UAE PREPARING FOR TRAFFICKING-IN-PERSONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 003689

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, INL, DRL, NEA/RA, AND NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2016
TAGS: PREL PHUM KCRM ELAB UN AE
SUBJECT: UAE PREPARING FOR TRAFFICKING-IN-PERSONS
CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL SCALE

REF: A) ABU DHABI 3616 (G/TIP visit)
B) ABU DHABI 3125 (ECSSR conference proposal)

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Classified by Ambassador Michele Sison, reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (SBU) Abu Dhabi's plan to host a worldwide conference on
trafficking in persons (TIP) has moved forward since the July
conversation noted ref B with Director General of the
Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR)
Dr. Jamal Al-Suwaidi. Following coordination with the UN
Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna, and with
participation from G/TIP, ECSSR hosted a Steering Committee
meeting in Abu Dhabi on September 4 to advance planning for a
March 26-28 conference, the basic parameters of which
envision participation by as many UN member nations as
possible.


2. (C) Post had prefaced the September 4 Steering Committee
meeting with caution to the organizers regarding the TIP
record of the UAE, recommending progress towards passage of a
TIP law, signature of the related UN Protocol, and possible
establishment of shelters for trafficking victims as
indications of the "credibility" of the host of such a
conference. Signing the UN Protocol would seem particularly
critical to a nation hosting a UN-based conference on the
issue. The ECSSR Director General said at the outset of the
September 4 session, however, that his organization was
focused on "the conference," and represented neither the UAE
nor international TIP expertise. As such, he arranged
meetings with the UAE Ministers of Justice and Interior for
the visiting experts to discuss UAE positions directly
(conversations reported ref A).


3. (SBU) Organizers in Abu Dhabi were adamant in the
September 4 planning meeting that the goal of the conference
is a unified stand against trafficking in persons agreed to
by "all 192 members of the UN," ideally represented at the
ministerial level in Abu Dhabi. They cited the goal of a
strongly-worded "Abu Dhabi declaration" to bolster
international resolve and distributed a draft text
(extensively edited since the draft noted ref B).


4. (C) Notable attendees at the meeting -- notable as
experts in the field of trafficking in persons invited to
lend substance to the conference -- included G/TIP Mark
Taylor and UNODC Chief of anti-trafficking Kristina
Kangaspunta, both of whom interjected caution as to the grand
ambitions of a "global" conference which sought to produce a
formal document agreed to by all parties. G/TIP cited the
merits of a more tightly focused regional gathering, while
UNODC noted the inherent logistics and protocol issues raised
by an event of this magnitude. After some discussion,
organizers agreed that verbal acclamation of an "Abu Dhabi
declaration" would be preferable to an effort to gain
signatures on the document, but showed no flexibility on the
question of keeping the conference global in scope by
inviting "all 192" countries to participate. Being the
substantive experts, G/TIP and UNODC were offered the
opportunity to submit comments on the nature of invitees, a
substantive agenda for the conference, and ideas for further
redrafts of the declaration.


5. (C) USG participants on September 4 made clear to the
organizers that U.S. interests in the event would largely be
defined by the U.S. perception of the practical benefits to
accrue from the conference in the TIP arena. As such, we
could not commit to securing attendance of all UN member
states (that would be the organizers job),but would endeavor
to encourage those we deemed appropriate to attend.
Similarly, the USG offered to help refine the invitee list
(government and NGO) to focus on participation by key experts
and agreed to share comments on a substantive agenda and
declaration.


6. (SBU) Comment: In spite of the logistics challenge posed
by an undertaking of this magnitude, ECSSR appears committed
(and commissioned by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed
bin Zayed) to make the conference a success. It has reserved
the prestigious Emirates Palace Hotel for the duration of the
March 26-28 event and will reportedly block rooms in other
hotels to accommodate the 1,000 or more participants. With
UAEG backing, ECSSR appears committed to covering lodging and
ground transportation costs for attendees. (ECSSR is not,
however, prepared at this time to cover the air
transportation costs of participants other than the
conference speakers; instead ECSSR hopes to enlist the help

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of unspecified donors to assist in funding the air travel of
resource-challenged participants.) It is also engaging the
services of an international public relations firm to
advertise the event and ensure broad media coverage. If
successful, these efforts will underpin a conference for
which Abu Dhabi seeks recognition as a capable host.


7. (C) Comment continued: The substance of the issue under
discussion, however, is quite a separate matter. The primary
focus of the organizers has been on staging a successful
event in Abu Dhabi; the actual substance of the event appears
secondary. As "experts" on TIP are only now asked to engage
in drafting a meaningful agenda, G/TIP and UNODC have a
basically clean slate on which to build a productive event --
although somewhat inhibited by the requirement of global
participation and the nebulous title assigned to the
conference: "Promoting Holistic Policies Against Trafficking
in Persons." It is too early to tell how welcome USG input
will be as the organizers move forward, but it is clear that
a meaningful agenda would benefit from a regional focus
(possibly in break-out sessions) and a final declaration more
firmly grounded in the 2000 UN Protocol. If the UAE remains
committed to the success of this event and recognizes the
need to enhance its own record on TIP in order to appear a
more credible host, the USG has an opportunity to leverage
that commitment towards real progress on G/TIP's action plan
for the UAE including the establishment of a victim's shelter
and the passing of anti-TIP legislation. End comment.
SISON