United States Ambassador to Guyana D Brent Hardt last week met with Tricia Watson, who has been selected to participate in an International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States on combating Trafficking in Persons (TIP).
U.S. Ambassador D Brent Hardt greets Tricia Watson
The ambassador congratulated Watson on her selection, noting that he appreciates the close cooperation that exists between the United States and Guyana in addressing this global challenge, the U.S. embassy said in a release.
The November 7-18 programme will bring together 19 participants from throughout the world, including government officials, immigration officials, human rights activists, academics, law enforcement teams, and representatives of social service organisations to examine the global problem of trafficking in persons.
They will meet with U.S. counterparts to explore best practices to prevent trafficking in persons, a global phenomenon that affects all countries. Participants will have an opportunity to see firsthand U.S. initiatives to protect, assist, and provide social reintegration of victims of trafficking as well as methods to enhance prosecution and enforcement against traffickers.
Watson currently serves as technical officer in the Counter Trafficking in Persons Unit of the Ministry of Labour, Human Services, and Social Security.
The IVLP is the flagship professional exchange programme of the Department of State, which annually brings to the U.S. approximately 5000 foreign nationals from all over the world to meet and confer with their professional counterparts and to experience America firsthand.
The visitors are current or potential leaders in government, politics, the media, education, the arts, business, and other fields.
Among the thousands of distinguished individuals who have participated in the IVLP since its inception, almost seven decades ago, are more than 290 current and former chiefs of state and heads of government, 2000 cabinet-level ministers, and many other distinguished leaders from the public and private sectors. More than 100 Guyanese nationals have participated in a range of IVLPs over the years.
