Vientiane – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) today (19 February) received the medal of appreciation and the achievement certificate from the Office of the Supreme People’s Prosecutor (OSPP) of Lao People’s Democratic Republic as a recognition of its long-standing partnership and cooperation with OSPP in the area of counter-Trafficking in Persons (TIP).

2020 marked the 30-year anniversary of the OSPP’s Office of People’s Prosecutor (OPP). As a token of appreciation for partners’ consistent support in strengthening the rule of law under various thematic areas, the OSPP has presented a medal and an achievement certificate to the development partners and international organizations which supported the enforcement of the Office’s mandate.

Upon receiving the medal from H.E. Mr. Bounyang Chandalasanh, Vice President of the Office of Supreme People’s Prosecutor of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Ms. Shareen Tuladhar, Chief of Mission at IOM, noted: “I look forward to continuing the strong partnership between the two organizations. IOM stands ready to assist the Government in achieving our collective goals of prosecution and prevention of human trafficking.”

IOM, under the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)-funded project Combating Human Trafficking through Reinforcing Judicial Capacity (CHARJ), has assisted the Government to bolster law enforcement efforts to more aggressively deter, investigate and prosecute TIP cases. IOM, in close partnership with the OSPP, provided trainings for criminal justice officials on techniques to identify, understand, investigate and prosecute human trafficking and developed a manual on improved data collection and reporting on the suppression of TIP crimes. IOM has been leading counter trafficking efforts in Lao People’s Democratic Republic since 2001.

IOM and the OSPP will continue to work together to build the capacity of the Lao criminal justice sector to provide transparent justice and to combat transnational crime in Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

For more information, please contact Suhyun PARK at IOM Vientiane. Tel. + 856 (20)55 136 294. Email: spark@iom.int