A/HRC/20/18 46. Working at the forefront and on the ground, victim support agencies will often be the first to come into contact with trafficked persons; they thus serve a fundamental function by referring victims to the appropriate authorities for assistance, helping to file complaints and reporting illegal activity to law enforcement. Moreover, in States where resources may be limited for anti-trafficking programmes, such agencies can provide valuable support by operating shelters, giving free legal assistance or offering medical or psychological care. Even where resources are abundant, the provision of assistance by victim support agencies remains invaluable, because victims may be more likely to trust a non-governmental organization than criminal justice agencies. 47. Partnerships may suffer, however, if there is a lack of trust between criminal justice agencies and victim support agencies, in particular if those supporting victims are not provided adequate funding, not trusted to participate in legal processes, or excluded from anti-trafficking efforts. Where such relationships are properly developed, however, the results can be very fruitful. 48. It should also be acknowledged, however, that there are limits to the services that victim support agencies may be able to provide. States remain responsible for ensuring the well-being of victims, and it is important that they are cognizant of the mandates, resources and capacity of non-governmental organizations and victim service providers to administer necessary assistance to victims. 49. The conclusion of memorandums of understanding laying out cooperation mechanisms and delineating roles and responsibilities between criminal justice agencies and victim service agencies has been one way to foster understanding and increase communication. 59 Various provinces in Thailand have adopted internal memorandums signed by Government officials, the Royal Thai Police and victim support agencies. The memorandums clarify the roles and responsibilities of each entity, elucidate working principles and definitions, and are intended to introduce systems to improve the working relationship between the parties. 60 In the Republic of Moldova, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Social Protection, IOM and a number of non-governmental organizations and service providers. As a result, the organizations and other service providers in the country offer an array of services for victims, including medical and legal assistance, case monitoring, special assistance for children and services to help with reintegration, such as vocational training, employment counselling, grants for business development and social welfare assistance. 61 50. Even in the absence of formalized cooperation agreements, increased cooperation can yield important results. For example, although no formal cooperation mechanisms exist between non-governmental organizations and criminal justice agencies in Belarus, in recent years there has been an increase in practical cooperation between them in providing 59 60 61 12 Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, General Assembly resolution 63/156 and Human Rights Council resolution 11/3. See Task force against Trafficking in Human Beings, Model Memorandum of Understanding, available from www.ungift.org/doc/knowledgehub/resourcecentre/CBSS_Model_Memorandum_of_Understanding.pdf. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, paras. 25-26. Submission by the Republic of Moldova, p. 15.