Inge Vervotte appointed as member of the board of the UN Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons

Former Minister Inge Vervotte has been appointed by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres as member of the five-member board of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (UNVTF).

This trust fund was established in 2010 to implement the Palermo Protocol, the first globally binding instrument that protects and assists victims of trafficking and smuggling of human beings with full respect for their human rights. The fund has EUR 6 million in contributions from various donors. It finances more than 60 projects in 40 different countries and funds NGOs that assist victims. Every year more than 3000 people get support through these projects. The help they receive is very concrete: victims are helped with access to justice, compensation or assistance packages and access to health care.

Belgium is the largest donor to the UNVTF and finances 2 million euros, one third of the total budget, through the Blue Heart Campaign, a global awareness campaign to combat human trafficking and its impact on society.