Support for Trafficking Victims Strengthened at Mexico City Gathering

Mexico City, May 2025 — The United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (UNVTF) convened its annual Board of Trustees meeting in Mexico City on May 12–13, 2025. 

The UNVTF, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010 and administered by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), provides humanitarian, legal, and economic assistance to trafficking victims through grants to specialized grassroots non-governmental organizations (NGOs). 

This year’s meeting brought together all five members of the current Board of Trustees. Appointed by the UN Secretary-General and serving from 2023 to 2026, Ms. Victoria Nyanjura (Uganda), Chair of the Board and Founder of Women in Action for Women; Mr. Abdulla Hussain M.J. Al-Nameh (Qatar), Advisor to the Chairman of Qatar Charity, Ms. Marijana Savić (Serbia), Founder and Director of the NGO Atina Serbia; Ms. Mira Sorvino (United States), UN Goodwill Ambassador against Trafficking in Persons and Ms. Mariana Ruenes (Mexico), Founder and Chair of SINTRATA Mexico, met in Mexico city. Also attending from the UNODC headquarters in Vienna were Mr. Flavio Mirella, Chief of the Co-Financing and Partnership Section, and Mr. Jeevan Kanakkassery, External Relations Officer.

The choice of Mexico City as the host location highlights the UNVTF's global mission and Latin America's importance in the fight against human trafficking. The meeting aimed to strengthen collaboration, assess ongoing projects, and strategize future initiatives to support victims better worldwide.

During the two-day meeting, Board members reviewed the Fund’s financial health and the outcome of its latest call for project proposals and shared updates on outreach and fundraising initiatives. Strategic discussions included emerging trends in global and regional trafficking, engagement with private sector stakeholders, and planning for the next grant cycle. The agenda also featured an in-depth dialogue on advocacy strategies and concluded with the selection process for the next Board Chairperson.

As part of their program, the Board visited two frontline organizations: ANTHUS AC in Puebla and El Pozo de Vida AC in Mexico City, both of which receive support from the UNVTF. These field visits allowed the Trustees to observe firsthand the impactful work being done to support trafficking survivors in Mexico, providing crucial insight into the challenges faced by local organizations and the importance of sustained international support.

The decision to host the meeting in Mexico underscores the UNVTF’s commitment to engaging directly with affected regions and supporting innovative, community-based responses to trafficking. It also reinforced Mexico’s strategic role in the global fight against human trafficking.