OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO THE SPECIAL

UNCLAS STATE 120334 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OSCE PGOV PREL TIP SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO THE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE BIAUDET ¶1. (U) Post is authorized to make the following statement at the November 13 meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna: Begin Text: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is a pleasure to welcome Special Representative Biaudet to the Permanent Council today. Your report bears witness to the excellent work of your staff and highlights the ongoing importance of OSCE efforts to combat trafficking in human beings. Efforts to accurately identify and appropriately assist victims of human trafficking remain high priorities for the United States, as do national and international efforts to effectively prosecute traffickers. We believe the Office of the Special Representative plays an important role in the fight against human trafficking. Wee commend your work to helphelping participating States meet anti-trafficking commitments and implement relevant Action Plan recommendations. The United States recognizes the valuable work in the fight against trafficking in human beings done by the Office of the Special Representative, as well as equally important work in the sphere performed by ODIHR. We urged the Special Representative to consider how to find greater efficiency, perhaps through combining some of these complementary efforts. We look forward to continued progress, and to the deepening of an integrated approach to preventing and combating trafficking in human beings across the OSCE region. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. End text. RICE