Promulgated by the General Assembly in March 2024, compliance honors victims of organized crime – including law enforcement and judicial officers who lost their lives in pursuit of justice.
Opening theme: Organized crime steals, corrupts and murders. It’s time for us to unite together to push backemphasizes the urgency of collective action.
Talk to UN NewsCandice Welsh, UNODC The Regional Representative of the Andean Region and the southernmost regions of South America emphasized the global nature of the threat: “Almost all organized crime is transnational, it does not take place within a single countrybut often cross regional borders and even beyond.”
“This UN compliance therefore aims to galvanize action by governments, the private sector, civil society and the public,” she said.
Pillar of international cooperation
United Nations Convention against transnational organized crime adopted in 2000 and ratified by 192 countries, serves as the foundation for UNODC’s efforts to combat and ultimately eliminate the scourge of transnational organized crime.
“We are working to increase cooperation between countries so that they can share information and intelligence between police forces or so that border agencies and prosecutors can conduct joint operations,”, Ms. Welsch said.
UNODC’s efforts include strengthening local, national and international capacity to better understand and combat these challenges.
Cocaine, deforestation, impact on communities
In the Andean region, Colombia and Ecuador face big challenges with transnational criminal groups. According to UNODC data, Colombia’s coca cultivation area reaches 253,000 hectares by 2023, yielding an estimated output of 2,664 tons of cocaine in 2022.
However, the problem is not limited to drug trafficking. Illegal logging, deforestation and wildlife trafficking – especially in the Galapagos Islands – are also on the rise.
These activities disrupt community security, exacerbate gang violence and contribute to rising homicide rates, affecting indigenous communities and young people who face recruitment risks. . The flow of migrants through the region also exposes vulnerable populations to human trafficking and other forms of abuse.
To address these challenges, UNODC supports alternative development programs for coca farmers. These initiatives promote legal crops such as coffee, cocoa, vanilla and sacha inchi, a nutrient-rich Amazon plant.
“What we are trying to do with alternative development programs is to provide these communities with ways to move toward a legitimate economy and a more secure future”, Ms. Welsch said.
A former poppy farmer grows tomatoes in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. (document)
The rise of opium in Afghanistan
Despite the original 2022 Taliban ban Reduce opium cultivation by up to 95%2024 sees one 19 percent respawn due to economic difficulties and rising prices.
Since 2016, UNODC has supported more than 85,000 households through alternative development initiativessuch as poultry farming projects that aim to provide both food security and income generation for drug-affected families.
Southeast Asia: The drug economy of the Golden Triangle
Myanmar has overtaken Afghanistan to become the world’s top opium producer, with output increasing by 36% by 2023.
Cooperation on security issues can be challenging for countries, but the UN plays an important role in promoting dialogue
– Jeremy Douglas, UNODC
This country also leads global methamphetamine productionthe drug has become the dominant drug according to UNODC data, with seizures quadrupling between 2013 and 2022.
Furthermore, criminal groups in the Golden Triangle – Myanmar, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Thailand – have expanded into online fraud, wildlife trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking.
In response, UNODC has promoted regional cooperation through the establishment of approximately 120 border liaison offices to facilitate intelligence sharing and coordinated action.
“Cooperation on security issues can be challenging for countries, but the UN plays an important role in promoting dialogue,” said Jeremy Douglas, former UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, currently Chief of Staff and Strategic Advisor to the Executive Director.
Goods are loaded onto boats in Lao PDR for transport across the Mekong River to Thailand. (document)
Global drug crisis
The impact of transnational crime extends far beyond the producing countries.
New synthetic drugs are on the rise, especially in North America, which is facing a threat fentanyl crisisas well as in the Asia and Africa regions.
Western and Central European countries, especially those with North Sea coastlines, also face significant challenges as their ports become major entry points for cocaine.
In the Sahel, Smuggling gold and fuel weakening governance and security, while complicating sustainable development, depriving the country of an important source of income.
Wildlife crimeGold smuggling and organized fraud are just a few examples of how these criminals converge, exploiting fragile ecosystems and vulnerable communities around the world.
However, UNODC remains committed to supporting global efforts.
People-centered approach
“Despite these challenges, there is hope,” Ms. Welsch said.
She emphasized the importance of public awareness campaigns targeting youth and community programs that involve parents and teachers, as well as the need to ensure that all It is accessible to everyone who needs drug abuse treatment.
“The only way to fix global problems is to promote international action. That’s why UNODC works with partners to help secure our common future,” she concluded.
