MRS. MUBARAK CITES PRESIDENT BUSH IN LAUNCHING

UNCLAS CAIRO 002972 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP AND NEA/ELA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KCRM EG SUBJECT: MRS. MUBARAK CITES PRESIDENT BUSH IN LAUNCHING ANTI-TIP CAMPAIGN REF: CAIRO 1634 Sensitive but Unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Speaking at an IOM conference in Cairo, First Lady Suzanne Mubarak, building on her activism at an Athens Conference in January, spoke out forcefully against TIP and pledged that her "Stop Human Trafficking Now!" campaign would work closely with governments and businesses to eradicate the "scourge" of TIP. Her sustained activism on this issue suggests that Egypt is moving in the right direction on TIP and reinforces the Embassy's view that this is the wrong time to downgrade Egypt's tier ranking. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) On May 17 Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak addressed a conference in Cairo of the International Organization for Migration's business advisory board. About 100 persons attended, including the Ministers of Justice, Manpower, and Trade, a number of other Egyptian VIPs, several Egyptian film stars, journalists, foreign diplomats, and representatives of international organizations, including Brunson McKinley, President of IOM. ¶3. (SBU) In her remarks the First Lady praised IOM's efforts to help governments, businesses, and individuals address the challenges and maximize the opportunities presented by the increasing phenomenon of transnational migration. She also noted the multitude of economic, security, humanitarian, and public health issues prompted by transnational migration. She made special reference to President Bush's recent pledge to craft fair and humane policies that maximize the benefits and minimize the problems prompted by transnational migration. ¶4. (SBU) Trafficking in persons was the focal issue in the First Lady's remarks. She desribed TIP as a phenomenon which "affects almost every country on Earth, including Egypt." She continued that this "scourge" was especially disturbing because it affects women and children in particular. The size and scope of human trafficking should not be underestimated, the First Lady asserted. In recognition of this problem, and determination to fight it, she continued, her NGO, the Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement, launched the campaign "End Human Trafficking Now!" during a meeting in Athens in January 2006. Among the outcomes of the Athens meeting were the "Athens Ethical Principles" which pledged a partnership between businesses, governments, and individuals to combat trafficking through coordination of policies and business practices. The Athens Principles -- distributed as a printed pledge statement for audience members to sign, at the persistent urging of the First Lady's staffers - also called on governments to adopt appropriate legislation to combat TIP. ¶5. (SBU) "Our movement is committed to fostering cooperation between all stakeholders...to pursue a cross-sectoral approach" to eradicate human trafficking, she said. The first tangible outcome of the campaign, the First Lady noted, would be an aggressive public awareness campaign. (Note: "End Human Trafficking Now!" lapel pins were distributed at the event and worn by the First Lady and most guests. End note.) "We are aware that ultimately, the victims of trafficking will judge us not by our words but by the actions we take to help them," she concluded. More information about Mrs. Mubarak's "End Human Trafficking Now!" campaign can be found at http://www.gcwdp.org. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: Several audience members remarked to the Ambassador that Mrs. Mubarak had gone out of her way to quote President Bush. The First Lady's sustained activism on the TIP issue bodes well for continuing improvements in the GOE's anti-TIP efforts. She will address the issue again during the WEF talks in Sharm El-Sheikh next week. We reaffirm our view that it would be inappropriate and contrary to our anti-TIP and broader objectives with Egypt to downgrade Egypt's Tier II status in the 2006 TIP report. End Comment. ¶7. (SBU) Post eagerly awaits G/TIP's action plan for Egypt. We would like to move forward with GOE interlocutors, capturing the momentum of Mrs. Mubarak's speech. RICCIARDONE