New Board Members for UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons Announced

Beneficiaries receiving essential materials, legal assistance, vocational training and counselling from Focus Droits et Access through UNVTF supported project in Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Vienna, 2024: The latest board of trustees of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (UNVTF) has been established.

The board is now constituted of:

Ms. Mariana Ruenes,
_{Founder and President, SINTRATA (Mexico), who is the youngest to serve on the Board of the Fund, and brings her experience working with data scientists and the private sector to the fight against human trafficking.}

Ms. Victoria Nyanjura,
_{Founder, Women in Action for Women (Uganda), who will bring her lived and personal experience as a survivor of trafficking to deepen the Trust Fund’s impact on victims.}

Mr. Abdullah Al-Nameh,
_{Adviser to President, Qatar Charity (Qatar) and formerly serving on the board of the National Human Rights Committee and the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, will assist the fund to reach new levels of support.}

Ms. Marijana Savic,
_{Founder and Director, NGO ATINA (Serbia), who is a leader in providing assistance to trafficking victims, and whose dedication to the cause of anti-trafficking and victims’ assistance has been recognized globally.}

Ms. Mira Sorvino,_{Actor, Activist, UNODC Goodwill Ambassador (United States of America), who has a longstanding commitment with the UNODC and the UNVTF. A passionate human trafficking victims’ advocate, she has campaigned and raised funds for the cause.}

The five anti-human trafficking experts, representing the five UN Regional Groups, were appointed by the UN Secretary General António Guterres to provide strategic guidance to the Trust Fund over the next three years.

The new board members have direct knowledge on how to engage with survivors in the field, raise awareness amongst a global audience, and mobilize resources that are vital in scaling-up solutions on the ground.

Insan-Leilek: Victim of human trafficking receiving vocational training provided by Insan-Leilek under the support of UNVTF in Kyrgyzstan

Vulnerable victims receiving legal and medical aid, emergency assistance and counselling from Farah Social Foundation under the support of UNVTF in Lebanon

In her welcome to the new Board, Ms. Gadha Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), highlighted the stark reality that despite the pervasive nature of human trafficking, the funding that is made available for victims’ assistance remains hugely inadequate. She urged the members to leverage their networks and platforms and explore innovative approaches to advance the mission of the Fund.

For the first time ever, the Trust Fund has now a Board member who is also a survivor of human trafficking. Following the first meeting of the new board, Ms. Victoria Nyanjura, who was also nominated as the Chairperson for the year, shared that she hoped her involvement would “help to amplify the voices of those who have endured the horrors of trafficking, so that those who are involved in assisting the survivors can do more from an informed point of view.”

Over their terms, the board members will assist the UNVTF to raise awareness about the importance of victims’ assistance and promote the Fund’s mandate, support the Trust Fund in mobilizing critical resources for project implementation, advocate with key stakeholders including government, private sector, philanthropic institutions, and individuals, and amplify the voices of victims of human trafficking. Board Members will also play an important role in overseeing the financial health of the Fund to ensure that resources are used efficiently and with transparency.

To know more about the Members of the Board, please visit: https://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/Human-Trafficking-Fund/BoT/BIOS_UNVTF.pdf

Beneficiaries attending psychological support activities provided by Corporación Espacios de Mujer through UNVTF funded project in Colombia

Vulnerable victims of human trafficking receiving repatriation and reintegration support provided by Rescue Foundation through UNVTF funded project in Mumbai

About the UNVTF

The UNVTF was established in July 2010 by the UN General Assembly, through the adoption of Resolution 64/293, endorsing the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. Administered by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Trust Fund's mandate is to provide humanitarian, legal and financial aid to victims of trafficking in persons through the awarding of multi-year grants to specialized, in-situ, civil society organizations (CSOs), who are on the frontlines of tackling human trafficking. These CSOs are selected through a rigorous grant-selection process that is led and facilitated by the UNVTF Secretariat based in Vienna, Austria. Adopting a victim-centered approach, the Trust Fund has supported over 162 projects across more than 60 countries, directly impacting the lives of over 80,000 survivors of human trafficking. The CSOs provide critical assistance to victims including shelter, health services, psycho-social support, education, vocational training, and access to financial inclusion. The Trust Fund’s approach aligns with the ‘3P’ paradigm of ‘Prevention’, ‘Prosecution’ and ‘Protection’, formulated under the Trafficking in Persons Protocol. This paradigm serves as the fundamental framework used by governments around the world to combat trafficking in persons and seeks to guarantee the rights of each individual victim.