ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - An Iraqi delegation featuring Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) representatives on Wednesday joined a high-level meeting in Vienna aimed at strengthening international efforts against migrant smuggling.

The Iraqi delegation, led by Iraq's ambassador to Austria, Hisham al-Alawi, included Dindar Zebari, the KRG's Coordinator for International Advocacy. The diplomats attended a high-level meeting of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling in the Austrian capital.

The Wednesday event, organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), saw representatives gather to discuss “strengthening whole-of-route and integrated transnational approaches to the smuggling of migrants” and how to better delineate information-sharing to this end, according to the UN agency.

The alliance is an international coalition launched by the European Commission in November 2023 to combat organized criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling and protect vulnerable individuals.

The Iraqi delegation “emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships within the Global Alliance framework” while continuing cooperation with the UNODC and international partners, and “developing legal and institutional mechanisms to combat migrant smuggling,” according to a statement from the KRG.

Every year, thousands of people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region undertake dangerous journeys to Europe, largely driven by economic hardship and the search for better opportunities.

The KRG said Iraq's participation, alongside KRG representatives, reflects the country's “commitment to international cooperation and joint efforts to combat migrant smuggling and protect its citizens.”

At the meeting, the delegation presented an overview of Iraq's efforts and experience in “confronting the challenges of migrant smuggling through prevention, developing legal frameworks, strengthening institutional coordination, and international cooperation,” the KRG added.

In recent years, Erbil and Baghdad have stepped up cooperation with European countries to tackle irregular migration and human smuggling amid growing concerns over transnational criminal networks exploiting migrants along regional migration routes.