guidance based on lessons learned in other countries.
The Special Representative noted the progress Norway has made in establishing specialized institutions to protect child victims of trafficking. Furthermore, he was informed about how demanding cases of trafficking in human beings have been handled in the Norwegian justice system.
We are pleased to inform the Permanent Council that the visit by the Special Representative succeeded in its intention to motivate and encourage our relevant authorities dealing with combatting trafficking in human beings.
We look forward to the final report on the findings from the visit and further recommendations on how to improve the way we handle this important work in our country.
Thank you