HIGHLIGHTS FROM OAS TIP MEETING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CARACAS 000840 SIPDIS SIPDIS HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI RPORTER FRC FT LAUDERDALE FOR CLAMBERT COPENHAGEN FOR DLAWTON DOJ FOR TBELL DOL FOR MMITTLEHAUSER HHS FOR PMORENO E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL VE SUBJECT: HIGHLIGHTS FROM OAS TIP MEETING Classified By: Political Counselor Robert Downes for reasons 1.4 (d). -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) On March 14-17, the Organization of American States (OAS) held its first Meeting of the National Authorities on Trafficking In Person (TIP) on Margarita Island, Venezuela. During their opening remarks, Attorney General, Isaias Rodriguez, and Venezuela'a Deputy Permanent Representative to the OAS, Nelson Pineda Prada, both identified poverty and inequality as the catalysts behind human trafficking. NGO representatives underscored the importance of enhanced coordination between civil society and national authorities, and the importance of establishing state to state partnerships to combat TIP. BRV and US delegates clashed during working group meetings to finalize language in the conclusions and recommendations document. With few exceptions, the composition of member-state delegations did not exceed the technical level. End Summary. -------------- CHACON A NO SHOW, EVENTS PROCEED AS PLANNED -------------- ¶2. (U) Tuesday, March 14 marked the opening of the first OAS Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons on Margarita Island, Venezuela. Although the headline speaker for the occasion, Interior and Justice Minister Jesse Chacon, was a no show at the opening ceremony, Venezuela's Attorney General, Isaias Rodriguez, and Deputy Permanent Representative to the OAS, Nelson Pineda Prada, made brief comments on the BRV's behalf. During their 10-minute opening remarks, both Rodriguez and Pineda identified poverty and inequality as the catalysts behind human trafficking. Trafficking in persons, or neo-slavery, is a by-product of the efforts of "empires", to maintain world domination through continued exploitation of poor populations, according to Rodriguez. Corruption at all levels, Pineda commented, combined with a lack of international and national anti-TIP legislation also facilitated the phenomenon of human trafficking. Other noted BRV officials present during the opening ceremony were Vice-Minister for North America, Maria Pilar Hernandez, and Vice Minister for Legal Security at the Ministry of Interior and Justice, Rafael Jimenez. OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin provided closing remarks. With the exception of Belize and Canada, whose delegations were headed by their Ambassadors to the OAS, member-states limited representation for the event to the technical level. -------------- NGOS HAVE THEIR SAY -------------- ¶3. (U) General sessions were divided into five topical areas: implementation of international legal instruments, CARACAS 00000840 002 OF 003 prosecuting perpetrators, protction of and assistance to victims, exchange of nformation and experiences, and establishment orimprovement of statistical data. NGO representaives emphasized the importance of coordination beween civil society and national authorities, estabishing state to state partnerships, publicizing est practices, and improving data collection tecniques in the fight to combat human trafficking. Head of the US delegation, T. March Bell, while cknowledging NGO recommendations, underscored the challenges associated with inter-state and multi-gency cooperation. ¶4. (U) Dr. Judy Okawa, fro the Center for Traumatic Stress Studies in Washngton, cautioned that at the risk of "retraumitiztion", victims should not be forced to participae in legal cases until they are completely comfotable. Law enforcement officials, government auhorities, judges and mental health professionals, he continued, must be properly trained on the menal impact of human trafficking and the power of sychological coercion. -------------- BRV-USG DISAGREE ON LANGUAE OF FINAL DOCUMENT -------------- ¶5. (U) The BRV's insistence tht human trafficking is driven by poverty and ineuity persisted during working group meetings to inalize language included in the conclusions and recommendations document. US delegates argued that by focusing explicitly on poverty and inequality, member-states would ignore a number of "risk factors", including corruption and intimidation, that also contributed to the scourge of human trafficking. BRV delegates adamantly opposed the United State's assertions and at one point, the working group's chairperson, BRV Deputy Permanent Representative to the OAS Pineda, gave a 10-minute commentary explaining the significance of incorporating "poverty" into the final document. After a lengthy discussion failed to facilitate a consensus, member-states agreed to incorporate poverty and inequity into the document, and to reflect the US delegation's objection to the adopted language. (Note: US delegates also disagreed with a paragraph that urged member-states to support the working group's efforts on negotiations of the Social Charter of the Americas and its Plan of Action.) -------------- -- USG'S "ZERO TOLERANCE" APPROACH MAKES HEADLINES -------------- -- ¶6. (U) Head of the US delegation, Bell, fielded an array of questions from local media sources, including BRV financed and supported Telesur, regarding the US government's expectations for the meeting, US recommendations for the final document, and US mechanisms for combating trafficking within its borders. Bell emphasized the importance of a victim-centered approach to assistance, community-level advocates, and cross-border partnerships. On March 16, CARACAS 00000840 003 OF 003 Bell's comments regarding the need for member-states to establish "zero-tolerance" anti-trafficking legislation to punish individuals who are either directly or indirectly involved in human trafficking, including government officials, law enforcement personnel, and government contractors, appeared in local newspaper, "Sun of Margarita". ¶7. (U) The Delegation has cleared the substance of this cable. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) Surprisingly, the BRV did not utilize the OAS TIP meeting as a platform for lengthy criticism of US foreign and domestic policies. We caution, however, that the BRV's more restrained actions in Margarita are not indicative of greater acceptance for US initiatives to promote and monitor human rights efforts within and beyond its borders. It is more probable that BRV officials refrained from verbally attacking the US delegation during the OAS meeting in Margarita because such actions would have countered BRV efforts to portray itself as a "victim", rather than a provocateur, of US "aggression" before the international community. Furthermore, the BRV's frequent postponement of this event annoyed several member-states, and as a result, Venezuelan officials appeared more focused on demonstrating their ability to host an international event than spouting anti-US rhetoric. BROWNFIELD