UNODC launches Toolkit on Stakeholder Engagement for implementing UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime

7 July 2020 – On 18 June, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched the Toolkit on Stakeholder Engagement for the Implementation of United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). The toolkit, now available online, was developed based on suggestions from the first Stakeholder Engagement Needs Assessment Workshop which took place in October 2019, which brought together some 40 representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations, academics and the private sector.

The Toolkit was originally due to be unveiled at the 14^th Crime Congress, which had to be postponed due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. It will be used to train non-governmental stakeholders with the aim to ensure the effective implementation of the UNTOC, and promote systematic and comprehensive engagement of non-governmental stakeholders in the Review Mechanism, in line with Resolution 9/1 agreed by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention.

The development of the Toolkit was a broad UNODC exercise led by the UNODC Civil Society Team in close consultation with the Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch and other UNODC substantive offices.

The Toolkit features recommendations of relevant sources, tools of engagement of non-governmental stakeholders and a comprehensive overview of the UNTOC, its Protocols and the Review Mechanism. Furthermore, it showcases best practices using case studies and provides guidance and practical information.

The first training based on the Toolkit will take place on 21-24 July 2020 online and will be targeted to Civil Society Organizations, academics and the private sector from the Americas. The online training aims to:

Equip participating non-governmental stakeholders with the requisite substantive knowledge about UNTOC provisions in order to achieve their meaningful participation in the Review Mechanism;
Inform the participants about the methodology, entry points and available tools for engagement in the review process;
Provide a platform for discussing joint actions to fight organized crime at the national and regional levels in support of their governments;
Provide a platform for a constructive dialogue and sharing of experiences, network, build confidence and promote positive interaction among different non-governmental stakeholders in general and at the forthcoming COP10 meeting in Vienna, Austria, in October 2020.

Applying for the training is now possible until 14 July at https://bit.ly/3eoLWv5. More information can be found on the training page https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/ngos/se4u-training.html or by contacting unodc-se4u@un.org.

Moving forward, UNODC is committed to supporting Member States in the Review Mechanism and to prepare non-governmental stakeholders to make constructive and meaningful contributions.

Further information

The Toolkit on Stakeholder Engagement for the Implementation of United nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime

Toolkit launch presentation

CST work on organized crime

UNODC work on organized crime

UNTOC Review Mechanism