 |
|
| Press Release: Ambassador Mark P. Lagon Announced as Incoming Executive Director |
|
Washington, D.C. – Polaris Project, a national organization combating human trafficking, has named Ambassador Mark P. Lagon, Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP) of the U.S. Department of State, as their incoming Executive Director. Founded in 2002, Polaris Project is one of the leading national organizations working to end modern-day slavery in the United States and Japan. [Press Release] [Bio]
----------------------------- November 20th, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: TOP U.S. DIPLOMAT ON MODERN-DAY SLAVERY NAMED AS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL ORGANIZATION COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING Washington, D.C. – Polaris Project, a national organization combating human trafficking, has named Ambassador Mark P. Lagon, Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP) of the U.S. Department of State, as their incoming Executive Director. Founded in 2002, Polaris Project is one of the leading national organizations working to end human trafficking in the United States and Japan. Dr. Mark P. Lagon was confirmed by the Senate in 2007 to serve as Ambassador-at-Large and Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP), and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State. The TIP Office (www.state.gov/g/tip) coordinates U.S. Government activities in the global fight against modern-day slavery, including commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. “As one of the leading voices in the global movement against modern-day slavery, Ambassador Lagon has demonstrated deep commitment and energetic leadership in pursuing the eradication of all forms of human trafficking.” said Polaris Project Board Chair and Co-Founder Derek Ellerman, “We are confident that Ambassador Lagon brings the right leadership to Polaris Project to continue the success we have achieved and expand the impact of our work against human trafficking to new horizons in the years ahead.” Ambassador Lagon has spearheaded U.S. anti-slavery diplomacy across the globe, leading his office’s catalytic role in international awareness-raising, grant-making, and the release of the annual Trafficking in Persons Report, unique in spurring other nations through rankings of their government’s efforts against modern-day slavery. His office provides funding to NGOs and international organizations to strengthen assistance for victims and enforcement against traffickers, and coordinates efforts with all U.S. agencies, which together have disbursed over half a billion dollars in global anti-trafficking assistance since 2001. Through his tenure, Ambassador Lagon has emphasized the need for the U.S. to frankly assess its own efforts at home if it is to press other nations to do more, acting as Chair of the Senior Policy Operating Group, which supports the Cabinet-level Presidential Inter-Agency Task Force. In this role, he has worked with domestic agencies to champion a more victim-centered approach giving equal attention to labor and sex trafficking and U.S. citizen and foreign national victims. Named after the North Star that guided slaves towards freedom along the Underground Railroad, Polaris Project has been taking a comprehensive approach to combating human trafficking and modern-day slavery since 2002. Polaris Project is one of the largest anti-trafficking organizations in the United States and Japan, with programs operating at the national level and in Washington, DC; Newark, NJ; Denver, CO; and Tokyo, Japan. Polaris Project's comprehensive approach to combating human trafficking includes conducting direct outreach and victim identification, providing social services and transitional housing, operating the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) serving as a central national hotline on human trafficking, advocating for stronger state and Federal anti-trafficking legislation, and engaging community members in local and national grassroots efforts. “As the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, modern-day slavery must be abolished through the determined efforts of a movement both deep and wide and through the commitment of governments around the world.” said President and Co-Founder Katherine Chon, “Ambassador Lagon’s track record of bringing together diverse parties in common cause and in engaging governments in the global fight against trafficking is a testament to his leadership, and we are delighted to join forces in our common mission to create a world without slavery.” Ambassador Lagon will officially begin as Executive Director of Polaris Project in February of 2009. For further information on Polaris Project, visit their website at www.polarisproject.org. # # # |