Embassy Events 2004

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugee and Migration Affairs (PRM) Kelly Ryan meets with Amb. Ashe.

More than 140 delegates from nine European countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, and Belarus), met in Warsaw for a conference on combating human trafficking.

The conference, entitled "Building Regional Partnerships to Fight Trafficking in Persons in the Context of EU Enlargement," focused on how people from different sectors who have not traditionally cooperated could work together to more effectively assist victims of trafficking.

"One of the most useful aspects of this conference was the networking by religious officials from the Catholic and Orthodox Churches," said Refugee Coordinator Marc Meznar of the U.S. mission to the European Union.

In addition to delegates from the nine focus countries, representatives attended from the United States and EU countries. The State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration Affairs (PRM) provided $120,000 for the conference.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugee and Migration Affairs (PRM) Kelly Ryan led the 13-member USG delegation.