Ambassador Luis CdeBaca will address the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons’ Informational Meeting for Potential Grant Applicants on Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. at the Department of State in Washington, DC. Ambassador CdeBaca will discuss the Office’s international programming with organizations interested in applying for FY 2011 funding.

The Office’s federal funds are awarded to international and nongovernmental organizations to support programs that address issues or deficiencies identified in the TIP Report. This foreign assistance and programming is strategically targeted to countries ranked in the TIP Report on Tier 3 and Tier 2 Watch List as well as selected Tier 2 countries. In 2010, the Office funded 97 projects using the remaining FY 2009 funds ($14.3 million) and nearly all FY 2010 funds ($19 million); this is the first time that the Office’s grant solicitation and funding selection process has been completed within a single fiscal year.

The Office’s programs complement each country’s unique anti-trafficking needs and advance efforts to prevent trafficking, protect victims, prosecute perpetrators, and forge partnerships between government and civil society. Some examples of programs funded to combat TIP include:

• Funding for the Alliance Anti-Traffic Vietnam to reintegrate victims of sex trafficking by assisting them with life skills, vocational training, and economic development programs;
• Funding for the International Organization for Migration’s efforts to assist the Government of Papua New Guinea to develop national strategies for law enforcement entities and the judiciary to enact and implement new counter-trafficking legislation and policy in line with international standards and practices;
• Funding for the Restavek Freedom Foundation to train pastors throughout Haiti in the protection of children from involuntary domestic servitude;
• Funding for public-private partnerships to expand employment opportunities for survivors and enable consumers to be informed about supply chains and slavery-tainted goods.

At the informational meeting, Senior Coordinator for International Programs, Jane Sigmon, will provide an overview of the solicitation process, and Deputy Senior Coordinator for International Programs, Marisa Ferri, will address other highlights from FY 2010 programs.

Ambassador CdeBaca was appointed by President Obama to direct the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the Department of State, where he serves as a Senior Advisor to Secretary Clinton and leads the United States’ global fight against contemporary forms of slavery. The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP) develops and implements the State Department’s policy for the protection of trafficking victims, prosecution of traffickers, and prevention of trafficking.

Please direct questions about the requirements of this solicitation to Mark Forstrom, Senior Specialist, at ForstromMA@state.gov. Media interested in covering this event should contact Matthew Owens, Public Affairs Specialist, at (202) 216-5865 or OwensMJ@state.gov. Resources from this meeting will be posted on the G/TIP website at 2009-2017.state.gov/j/tip.