Washington, DC - Deputy Secretary John J. Sullivan today co-hosted a public event on the margins of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly entitled “Stepping up Action to End Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking,” proudly joining the governments of Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Canada, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom to affirm the importance of government action to combat human trafficking.

During the event, Deputy Secretary Sullivan announced on behalf of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom Principles to Guide Government Action to Combat Human Trafficking in Global Supply Chains, a framework other countries can build on to prevent human trafficking in public and private sector supply chains. The Principles highlight the critical role of governments and acknowledge the necessity of strategic cooperation with civil society, survivors, and the business community.

Deputy Secretary Sullivan also announced additional U.S. funds to support the Department of State’s Program to End Modern Slavery (PEMS), bringing the Department’s total investment for this important program to $75 million. PEMS aims to support transformational programs and projects to achieve a measurable and substantial reduction of the prevalence of modern slavery in targeted populations in priority countries and regions.