KRG Joins Global Alliance Meeting to Combat Migrant Smuggling in Vienna

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including representatives from Iraq, participated in the Second Senior Officials Meeting of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling, held on Tuesday at the Vienna International Centre.

The KRG delegation was headed by Dindar Zebari, the KRG's Coordinator for International Advocacy. The Iraqi delegation was led by Ambassador Hisham Al-Alawi, Iraq's Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organizations in Vienna.

During the meeting, the Iraqi delegation, including KRG representatives, outlined the country's efforts to combat migrant smuggling through preventive measures, legal reforms, institutional coordination, and enhanced international cooperation.

The delegation stressed the importance of strengthening partnerships within the Global Alliance and maintaining close cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and other international partners to improve legal and institutional frameworks aimed at dismantling migrant smuggling networks.

It also emphasized the need for a "whole-of-route" approach, calling for stronger information sharing and closer cooperation among countries of origin, transit, and destination to prevent vulnerable migrants from being exploited by organized criminal groups.

The participation of the KRG and Iraq reflects the country's continued commitment to international cooperation and collective efforts to combat migrant smuggling while protecting the safety and rights of its citizens.

The Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling was launched by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to strengthen international cooperation against organized criminal networks that profit from smuggling migrants across borders. The alliance brings together governments, international organizations, and law enforcement agencies to improve information sharing, strengthen legal frameworks, and coordinate cross-border efforts to disrupt smuggling operations while protecting the lives and rights of migrants.

Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have increasingly engaged with international partners to address irregular migration and human smuggling, amid growing concerns over the exploitation of migrants by transnational criminal networks operating along regional migration routes.