OSCE Secretary General welcomes Madina Jarbussynova as Special Representative to combat trafficking in human beings

VIENNA, 4 September 2014 – OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier today welcomed Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova of Kazakhstan as the new Special Representative and Co-ordinator to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings.

Zannier said he looked forward to working with Jarbussynova to promote the Organization’s anti-trafficking efforts, noting she joins the Secretariat after more than two years of highly successful and productive service as the Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

“I would like to welcome the new Special Representative on behalf of the entire OSCE,” Zannier said. “Combating human trafficking is an area in which we have made great achievements, and I know that Ambassador Jarbussynova is eager to lead her Office as we fight modern-day slavery in the 21st century.”

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter warmly welcomed the Special Representative and said the OSCE Swiss Chairmanship looked forward to continuing the excellent co-operation with her Office that has been ongoing throughout the year.

From 1998 to 1999, Jarbussynova served as the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She then served as Kazakhstan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1999 to 2003 and as a member of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. She also previously was a member of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Advisory Board.

“I am very eager to make a difference across the 57 participating States as we struggle together to combat the crime of human trafficking,” she said.

Jarbussynova becomes the fourth Special Representative and Co-ordinator to Combat Human Trafficking at the Secretariat since the OSCE Permanent Council established the position in 2005.