Learning from international and local best practices of government-civil society cooperation in preventing human trafficking was the focus of a workshop, organized jointly by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Center in Tashkent and the U.S. Embassy.

The one-and-a-half-day event brings together 70 participants from state structures, civil society, and mass media from all regions of the country. The workshop was opened by U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jon Purnell, who underscored the importance of prevention in combating the threat of human trafficking.

The second workshop of its kind, \"Joint Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings\" is part of the anti-trafficking program of the OSCE Center and follows a series of training courses for state structures, media outlets, and civil society conducted by the Center in 2003 and 2004.

Topics to be discussed during the workshop include:

a) international and local best practices;

b) better co-operation between media, official structures and public organizations;

c) developing joint strategies for combating trafficking;

d) specific trafficking case studies.