NIGERIA: OBASANJO TO HOST INTERNATIONAL TIP SUMMIT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001465

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR G/TIP AMB. ELY-RAPHEL; AF - DAS PERRY
.
ALSO FOR INL, AF/W AND AF/RA
.
NSC FOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER
.
DOL FOR ILAB


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM KWMN PHUM NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: OBASANJO TO HOST INTERNATIONAL TIP SUMMIT

This is an action cable; action request for G/TIP and INL in
para 7.



1. In a May 7 meeting, Mike Mku, the President's Special
Assistant on Human Trafficking and Child Labor confirmed
August 1-4 as the dates for the Government of Nigeria's
"International Summit" on Trafficking in Persons. Mku gave
RNLEO a copy of President Obasanjo's April 5 letter inviting
President Bush to this event. (Note: A copy has been faxed
to G/TIP. End Note) Mku claims the original was delivered
to the White House through the Nigeria Embassy in Washington.
He also stated that the GON will soon follow that initial
letter with greater details on the conference, including a
tentative agenda.



2. Mku allowed RNLEO to review a draft of the agenda. Half
of the conference is a plenary session, much of which is
taken up by the presentation of country reports and
presentations by International Organizations and Nigerian
NGOs. There are plans for break-out sessions, though topics
for discussion have yet to be determined.



3. Mku stated about 40 countries have been invited. These
include, in Africa: Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon,
Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Gabon, Libya, Mali, Morocco,
Mauritania, Niger, South Africa, Senegal, Sudan and TOGO.
Outside Africa: Belgium, Bulgaria, China, France,
Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, U.S.A.,
Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and Luxembourg. He explained
that these countries were picked for either having a
significant trafficking role (destination, transit area or
source) or for being a significant donor of international
anti-TIP efforts.



4. UN and International organizations to be invited include:
OAU, ECOWAS, EU, ILO-IPEC, UNESCO, FAO, UNICEF, UNODCCP, IOM,
and UNDP. Nigerian NGOs will play a role at the conference,
but only one international anti-TIP NGO is on the agenda so
far -- ECPAT.



5. When asked about the focus of the conference, Mku
confessed that there are several themes being considered and
no single focus has yet been established. In addition to
looking at Africa's trafficking problems and the need for
greater regional cooperation, the conference seeks to gain
from the experiences of other countries with trafficking
problems outside of Africa. Mku welcomed RNLEO's offer to
discuss possible objectives for the conference that would
both set it apart from other international TIP conferences
and make it as productive as possible. Mku also solicited
funding for the conference from the USG and other
international donors.



6. Some of the themes currently being discussed by the GON's
Planning Committee for the Conference include:


--"Legal Framework on Human Trafficking, Child Labor and
Slavery with Reference to Nigeria;"
--"The Role of the Navy, Immigration, Customs and Police in
Combating Human Trafficking;"
--"Rehabilitation of Victims of Human Trafficking;"
--"Combating Human Trafficking, Child Labor and Slavery
through International Cooperation;"
--"The Fight Against Transnational Organized Crime with
Particular Reference to Human Trafficking and Child Labor;"
and
--"Impact of Human Trafficking, Child Labor, and Slavery on
the Economies of Developing Countries"



7. Comment and Action Request: President Obasanjo
understands the seriousness of the trafficking in persons
problem and this conference reflects his sincere desire to
develop an effective national and regional strategy to curb
this egregious human rights violation. Post will continue to
work with Mku to shape the conference for maximum
effectiveness. Post proposes that G/TIP or INL provide
funding for a portion of the conference (an estimated
$50-70,000) with the condition that the GON use that funding
to devote part of the conference to discussions on
strengthening ECOWAS member states' implementation of the
ECOWAS Plan of Action Against TIP and expanding regional
cooperation beyond ECOWAS to other states in Africa. Post
would appreciate INL's and G/TIP's views on possible funding
of part of this conference.
JETER