Valeriya

More news from Vienna

Here are some more photos from The Vienna Forum, which I recently wrote about.

In the top photo, Joseph and I are stood with Mr Antonio Maria Costa, the boss of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Next, me with the Austrian Foreign Minister, Dr Ursula Plassnik.

Finally, a photo of the three of us alongside Ricky Martin and Emma Thompson.

At the end of last year I appeared in a documentary film for Moscow's International Organization for Migration (IOM) about the human trafficking problems in Russia, and it was this year that the IOM asked me to become a good-will ambassador.

At The Vienna Forum, alongside politicians and celebrities from around the world, I gave a speech in three languages - Russian, French and English.

Like the other celebrities there - Ricky Martin, Emma Thompson, Julia Ormond and Shakira - I believe I can help reduce human trafficking by bringing the public's attention to it.

At the end of The Vienna Forum I was asked by Mr Antonio Maria Costa if I would appear at benefit concerts around the world to raise awareness of this issue and, along with Ricky Martin and Shakira, I readily agreed.

 

The Vienna Forum

Last week I was in Vienna for the launch of The Vienna Forum, which was hosted by The United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking.

The Vienna Forum is the first global forum to tackle human trafficking, which it describes as "a crime that shames us all".

I'd like to recommend that you visit the website for The Vienna Forum to discover more about its objectives.

I attended the forum as a representative of Moscow's International Organization for Migration (the IOM), who work to prevent human trafficking in Russia. I work for the IOM as a goodwill ambassador.

Also attending the forum were the Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin and the actresses Julia Ormond and Emma Thompson, who I had the pleasure of meeting.