CABINET OFFICE HOSTS TIP WORKING SESSION

UNCLAS KINGSTON 001622 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR (BENT) AND WHA/PPC (PUCCETTI) DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP (OWEN) AND (ETERNO) SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD AND J7 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM KWMN OPRC PHUM PREL SMIG JM TIP SUBJECT: CABINET OFFICE HOSTS TIP WORKING SESSION REF: A. KINGSTON 01611 ¶B. SIEBENGARTNER/BENT FAX 06/29/05 ¶1. On June 28, the Cabinet Office hosted a working meeting with USAID Mission Director and Poloff to review actions taken to date by the GOJ to combat trafficking in persons (TIP). The meeting had been scheduled as a follow up to a June 24 meeting on TIP at the Ministry of National Security (MNS) hosted by Minister of National Security Peter Phillips (Ref A). In attendance from the GOJ were Ann-Marie Bonner, Principal Director, Policy Analysis and Review Unit, Office of the Cabinet; Gladys Young, Attorney General's Chambers, Ministry of Justice; Woodrow Smith, Principal Director, MNS; Karl Hamilton, Security, Intelligence, and Operations Division, MNS; Allison Anderson, Chief Executive Officer, Child Development Agency (CDA); Audrey Budhi, Director of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation, CDA; and Pamela Ingleton, International Organizations Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. ¶2. The meeting was chaired by Bonner, whose office has taken the lead on TIP for the GOJ. Bonner expressed that, in anticipation of the July 14-15 evaluation visit by Department TIP representatives, the GOJ is very interested in USG feedback on the actions it had already taken against trafficking, which were outlinted in a document shared with emboffs on June 24 (Ref B). Poloff replied that, while the apparent progress was promising, the lack of detail provided on each of the actions was likely to raise questions from Department visitors. The remainder of the meeting, which lasted approximately 90 minutes, was devoted to a point-by-point review and clarification of GOJ actions taken to date. For example, where the GOJ indicated that "A Task Force is in place," Poloff requested a list of its members, their titles, and the GOJ agencies they represented, in addition to how often the group had met and what the tangible results of its meetings had been. A similar line of questioning was introduced for each GOJ action, at the conclusion of which Bonner promised that she would prepare a written response for the Embassy. ¶3. Bonner also asked about the agenda of the July 14-15 visit by Department representatives. Poloff replied that the schedule was currently being planned, but that the Embassy would welcome input from the GOJ on whom they considered to be the most appropriate and effective points of contact during the visit. Poloff assured Bonner that the visitors would like a detailed briefing from the GOJ TIP Task Force, and suggested that some involvement by a senior GOJ official might be impactful. Bonner said that her office would respond with a proposed schedule of GOJ meetings for the July visit. ¶4. Comment: Despite Peter Phillips' disingenuous posturing in front of Charge on June 24 (Ref A),it appears that the GOJ has in fact begun to take concrete steps in response to Department's suggested Tier 3 Action Plan. The involvement of the Cabinet Office on this matter, possibly at the request of the Prime Minister himself, seems to be just the impetus the GOJ needs to get its disparate agencies lined up behind the TIP issue. With one day's notice, Bonner was able to assemble seven mid- to high-level officials representing five different ministries, a feat that under normal circumstances might have required weeks of planning and at least one diplomatic note. The GOJ should now have a thorough understanding of USG expectations during this 60-day grace period, and appears to have completed approximately one-third of the fifteen suggestions in the Tier 3 Action Plan, with another one-third reasonably achievable in the short-term. End Comment. TIGHE