New Joint Project on Preventing Human Trafficking Launched

A joint project of the European Commission, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) entitled "Preventing, Fighting and Addressing the Social Consequences of Trafficking in Human Beings in the Republic of Belarus" was launched on 20th July.

The project is designed to develop Belarus' capacities in fighting human trafficking through preventive measures and better protection and rehabilitation for victims of trafficking. Funding for the project, worth 1,334,550 Euro, has been provided by the European Commission, UNDP and UNICEF. The project will be implemented by the Belarusian Ministry for Internal Affairs in partnership with other state governance bodies, NGOs and international organizations.

Radziwill Archives and Nesvizh Library Collection Enter UNESCO's Memory of the World Register

The Radziwill family archives and Nesvizh Library Collection, the diaries of Anne Frank, the Royal Archives of Thailand and Madagascar, and the records of the League of Nations are among 35 new pieces in UNESCO's Memory of the World

Register, which enlists documentary heritage of global importance as selected by the International Advisory Committee and approved by the UNESCO Secretary-General.

As of today, 193 items are on the Register, which was launched in 1997. In July, an addition was made in the form of the League of Nations archives of 1919-1946, which testify to the willingness of politicians and diplomats to create an intergovernmental organization to support peace and "institutionalize" international relations.

The Register includes the Radziwill Archives and Nesvizh Library Collection heritage of Belarus, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine. The Radziwills were one of the most prominent aristocratic families in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Polish Rzeczpospolita. Many members of the family occupied the highest state posts and later played important roles in the histories of Prussia, the Russian Empire and Poland. The Radziwill archive was in fact the official archive of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania state records and treaties were preserved side by side with the private correspondence of the family.