The second Steering Committee meeting of the action “Strengthening the human rights protection of migrants and victims of human trafficking in Turkey” took place online on 7 December 2020.

The meeting brought together 46 participants, including representatives from the European Union Delegation in Turkey, the Ministry of Interior, including the Directorate General of Migration Management, the Directorate General of Security, the Gendarmerie General Command, the Coast Guard General Command, as well as the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services, the Union of Bar Associations, the Justice Academy and the Council of Europe.

The results achieved since the start of the action in January 2020 as well as the strategic goals, objectives and activities for the period ahead were presented during the meeting. Furthermore, experts presented the general findings and recommendations of finalised reports.

The dedicated involvement of stakeholders in co-ordination mechanisms and implementation processes was noted and the fruitful collaboration which resulted was praised. The Council of Europe representatives reaffirmed that it is thanks to such involvement and responsible appropriation of the action by stakeholders that the enduring pandemic conditions of 2020 were overcome.

The action “Strengthening the human rights protection of migrants and victims of human trafficking in Turkey” is implemented in the scope of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.