The Eighth Annual Meeting of the TEG-RR was co-chaired by the Governments of the Philippines and Australia, and the Eleventh Annual Meeting of the WG-TIP by the Governments of Indonesia and Australia. Members of both Working Groups were joined by participation from Cambodia, China, Fiji, Iraq, Japan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, United Kingdom and Vanuatu, alongside strong international organisation and civil society participation. 

Both meetings held a focus on responses to trafficking for forced criminality into cyber scam centres in Southeast Asia and displacement issues across the Bali Process region.  

The Philippine government hosted a full-day programme for delegates to share ways of working and good practices developed in the Philippines in caring for and protecting migrant workers, and to provide access to on-the-ground realities within the Philippines. The programme included a plenary session on the Philippines’ decade-long Tier 1 ranking in the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report.

Delegates visited four specialised sites demonstrating whole-of-government anti-trafficking efforts, including: 

• UP Manila Centre for Gender and Women Studies, focusing on trauma counselling and gender-responsive services; 

• Nasdake Building, a form POGO and scam compound that has been repurposed into a center for public service and government operations, including social welfare programmes and a custodial facility addressing cyber-enabled trafficking; 

• BI I-PROBES and the NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking, presenting airport-based identification and referral processes for trafficking victims; 

• Philippine Coast Guard, highlighting maritime anti-trafficking operations and border enforcement work. 

The RSO provided an update to both annual meetings of the WG-TIP and TEG-RR on activities and support provided to Bali Process Members. In addition, the RSO facilitated or participated in thematic sessions around information needs of those choosing to embark on irregular migration journeys, the importance of lived experience engagement in programme design and the upcoming update to the Bali Process Policy Guide on Returns and Reintegration. 

Across five days of meetings and site engagements, participants: 

• deepened regional understanding of emerging trafficking trends, including cyber-enabled criminality; 

• shared operational challenges and practical tools to strengthen prevention, protection, and prosecution efforts; 

• advanced regional conversations on sustainable reintegration and data-informed approaches; 

• identified priority areas for future WG-TIP and TEG-RR collaboration; and 

• reaffirmed the value of cross-sector partnerships in addressing all stages of the trafficking cycle. 

The RSO also convened an in-person meeting of the Practical and Technical Information Exchange (PATIE) in the margins of the Working Group meetings, attended by all Working Group Co-Chairs or their representatives (Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Philippines and Viet Nam).  

Shared updates supported coordination for upcoming activities across the Bali Process ecosystem, including the upcoming Fourth RSO Constructive Dialogue, taking place in Bangkok, Thailand over 27-28 January 2026, where Working Groups will be co-chairing thematic sessions.