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Mayor Walsh to Discuss Human Trafficking and Climate Change at the Vatican

BOSTON - Wednesday, July 15, 2015 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh will participate in a conference organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences from Monday, July 20 - Wednesday, July 22 in Vatican City to discuss human trafficking and climate change with leaders from around the world.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to represent the City of Boston at the Vatican to discuss the vital issues of human trafficking and protecting our environment," said Mayor Walsh. "I look forward to sharing Boston's progress with my peers from around the world and exploring how we can work together to prepare our cities for the future."  

The workshops, titled "The Modern Slavery and Climate Change" and "Prosperity, People, and Planet: Achieving Sustainable Development in Our Cities" will bring together mayors, local administrators and religious leaders from major cities around the world together to request that the United Nations (UN) consider modern slavery and human trafficking a crime against humanity, as well as put pressure on the UN to approve new sustainable development goals. Mayor Walsh will share best practices in the fight against human trafficking and climate change in the City of Boston. 
The Mayor will also attend a reception with the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, Ken Hackett.

Mayor Walsh is committed to ending human trafficking in the City of Boston. He is among 11 mayors in a network launched in February called Cities Empowered Against Sexual Exploitation (CEASE). CEASE Boston targets men who are buying sex on the streets, and quietly using the Internet to solicit sex. The program aims to reduce online demand activity by 20 percent, as well as street level activity by 80 percent, over the next two years.

In January, Mayor Walsh released the Greenovate Boston 2014 Climate Action Plan Update, taking steps to prepare the City of Boston for the impacts of climate change and celebrating the City's progress towards reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 25 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. By laying out the necessary steps to reduce the causes of and to prepare for climate change, the Climate Action Plan gives Greenovate Boston a framework for building a greener, healthier and more prosperous city.

The Mayor will depart Boston on Sunday, July 19 and return on Thursday, July 23. A more detailed schedule will be announced in the coming days.

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