Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC November 27, 2006 Assistant Secretary Ellen R. Sauerbrey in Geneva for IOM Council Meeting and to Launch Counter-Trafficking Training ModulesEllen R. Sauerbrey, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) will be in Geneva, Switzerland, November 28-29 to participate in the 92nd Session of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Council. Underscoring the importance the U.S. Government places on efforts to combat trafficking in persons, she will also join IOM's Head of Counter-Trafficking Richard Danziger to launch a package of Counter-Trafficking Training Modules. Assistant Secretary Sauerbrey will be accompanied by Kelly Ryan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration. The training modules were developed with funding from the U.S. Department of State through the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. Using a field-based approach developed by experts from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America they serve as training tools on key counter-trafficking topics such as victim identification and interviewing techniques. The Modules were tested in the Bahamas, the Netherlands Antilles, Jamaica, South Africa, Indonesia, Cambodia and Suriname. To date, some 700 people in 25 countries have been trained to use the Modules. The U.S. government is a leader in the global fight against trafficking in persons, having contributed over $375 million to counter-trafficking projects worldwide since 2001. IOM, a major PRM partner, currently runs more than 150 counter-trafficking projects in 70 countries of origin, transit, and destination. PRM has contributed over $30 million to IOM since 1998 in support of anti-trafficking activities. Ms. Sauerbrey will speak at a press conference on November 28, 2006 at 11:30 a.m. local time at the Palais des Nations, Press Room I, in Geneva. For more information, contact IOM's Head of Media and Public Information in Geneva, Jean-Philippe Chauzy, at 41 22 717 93 61; or PRM's Public Diplomacy Officer Peter Eisenhauer at 202-663-1979 or eisenhauerpa@state.gov. Additional details on the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration are available at www.state.gov/g/prm. 2006/1069 |