Washington, DC - The United States seeks to strengthen global efforts against trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling, and other pernicious forms of transnational crime at the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) in Vienna, October 17-21. Ambassador Susan Coppedge, appointed by President Obama to lead U.S. global engagement against human trafficking, joins the U.S. delegation which is led by Ambassador Luis Arreaga, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and includes officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and Department of State.

The UNTOC meeting will gather counterparts from around the world to advance international cooperation and share best practices in the fight against transnational crime.

U.S. goals for the meeting include enhancing the ability of investigators, prosecutors, and others on the front lines to work across borders and cooperate more closely in fighting transnational crime. The United States will take part in side events on the priority areas of combating trafficking in persons and promoting the sharing of electronic evidence.