Announced at the 17^th Meeting of the Bali Process Ad Hoc Senior Officials Group, which took place in Kuala Lumpur over 2-3 May 2024, the new funding support represents a strong commitment in New Zealand’s ongoing efforts to address the complex challenges posed by irregular migration in the Asia-Pacific region.

New Zealand is Co-Chair alongside Viet Nam of the Bali Process Working Group on Disruption of Criminal Networks Involved in People Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons, and the 2023-24 Joint Period of Action is supporting cross-border collaboration and joint investigations into people smuggling and the exploitation and trafficking of persons.

As part of the Joint Period of Action, Sri Lanka and Thailand are working to identify and prevent Sri Lankan citizens travelling into Thailand with the view to use this as a transit point to enter illegally into neighbouring countries. New Zealand’s funding will initially support the secondment of a Sri Lankan official into the RSO office to foster continued partnership working between Sri Lankan and Thai Immigration Officials.

Ben Quinn, Irregular Migration Liaison Officer at the New Zealand Embassy in Bangkok, said: “New Zealand welcomes the opportunity to support the secondment of a Sri Lankan official into the RSO office in Bangkok. It is an exciting prospect to continue the work of the Disruption Working Group’s Joint Period of Action through this position, with a key aim for the role being to continue to build the strategic relationship between Sri Lankan Immigration and Emigration and Thai Immigration Bureau, helping to mitigate irregular migration risks in the region.

 “Keeping migrants safe from trafficking and smuggling risks is key to this secondment and we look forward to working closely to realise the potential that this opportunity presents.”

The RSO, which serves as a central hub for coordination, capacity building, and technical assistance for the Bali Process, re-launched its Secondee Programme in 2023. Since then, the RSO has hosted two secondees to the office—Salma Husna from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Republic of Indonesia, and Tuan Meedin, Assistant Superintendent, Sri Lanka National Police.

The RSO Secondee Programme facilitates the deployment of government officials and technical experts from Member States to provide hands-on input and support to RSO and Bali Process activity, through the leadership of discrete projects that can further shared objectives and priorities in areas such as law enforcement and information sharing, victim identification and support, and policy development.

Secondees have the opportunity to gain valuable experience working alongside counterparts in other Member States and alongside the RSO office, while the RSO and the Bali Process benefit from strengthened relations with Member States and the expertise and fresh perspectives brought by Member State officers.

The generous funding provided by the Government of New Zealand will enable the expansion and enhancement of the Secondee Programme, supporting longer-term, strategic participation from Member States. This investment reaffirms New Zealand’s commitment to the Bali Process and underscores the importance of collective action in addressing transnational challenges.

In expressing gratitude for New Zealand’s support, David Scott, RSO Co-Manager (Australia) praised the government’s leadership: “New Zealand’s financial contribution to the RSO provides practical and tactical support to strengthen regional cooperation to address the complex issues of irregular migration and trafficking in persons.

“By investing in the RSO Secondee Programme, New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to the principles of partnership and will undoubtedly further the impact of the Working Group on the Disruption of Criminal Networks Involved in People Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons.”